Color Reduction Woodblock Prints
Inspired by Japanese woodblock printmaking, Melancholic Puddle is my first exploration of the technique. The reductive process requires the artist to think in reverse because the final product is only realized after multiple layers of printing. To begin a color reduction, you must carve out the spaces that will be white and have no ink on them. This is followed by printing the lightest color first and carving away the part of the woodblock that you would like to stay that color. If the wood gets carved away, ink will not touch that space again. By creating 15 final prints with 4 colors, I actually inked and printed the woodblock 60 times. When you are finished with the woodblock everything is carved away and the surface is destroyed, so the prints are original and can never be replicated with the same block.
The process starts with planning out the composition, colors and order of printing. There is no room for mistakes with woodblock printing; if you slip while carving there is no way to mend your woodblock or erase. Once the wood is stained and the white sections are carved out, you mix the first layer of paint and continue carving and printing until nothing is left of the block.
Prints on sale for $45, email morganbutl@gmail.com if interested.
I created an edition of 5 prints that have rain streaks in the water. The main edition of 10 has no streaks, leaving the water pools a clean, flat color.
