Yesterday was Print Day In May. To celebrate, I invited friends to my home/studio for an afternoon of printmaking.
I made this woodcut of a sheep in the stars
It’s 4 1/2″x6″, printed on an 8×10″ paper-signed by Ken Swinson
To celebrate Print Day In May, I thought it would be fun to invite my community to visit my home/studio for an afternoon of making prints.
We had a great crowd…probably couldn’t have held any more people in the house.
For many of the participants, it was their first experience with printmaking.
What better way to spend Print Day In May, than to introduce others to the joy of printmaking?
I was too busy helping everyone through the process to take many photos or do any printing of my own,
But I did print this little woodcut after everyone went home.
I had a great time. Thanks everyone for printing with me. Let’s do it again next year!
It’s finished! All 12 glorious layers of woodblock color! I forgot to take a photo of every layer, but I did get 8 out of 12 and put them into a timelapse for your viewing pleasure.
Tomorrow, April 23rd (monday) we’ll be in Rabbit Hash, KY for April’s Artzine from 10am-4pm. Stop by!
I’m still cutting away on my “Rabbit Hash General Store” woodbcut. I’m on layer 9…only 3 more to go.
If you would like to visit Rabbit Hash, KY in real life. This Monday, ArtZine will be from 10-4pm at the barn in Rabbit Hash, KY. The theme is “I remember when…”
I’m over halfway finished with my Rabbit Hash General store woodcut (7 layers out of 11). Today, I’m printing purple.
The colors might look a bit crazy right now, but it should all come together once I print the other 4 colors. stay tuned!
I’m part of a project, called artZine. Each month, visiting artists collaborate with the community of a different small town to create a self published magazine. each month, there is a theme. April’s artZine will be on the 23rd, and our theme is “I remember when…”
this activity is free and open to the public. April 23rd, at the barn in Rabbit Hash, KY. There is still time to draw, paint, write, print, or create an entry however you are inspired. We’ll meet from 10-4pm.
for my entry, I chose to make a linocut of Maya Angelou’s famous quote because it illustrates the abstraction of memory, and the importance of kindness. Rabbit Hash, KY.
Its always exciting to print a new layer, and watch a reduction print come to life. I feel like I am getting closer to. my goal of printing in a painterly way.
stay tuned, only 2 layers to go!
I use newsprint to clean my blocks in between colors. I re use the newsprint, and sometimes I get a nice surprise when the colors line up in a certain way. as beautiful as the finished artwork, I think.
This video shows a little bit of what goes on during the 2 weeks it took to make this reduction woodcut of a river village (Ripley, OH) on the Ohio River.
My background as an artist is in many mediums, but primarily painting. This project is part of an experiment to see if I can print similar to the way I paint.
Because the block is destroyed as part of the printing process, there is only a very limited edition of 12 available.
Here’s a timelapse of my latest 11 color reduction woodcut.
I use the same block for all 11 colors…carving a little bit away each time
Ken is a self-taught artist from rural Kentucky, whose work includes painting, printmaking, and pottery. He considers himself to be a 'lifetime learner' and uses art to explore and learn more about the world around him. Much of his work reflect his optimistic views on rural folk culture, river life and simple pleasures.
