Tag: <span>open press project</span>

Tag: open press project

Art

Open Print Exchange #3

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We’re into the third round of the Open Print Exchange which is now being held annually.  To see more about the previous print exchanges I’ve participated in, check out this tag – Open Press Project.  This year, I had started on something different and became increasingly frustrated with my 40-something-year-old eyes and the need for reading glasses and was just in a creative rut, so I scrapped the first print and went on to something I know and love – cameras.  I picked up the little Brownie Starmite II at a barn sale a few years ago, and was delighted to find exposed film still inside the camera.  I sent it off for processing, and you can see the results here.


I took some creative liberty with the body color of the camera, and I have an idea to print this again with a few different body colors just for fun.  The paper is handmade paper from recycled political ads from the 2022 election season.  We, as a household of two voters, received over 3 lbs of paper mailers which is incredibly wasteful and has a limited (if any) impact on a growing population that doesn’t use postal mail except for packages.  I find it pretty tone deaf for candidates who tout their platform as being pro-environmental protections, yet continue to engage is such incredible wastefulness.  And there’s no way to opt out either (I tried, honest).  So, instead of adding more stress and wastefulness to our recycling/trash stream, I decided to try to recycle it all by hand and turn the hateful mailers into something beautiful.  Anyway, the print is done with Cranfield inks, and the blocks in the image at the top are two lino blocks.  The paper is 7 cm square (roughly 2.75 inches).  I do enjoy working at this small scale since it’s a challenge and actually kind of fun, but my eyes were just giving me SO much trouble this year, and I’m maybe mourning the loss of my youth to a certain degree too.  I know this is inevitable, and it’s a part of aging, but I’m finding the changes in my vision harder to accept than the wrinkles and achy joints.  Anyway, I’m still happy with how this came out, and it’s a fun project to keep me in practice every year!

Art

Open Print Exchange 2 – Prints Received

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Updating this post to show my prints received!  These came a few months ago, but let’s be honest, the holidays are hectic enough, and it just didn’t make it to the blog till now.  The next exchange is already kicking off, so it’s good to have these posted.  There’s a really great variety of prints here with different printmaking methods and a range of styles.  Really love these!

The prints, top row, left to right:
“Blue Hour” by Villia Maria Jefremovas – Open Print Exchange Link
“Happy Robots Family” by Annika – Open Print Exchange Link
“Untitled” by Heather Hartz – Open Print Exchange Link

Middle Row, left to right:
“Zigzag” by Maja Denzer – Open Print Exchange Link
“I love snails” by Dana Bjorum – Open Print Exchange Link
“One owl” by Jessamy Harvey – Open Print Exchange Link

Bottom Row, left to right:
“Quiet day in the harbour” by Lino Lord – Open Print Exchange Link
“Entangled Geometry” by Louise Ockenden – Open Print Exchange Link
“Untitled” by Kate Jenkins – Open Print Exchange Link

Art

Open Print Exchange – Take 2

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I had SO much fun with the original Open Press Project Print Exchange that when they opened it up for round 2, I immediately jumped on board.  The idea is you send in ten prints made with an Open Press Project mini printing press – one stays with the project and gets sent out on exhibitions, and you receive nine random prints in return.

Inspired by this past year’s holiday card, I did another drypoint etching on a plastic plate.  Go with what you know, right?  The deadline to be received in Germany was February 1, so I had them out mid January which was a bit of a list minute rush after a busy holiday season, and partly why I went a little easier on myself with this one instead of trying something new.  Still, I’m REALLY happy with how it came out and can’t wait to see the nine prints I receive in return!  To see all the prints from both exchanges, check out their openprintexchange.com website.

Print Details:
Backer #536
Drypoint Etching on plastic plate
Speedball Akua Ink in Mars Black
Printed on Legion Stonehenge paper in Steel Grey

Update 1/24/2024 – Exchange prints have been received and that post is at the following link – https://www.sheetar.com/2024/01/24/open-print-exchange-2-prints-received/

Art

Open Print Exchange – Prints Received

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I said I would update this post once I received the prints for the exchange, and here I am, better late than never!  I believe this arrived at some point in May of 2022, but of course, beekeeping season is really ramping up at that point and posting about it just didn’t happen until now which is my low point before the season kicks off.  Anyway, these are the 9 prints I received in the print exchange – all of these are 7cm square and are all pretty different in terms of technique, subject, paper, color, etc.  It’s so interesting to see how many different things you can do with one tiny little press!  Click the Open Print Exchange Link to see more detail about each print.

The prints, top row, left to right:
“Untitled” by Yoko Sugeno – Open Print Exchange Link
“lulu the wonderdog” by janine howe – Open Print Exchange Link
“Bunundrum” by Miles Elliott – Open Print Exchange Link

Middle row, left to right
“Ottocat” by Olena Ingerova – Open Print Exchange Link
“Shorebirds” by Kristin Bickal – Open Print Exchange Link
“Precious” by Sara Hindhaugh – Open Print Exchange Link

Bottom row, left to right
“Blue Banded Bee” by Heather Davidson – Open Print Exchange Link
“Still Counting” by Michael Laungjessadakun – Open Print Exchange Link
“Saturnus” by Adelaide Hunter – Open Print Exchange Link

Art

Open Print Exchange

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A few years ago, I started taking printmaking classes with a local artist at our community art center to give me something to do and dig back into a creative groove.  Printmaking was something I’d always wanted to try and this class gave us a great overview of the basics of a few different printmaking methods.  I later took more classes with the same teacher and really found a love for all the possibilities in printmaking.  There’s also something neat about the history of the craft.  Anyway, making prints without a press can be a bit limiting since some of the methods involve consistent pressure that can’t really be achieved by hand, so when I saw the Open Press Project on Kickstarter, I jumped on it.  My little blue press arrived and I went to town playing with drypoint etching on plastic plates.  It’s a very small format since the bed is only about 3×5.5 inches in size, but that also makes it portable and takes up less space which isn’t a bad thing.

At the end of 2021, the team that created the little press put out a call for artists to join a global art swap using the press to create a small series of 10 prints.  For mine, I used a subject that’s gone around a few times in various printmaking iterations from a screen print to a stencil, solar print, and probably eventually a linocut.  It’s my grandpa’s old Polaroid SX-70, and my love of photography bleeding into my newfound love of printmaking is something that should shock absolutely no one!

Here’s my whole series of ten – one will stay with the Open Press Project folks and be part of a catalog and future show, and in return, I’ll receive 9 different prints from artists around the world.  Can’t wait to see the catalog and online archive with all the prints as well, and I’ll add a new post once I’ve received my 9 prints in the mail, hopefully this summer.

Print Details:
Backer #53
Drypoint Etching on plastic plate
Speedball Akua Ink in Mars Black
Printed on Legion Stonehenge paper in Steel Grey

UPDATE: March 2023 – Prints were received in May 2022 and I finally posted about them!  Here’s the link – https://www.sheetar.com/2023/03/29/open-print-exchange-prints-received/