Circle of Care Event Tomorrow Night

 

I will have some woodcut prints at Green the Night tomorrow evening, December 8th. It is a benefit for Circle of Care, an organization that brings seniors to arts and cultural events.


Stop by to enjoy music, food and wine, and support the arts!

Please join me tonight for the Open Studios Holiday Market opening!

The Open Studios Holiday Market is having an opening tonight!  

Because there will be wine, you must bring a free ticket to attend.

I will be there tonight, and the show will be open for the next two weekends.

For a ticket, go to www.openstudios.org to print out your free ticket

How Long Do Wood Blocks Last?

Occasionally I get asked how long a wood block lasts, or how many prints can be pulled from it.  There is no clear answer to this question. It depends on a lot of factors like how hard of a pressure is used in the press, what type of wood it is, or how well it is taken care of.  I had a print commission for the rooms of the St. Regis Hotel a few years ago, and was surprised that I was able to pull just over one hundred and seventy prints from a set of blocks. 

This is my favorite wood block that I carved about ten years ago when I still lived in Durango. The design I carved in it was inspired by a book I have of Indian wood block patterns used for printing on cotton. I found a scrap of high end plywood to use, planned the design as a repeat from edge to edge, and carved it as a demonstration at the Durango Art Center. This wood block has been used for thousands of printings on so many things; my prints, fabric for my art bin and handbags, on my suede day planner I made, paper covered light switch covers, notebook covers, and note cards I have been selling since I first carved this block. After ten years of printing this block, the plys in the wood have begun to crack and peel.  It is de-laminating, and the top layer is barely attached any more. Despite all of the wear and tear, it still actually prints pretty well.  I just used it tonight to print some cards for the HART sale at the Foothills Art Center, and the Open Studios Holiday Sale. The poor thing needs to be retired, but I keep using it anyway, hoping I can pull just a few more prints from it before it falls apart completely. Every time I pull it out, I wonder if it's wise to use it, or if today is it's last day to be printed. So to answer the question to "how long does a wood block last?" My answer would be - until I can let it go.