Test block carving and bonus studio puppy

Test Block

I mentioned in some earlier post that one of my "jobs" as a project instigator is to make sure everyone receives their prints back and that the prints are worthy of having. 

Having an 8-panel print is a bit scary because the cherry plywood blocks, as any other wood block, softens after a couple of hundred prints. This time I will need the blocks to yield as many prints as they will give, 160 plus slop/trial proofs. That's getting awfully close to the life of the block limit.

Same design as the Peace Puzzle in 12 x 30 inch test block

Adding to that bit of nervousness, this batch of cherry plywood came with an under-layer of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard, cheap wood-like stuff). Cool stuff, carves nicely but a bit soft for my taste as it dents easier than standard cherry plywood with all wood under-layers. 

So! with all that in mind, I decided to carve a test block in order to have something to abuse prior to actual printing of the Peace Puzzle blocks. I plan on being truly rough with the poor thing and carved a variety of detail, open lines, flat areas and other variations to see how each will hold up under my mightiest ink roller and the pressure of the press. I have a couple of sealers in mind that will harden the surface to preserve details and want to test them out.

Here we go!

Inked up, oiled up and ready to carve

Ahhhh, beautiful if I may say so myself

The promised bonus studio puppy, an unexpected find in the desert
upon returning from my walk.
For all kinds of puppy nonsense, go to my Facebook profile
Fortunately for carving's sake, she sleeps a lot

More progress

Dove is looking good, about half-way done

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Original woodblocks with a makeover

The Wood Speaks

Detail from Baile del Sol woodblock

I have been selling my original woodblocks at art festivals for years and, in getting them ready for "market", I have found that each demands its own particular makeover.

Some are ready to sell, they stay clean during printing and all that is required is a few cleanups here and there. Usually cherry and maple blocks are very well behaved. Lines stay clear, ink goes only where it is rolled and the backgrounds remain beautifully carved, clean and showing all the scars of the cutting process. Few...and far between!

I usually simply let the last layer of ink dry after printing the last print of the edition. Then I carve my signature or chop and often add a symbol with a metaphor to the image. Lastly I cover with a protective coating, sometimes polyurethane, sometimes a polycrylic, sprayed or brushed but just enough so that the carving scars show. The intent with the signature and the coating is to cancel the block so that fine lines fill in and no more prints could possibly be made from the block, resulting in a one-of-a-kind work.

Maze and Light Seekers

Wouldn't you know it, these two baltic birch blocks were definitely NOT well behaved. By the time the edition was finished the lines were soft, the backgrounds were soiled and some of the plywood had actually started to fall apart.

When blocks misbehave I still have to make them presentable enough to exhibit or sell. The last resort is to stain or paint the entire block with an opaque coating, let dry and then roll up with ink as for printing. These have the "cleaner" look but the downside is that the natural wood is completely covered with something opaque, usually acrylic paint or water-based ink. I try to match the original color of the wood but something about painting wood seems almost sacrilegious.

In any case, the blocks with a detail or two for Maze and Light Seekers. The Maze block was cut originally with a scroll saw to make printing easier so I wouldn't have to worry about inking the background between the delicate areas. 

More to come next post!

Maze, original woodblock

Detail of Maze block

Light Seekers detail, the "sun" is a knot in the wood
that started the image twirling in my head

Light Seekers, original woodblock

The Puzzle blocks get polished up

Blocks get framed

The puzzle blocks are all a wee bit different sizes and framing them needed to be a custom job. After several trips to the home improvement store, I decided on a simple non-obtrusive and natural color molding to properly dress up the puzzle blocks.

A few hundred dollars worth of molding, two bottles of wood glue, a can of polyurethane and two weeks later, all the blocks are properly encased in their frames and ready for the show!

Simple pine molding with a generous "back-lip"
to hold the blocks together

A Great Cairn block gets ready for framing

Stole my husband's miter-saw for the job (I gave it back later)
a necessity for perfect mitered corners

A band clamp with reinforced corners surrounds the entire frame
quick-grip clamps hold the frame against the wood block

The first puzzle all framed up

And there they are! All 14 blocks ready for the show

This project is funded, in part, by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.