Second Saturday at The Drawing Studio- The Impressions Show

Last Saturday evening, there was a Second Saturday event in downtown Tucson and The Drawing Studio Gallery and print lab was open from 6-8pm as part of the Impressions print show month. Once the sun went down, there were a lot of people out enjoying an evening downtown! It helps that Congress Street was open (After what seems like more than a year of construction), the food trucks were out, there was live music, businesses were open late...I even saw kettle corn!

Artist Joe Marshall did a woodcut printing demo and anyone who stayed could print their own print to take home. I was there to answer questions about printmaking in the gallery and I also learned a little about woodcuts!

Woodcut printing is a great process since it does something many other art forms do not address right away: composition. With woodcuts, it either prints or it doesn't. There is no in-between, no shading, no grey areas, no place for fuzzy plate tone. Your image is successful  in black and white or it isn't. For this reason, it's a great introduction to printmaking and the principles of good design. And you don't need a press, just some simple tools.

Here are some photos of the printing demonstration.

Joe showing Fred Sanchez (TDS Board President) how to ink the block. 

Joe used one of his own woodblocks, so the demo was just for printing, not for carving the block. The image features chickens and a giant egg! Once Joe showed visitors how to print, anyone could print their own chicken print to take home. 

The inked black and a baren used to transfer the ink to the paper. 

Showing how to print the block using ategami paper between the print paper and the baren.

A successful print!

The print I made after watching the process. 

Fred making his own print. 

Downtown looking east down Congress Street. Note less construction and and people!

It was a gorgeous evening downtown...none of the annoying wind we have had lately and just warm enough to be really comfortable- a perfect spring evening in the desert. We had a decent turnout in the gallery as well.

Next event will be the closing Reception on Saturday, June 1st. If you were thinking about buying a print from the show, this is the time to do it! Many of the pieces have already sold, so come on down!

See you around,
~Rebecca