Linoleum Block Printing Workshop at the Farnsworth Art Museum

Join Holly at the Farnsworth Art Museum for a  two-day workshop where students will learn the process of creating a relief print with linoleum.  Linoleum block printing is a form of relief printing, the oldest, simplest and most direct approach to making an impression. Hand- pulled prints are not reproductions. Each impression is individually made from the same block or set of blocks which have first been designed and carved by the artist. The final design can be expressed in the areas cut away (negative) or on the remaining raised surface (positive) or in both. In this workshop the emphasis will be on the choices and challenges involved in cutting the surface of the linoleum block. Participants will become familiar with handling the cutting tools through a series of explorative exercises to create various lines, textures and patterns in both negative and positive. Participants will be challenged to simultaneously consider, analyze and address the  negative and positive aspects of their design. This requires an immediate, deliberate and direct focus that some find meditative and others find frustrating. If you would like, please bring along a small, simple design (6”x4” or 4”x4”).