I was happy to recently receive an email that my wood engraving “Storied Stone” was selected for inclusion in the Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) 86th Annual Exhibition, which will first be on display February 6-25, 2024, at the Bankside Gallery in London. Here are some in-progress photos of the making of the wood engraving.
A-round Again
I recently completed an edition, it taking me a few days to come up with a title, which is “Nestle”.
Albion Wonder
With a 11” x 16” platen (the metal part that moves down to “impress” the paper onto the inked block) I thought my Albion was too small to print my 5” x 8” “Storied Stone” wood engraving. I was happy to discover that I could print the block, and my edition is finally printed, using knowledge gained during my studying with Graham Williams at his Florin Press in England. And, my first use of makeready with the press (the additional layers of newsprint attached to a printed mirror image that is on the hinges tympan) was a delight. I now can apply more pressure on select areas of the block, adjusting by adding more layers of torn of pieces cut from newsprint proofs of the print. Once the block is inked, the hinged mat is lowered (protecting the print from ink miss-rolled). Then paper laid on the inked block, a flexible 1/16” layer of drafting table cover material is placed over the paper, the platen with makeready is lowered, and the pressure applied with the pull of the Albion’s handle. Missing are photos of the dampened paper set-up. The Albion is a joy to use, the perfect old-school tool for printing wood engravings.
Newcastle With Chris Daunt
I am posting details of my journey around England out of calendar order. I had the good fortune of spending a few days with Chris Daunt, who I met years ago at a Wood Engravers’ Network (WEN) workshop I helped organize. Chris was our guest wood engraver. We have become good friends since then. Here, a few photos, the captions further sharing details . . .