First Press, First Print, First Post

There are many milestones in our lives. Points at which lines are crossed, things change and everything is viewed from this new vantage point. I recently crossed that line that most artists bitten by the printmaking bug must eventually cross... I got a printing press.



This first print off the new press is, rather appropriately, a self-portrait ( a little bleary-eyed from being done at 2:00 am after getting the press set up in the studio).





This print is a monotype done with brown Daniel Smith etching ink on a small copper plate and printed on Arches Cover (my favorite) paper. First, the ink is rolled on to cover the plate. Then in a subtractive and very painterly process, ink is removed with q-tips, paper towels and blending stumps to create the darks, lights, whites, half-tones and lines that define the image.





To milestones and new beginnings. More to come.