Cecropia Linocut Print

Every other year Tiger Lily Press creates a calendar to raise funds for their programs and I was very excited to participate this year.  The calendar includes original screenprints, linocuts, woodcuts, suminagashi (marbled paper), and letterpress prints using one or two colors.  Each participating artist is asked to print 100 copies of their print to be included in the calendar so if you would like to buy one you'd better act fast as their are only 100 of these in existence!  You can purchase the calendars here.

When I started working on this project I knew I wanted to create something that would be interesting in one color and I immediately thought of some photos I had taken of dried cecropia leaves on our Costa Rica trip.  The structure and lines of these leaves are truly amazing so I decided to have a go at making a linocut of a leaf.  Above you can see my sketch and below the sketch is transferred to the linoleum.

I was relieved to find out that all the artists involved would have a helping clean pair of hands to help print.  My helper was Susan Naylor, the Interim Director and Studio Manager and head of the calendar committee.  Susan is an incredible printmaker and it was truly a wonderful experience to work with her and soak up all of her printmaking know-how.  Below you can see we had lots of fun mixing different colors and testing them to find the perfect color for the print.

Once we found the color we liked we added a little magnesium carbonate to help it dry faster and rolled out the ink.

Susan created a jig for the Vandercook Proof Press to hold everyone's plates.  And the paper was pre-printed with letterpress type so the calendar would be consistent.  Below you can see Susan loading a new page into the jig.

I should have gotten video of us rolling the cylinder across the plate but, alas, I only took a short video of the final reveal (you have to give me a break...my mind was tired after printing 100 of these!).

Below you can see the final print in the drying rack. 

The beautiful thing about this calendar is that it was designed so the buyer can easily cut the bottom portion off and frame the print.  Each print is 6” x 8” and suitable for framing in a precut 8” x 10” mat and framed in a standard 11” x 14” frame.  That means for $45 you get twelve original prints by Cincinnati artists which is quite a bargain if you ask me!  So if you are looking for a gift for the person who has everything, this is the perfect solution.  You can either purchase a calendar online here or you can pick one up in person at the Tiger Lily Press Print Sale, November 5 at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.  Please share this with your friends and come out to the sale to see some amazing artwork!