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Classmate’s Hands Inspire a Beautiful Print

Eighty-Five Years
Payton Landes
Edition of 9. 26”x26”.
 
“Eighty-Five Years” is a beautiful print by Payton Landes, inspired by the skilled and fluid hands of his classmate Edwina Bringle. Both are taking Jamaal Barber’s 8-week spring concentration in the Penland print studio. Edwina, along with her twin sister Cynthia Bringle (who is currently teaching in clay), celebrated her 85th birthday at Penland during this year’s spring concentration!

 

 
When Payton learned that Edwina was a weaver, the pair headed over to the textiles studio for a little demonstration and Payton took some photographs of Edwina’s hands doing what they do so well.

 

 
Jamal’s eight-week workshop on relief printing was Edwina’s first time making prints, and Payton was inspired by her loose, gestural mark making.

 

Edwina Bringle and the prints she created this spring at Show and Tell

 

“I can be very controlled in my work,” said Payton. “Watching Edwina work reminds me to loosen up.”
 
Excellent work, Payton!
 
Carved woodblock used to create the print
 

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Photo of the Week: Screenprinters

Student screenprinting in the Penland print studio

On the busy last day of Session Six, core fellow SaraBeth Post (left), instructor Asuka Ohsawa (assisting SaraBeth), student Victoria Cable (right), and their fellow workshop participants were all working like mad before their afternoon studio cleanup. We approve of running out the clock!

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Photo(s) of the Week: Penland How-to Manual

TBT poetry, printmaking, papermaking!

In 2016, we had a great workshop led by printmaker Susan Webster and poet Stuart Kestenbaum. Susan taught a variety of printmaking techniques and Stuart led daily writing exercises. Meanwhile, in the paper studio Mary Hark and her students were busy making beautiful sheets of paper. Several times during the session, Stuart had people give him a series of words, which he then used in a poem.

All of this came together in Penland How-to Manual, which presents a poem Stuart wrote incorporating words supplied by his students, their printed images, and paper made in Mary’s workshop, all put together as a boxed accordion book that Mary designed. The book was sold in the scholarship auction, but the poem and this set of photographs remain.

animated image of all the pages of a poetry book

The Penland How-to Manual

Consider it an experiment.
Even the wind that moves

the weeds and bees invites
ecstasy.  Listen to the process.

Failure refreshes.
Hug the inner fool and get

to work, not in isolation
but in community, where

at night you can invite memory
to carve an empty plate,

make paper out of air, make
a family from nothing.

Look through the isinglass
of this day see how clear life can be:

In the field fireflies alight, moon rises,
llamas ears listen and twitch.

Stuart Kestenbaum
© 2016

Words offered: hug, listen, highlight, carve, refresh, invite, isolated, process, experiment, play, make, excite, ecstasy, community, bees, plate, air, family, isinglass, llama, weeds, wind, memory, paper, fool, nothing

Words and images from Dan Bouthot, Roberta Durham, Kayleigh Efird, Shan Ellentuck, Nelida Flatow, Elizabeth Guinn, Sandy Hartmannsgruber, Frank Lortscher, Laura Martin, Mia Mueller, Jro Robinson, Mary Smyer, Susan Webster

Handmade paper by Beverly Ayscue, Yoen Hee Cheong, Melissa Cowper-Smith, Sarah Evenson, Jasmin McFayden, Rosemary Peduzzi, Alyssa Sacora, Tony Santoyo, Sophie Smyer, Autumn Thomas, Holland Williams. Book design by Mary Hark.