Last of the 5 OXS Exhibit prints and sneak peek at blocks

Printing Marathon Over!

It's been a very busy three weeks but I am now finished printing the remaining editions of the five OXS Exhibit prints at the Nevada Arts Council in Reno, Nevada.
I am half planning a little crowd funding project to help frame the exhibit and get myself up there but that's to come in a couple of weeks. Tiny originals, anyone?

Printing older works brings mixed feelings. On the one hand I am SO done with those images...but on the other I can't help myself and usually tweak the image just a bit. Obviously with woodcuts I can't "add" anything but many times I open up an area, change the outline, clear up some confusion and so on. I did that this time so all the prints have been somewhat redefined to meet my current artistic mood. Subtle changes!

The work is now done. Some blocks didn't hold up to my initial edition projection, which I find happens often. Birch, birch, birch...breaks up, softens up, muddies up... Cherry, on the other hand, does just beautifully under my press or hand.

Last print: Light Seekers

An image inspired by a forest and all the trees and plants reaching for the sun. Someone at a festival called it "very spiritual", others find it enlightening, yet others dark.  I picked a birch block with a strange knot in it and made it the sun; the figures just seemed to reach for it.

The Blocks about to get prepped

Just a sneak peek at some of the blocks getting a makeover. I will be posting again on the process to get each block ready for exhibition, but for now, here are some pictures of the precious things.

Maze, so deteriorated during printing and cleaning
it had to be painted and re-inked

Struck, after cleaning, some selective sanding,
even more selective wood stain and some re-carving