IsabeauxStudio

I am jumping around a bit here.  This is actually a project that I started in New York, at least 7(??) years ago.  It was when I just got my tools from my grandfather with my bright shiny new set of chisels.  I attempted to carve a wood block for woodcut printing using remnants from a shelf that I had built.  The piece of wood I used was pine and was not optimal for this purpose as it had a big knot in the center.  I drew on a floral scene and started carving away.   It was much harder than I thought it would be. 

Like with most new things I attempt, I really had no sense of how it really should have been done.  I had an image in my mind and went at it.  It took me months to get the wood block to what you see below.  Eventually I ended up getting frustrated with the big knot in the center and I left it dormant until this week.


Recently I was reading my copy of  Palette Magazine, which is such a fabulous resource.  It is one of the art magazines that is more instructional and useful instead of full of advertisements.  This edition had all kinds of great information regarding printing.  Woodcut printing, lino printing, monographs, gelatin printing and more.  It got the gears in my brain spinning.  I pulled out my wood block again and took a look.  It still wasn't perfectly finished, but screw it, it wasn't doing any good sitting on my shelf.  So I printed it, and am glad I did. 

This is the carved wood block, prior to printing.  You can see the big knot in the center which gave me so much problem.  The white and yellow areas are where the wood chipped and I had to go back in with wood putty and sand it back smooth and flat. 

I quite like the result.  This piece is titled "Woodcut Flowers."  You can see some of the dark black areas that were the unfinished bits.  I don't mind them because they are balanced i.e. there is more than one so it looks like it was meant to be this way.

I really like the stark graphic feeling of this piece.  Printing it has rekindled my desire to do this again.  This time,  I am going to try carving in a lino block which will be much easier.  I am also thinking that I might incorporate wood block prints into other pieces.

I have another woodblock print- a smaller one that I completed in NY.  I had forgotten about it,  I will shoot it and post the image at a later time.