Category: Printmaking & Letterpress

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Fall Weekend Printmaking and Letterpress

PRINTMAKING – FALL WEEKEND
OCTOBER 18 – 21, 2024
Heinrich Toh
The Layered Monotype

In this all-level, beginner-friendly workshop, we will explore printmaking applications with layered monotypes. This easy, intuitive process has endless possibilities that will help you learn to work with color, shapes, and composition while printing on an etching press. Our goal will be to create complex, luscious layers filled with painterly brushstrokes, marks, repeated patterns, impressions, and embossments. We will skillfully use found objects like cardboard, doilies, bubble wrap, dried flowers, and leaves. Get inspired and create one-of-a-kind prints. All levels; a love of puzzle-solving recommended. 

Studio artist; teaching: Kansas City Art Institute (MO), Arrowmont (TN), Penland, Pratt Fine Arts Center (WA), Oklahoma Fine Art Institute at Quartz Mountain; exhibitions: Lawrence Art Center (KS), Wing Luke Asian Museum (Seattle), Bellevue Art Museum (WA); collections: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (MO), Albrecht-Kemper Museum (MO), Truman Medical Center (MO), University Hospital of Cleveland, American Century Investments.

heinrichtoh.com | @heinrichtoh

Enrollment opens May 1

Heinrich Toh, Help Me to Decide, monoprint and paper lithography on Rives BFK paper, 27 x 27 inches
Heinrich Toh, Help Me to Decide, monoprint and paper lithography on Rives BFK paper, 27 x 27 inches
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Fall Short Session Print and Letterpress

LETTERPRESS – FALL SHORT SESSION
SEPTEMBER 22 – 27, 2024 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Brad Vetter
Lasers and Letterpress

Walking the line between analog and digital, this workshop will explore new technologies and techniques in letterpress printing with a focus on using the laser engraver. Our duty as a new and developing generation of letterpress printers is no longer just to communicate, but also to expand the conversation, push on its limitations, and see what new things are possible in this centuries-old medium. Students will make posters using antique type and presses in collaboration with the studio’s laser engraver to discover exciting new approaches to letterpress printing. Letterpress and Photoshop/Illustrator experience will be helpful, but this workshop is open to all levels. 

Note: Students should bring a computer if they can; contact the studio operations manager if you are enrolled and are unable to bring a computer: studio_operations@penland.org

Studio artist; teaching: Miami University (OH), Northern Illinois University, Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum (WI); exhibitions: Danish Museum of Media, University of Akron Fine Arts (OH), University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX); publications: Low-Tech Print, Uppercase Magazine, Wood Type Evolved; clients: Nike, Snoop Dogg, Chevrolet, Chris Stapleton.

bradvetterdesign.com | @bradvetter

Enrollment opens May 1

Brad Vetter, Noah Kahan Show Poster, letterpress, 22 x 13 inches
Brad Vetter, Noah Kahan Show Poster, letterpress, 22 x 13 inches
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Print & Letterpress L Summer Session 7

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 7
August 11-16, 2024 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Alexander Lee Landerman
Letterpress Fundamentals

In this session students will explore the fundamentals of letterpress printing on the Vandercook press. We will delve into the essential elements: from typesetting and cleaning to blend-rolls and drying agents. Students will gain an understanding of typography and confidence in their ability to use movable type as they create evocative poster editions. They can expect to produce 2-3 small editions of letterpress-printed posters based on prompts generated by the group. All levels. Letterpress studio. 

Studio artist; lecturer in graphic design at Indiana University; residencies: Lawrence Art Center (KS), Alderworks (AK), Azule (NC), Porcupine Mountains State Park (MI), Petrified Forest National Park (AZ), Arrowmont Pentaculum (TN), Brush Creek Foundation (WY), Jentel Foundation (WY), Dorland (CA), Vermont Studio Center; representation: By Hand Gallery (IN), Quirky Fox (NZ), and Q Artists Cooperative (WI).

alexanderlanderman.com | @alexanderlanderman
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Alexander Lee Landerman, End Over End, ink drawing, letterpress printing from wood type, 22 x 30 inches
Alexander Lee Landerman, End Over End, ink drawing, letterpress printing from wood type, 22 x 30 inches
Alexander Lee Landerman, End Over End, ink drawing, letterpress printing from wood type, 22 x 30 inches
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Print & Letterpress X Summer Session 7

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 7
August 11-16, 2024 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Rashaun Rucker
No Press, No Problem

This workshop will be geared toward beginning printmakers and those who have enjoyed the medium but don’t have access to a press. We will cover linocut relief printmaking, monotypes, and monoprints using tools such as acrylic/gelatin plates, sponges, string, cotton swabs, brushes, and other fun things. All processes will be done with water-based inks, which can be used safely in many different spaces. Expect to finish two or three pieces during the workshop. All levels. Printmaking studio. 

Studio artist; Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, Harpo Foundation Visual Arts Grant; collections: Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture (DC), Mott-Warsh Museum (MI), Detroit Institute of Arts (MI), California African-American Museum (CA), Wake Forest University (NC), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (MI), Clark Atlanta University (GA); representation: M Contemporary Gallery (MI). 

rashaunrucker.com | @ruckerarts
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Rashaun Rucker, The Ancestors Cried Asé, linocut, 18 x 12 inches
Rashaun Rucker, The Ancestors Cried Asé, linocut, 18 x 12 inches
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Print & Letterpress L Summer Session 6

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 6
July 28-August 9, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Val Lucas
No Pressure: Combining Hand-Set Type and Pressure Prints

This workshop will combine two very different processes on the Vandercook proof press: hand-set typography and cut-paper pressure prints. The ethereal, fuzzy quality of the pressure print process creates layered imagery full of depth and variation that will contrast with crisp, clean text printed from metal and wood type. Students will experiment with multiple layers of pressure prints to which they will add text. Our formats will be broadsides or folded books. We will cover the basics of setting metal and wood type, creating paper matrices for pressure prints, and printing editions on the letterpress. Expect to create multiple experimental prints as well as one or two small editions. All levels. Letterpress studio.

Studio artist operating as Bowerbox Press; teaching: Towson University (MD), various letterpress and bookbinding workshops; Mark Samuels Lasner Fellow (American Printing History Association); collections: Baylor University Library (TX), Rollins College (FL), Maryland Institute College of Art (MD), International Printing Museum (CA).

bowerbox.com | @bowerbox
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Val Lucas, Sumac (Maligned Plants #1), pressure print, hand-set wood type, 11 x 17 inches
Val Lucas, Sumac (Maligned Plants #1), pressure print, hand-set wood type, 11 x 17 inches
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Print & Letterpress L Summer Session 5

PRINT/LETTERPRESS/MIXED MEDIA – SUMMER SESSION 5
July 14-26, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Julie Chen
The Movable Artist’s Book

This workshop will explore content, design, and production strategies for incorporating pop-ups and movable mechanisms in artist books. We will begin by completing a set of quick technical models as we cover the basic techniques involved in designing pop-ups and movables. Students will take their ideas through the mock-up process and learn how to create and/or adapt templates for cutting paper pieces on the laser cutter. Then we will explore quick and accessible techniques for using letterpress to print visual content. Students will create parts for a small edition with the goal of completing at least one copy of their book by the end of the session. In addition, everyone will design and produce a page spread for a collaborative movable book. Intermediate/advanced level: students should have experience with Adobe Illustrator; bookmaking and/or letterpress experience will be helpful. Letterpress studio.

NOTE: Students in this workshop should bring a laptop computer if they can. If you are enrolled and cannot bring a computer, please contact Nadia Massoud at studio_operations@penland.org.

Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison; studio artist publishing under the Flying Fish Press Imprint; recent exhibitions: National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC), The Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts at Wits Art Museum (Johannesburg); collections: Library of Congress (DC), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Sir George Grey Special Collections, (NZ).

flyingfishpress.com | @flyingfishpress
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Julie Chen, Panorama (two spreads), letterpress on various commercial papers, 9-1/2 x 20-1/4 x 2 inches when closed; 60 x 9-1/2 inches when fully opened
Julie Chen, Panorama (two spreads), letterpress on various commercial papers, 9-1/2 x 20-1/4 x 2 inches when closed; 60 x 9-1/2 inches when fully opened
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Print & Letterpress X Summer Session 5

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 5
July 14-26, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Jay Ryan
Screenprinting for Humans

This workshop will introduce both novice and experienced screenprinters to a process suited for the production of large, consistent editions but at a hand-made scale. An emphasis on hand-drawing and hand-cut films will allow for exploration of the screenprinting process. An appreciation of impulsive decisions and mistake-making will be balanced with the goal of print consistency across the editions made during the workshop. Techniques will include the use of outlines and hand-drawn text, trapping and registration across multiple screens, layering transparent inks, and the use of gradients. We will cover the full process, from coating screens with photo-emulsion to exposure, setting up print stations, and cleaning up. All levels. Printmaking studio.

Studio artist, illustrator, muralist, painter; screenprinting business owner with 28 years experience making concert posters for nationally-known bands and under-appreciated local groups; Speedball Ink Demo Artist; founder of the “Flatstock” series of concert poster events; work has appeared on the sets of innumerable TV shows and films and the walls of thousands of dorm rooms worldwide; select printed work published in three volumes, including No One Told Me Not To Do This.

thebirdmachine.com | @thebirdmachine
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Jay Ryan, Up All Night, acrylic screenprint on recycled paper, 24 x 18 inches
Jay Ryan, Up All Night, acrylic screenprint on recycled paper, 24 x 18 inches
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Print & Letterpress X Summer Session 4

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 4
June 30-July 12, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Thomas Lucas and Delita Martin
Adventures in Lithography

This workshop will explore the basic techniques of lithography using both stone and photo-plate processes. Students will learn the fundamentals of stone lithography: graining, principles of drawing, etching, registration, printing editions, and troubleshooting. Then we will explore photo-plate lithography and learn how to incorporate experimental approaches with drawing and photo-mechanical image possibilities. In addition to color layers, we will experiment with incorporating chine collé, collage, cyanotype, and linocuts. The workshop will include an exchange portfolio. All levels. Printmaking studio.

Thomas: associate professor at Chicago State University; founder and master printer at Hummingbird Press Editions (Chicago); other teaching: Tyler School of Art and Architecture (Philadelphia), School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-bow (MI), Arrowmont (TN), Penland; recent commissions: Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Chicago Transit Authority, NASCAR; representation: N’Namdi Contemporary (Miami, Detroit). 

thomas-lucas.com | @printerthomas

Delita: studio artist, owner of Black Box Press Studio (AR); member of Black Women of Print; teaching: University of Arkansas at Little Rock; exhibitions: 2022 Venice Biennale, Crystal Bridges Museum (AR), National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC); collections: Bradbury Art Museum, Library of Congress (DC), Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum (AR), National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC); representation: Galerie Myrtis (Baltimore).

blackboxpressstudio.com
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Thomas Lucas, The S to the D, lithography and screenprint, 22 x 15 inches
Thomas Lucas, The S to the D, lithography and screenprint, 22 x 15 inches
Delita Martin, Do You See What I See?, relief printing, acrylic, printed papers, hand stitching, charcoal, 40 x 30 inches
Delita Martin, Do You See What I See?, relief printing, acrylic, printed papers, hand stitching, charcoal, 40 x 30 inches
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Photography Summer Session 4

PHOTO/MIXED MEDIA – SUMMER SESSION 4
June 30-July 12, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Sally Van Gorder
Photographing Your Work: Documentation for Artists

Photographic records are essential to every art practice. They can describe a work, provide an exhibition view, supply installation instructions, ensure accurate color for print reproduction, or communicate the character of a practice.They can also express an aesthetic and convey a narrative. This workshop considers the many contexts in which these images are made and used. We will work digitally and explore the technical requirements for quality pictures. Demonstrations will cover camera control, natural and artificial lighting, and post-production workflows, including color correction, retouching, file output, and storage. We will cover everything you need to get the best images of your work from the conditions and equipment you’re working with, whether you have a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or cell phone. This workshop is for any art/craft practitioner wanting to photograph their work. All levels. Photography studio.

Professor at North Carolina State University; other teaching: Virginia Commonwealth University (Qatar), Oregon College of Art and Craft, Pacific Northwest College of Art (OR); residencies: Brightwork Fellow at Anchorlight (NC); exhibitions: North Carolina Museum of Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (NC), Contemporary Art Museum (NC).

sallyvangorder.com | @sallyvangorder
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Sally Van Gorder, Setup for Precious Lovell documentation
Sally Van Gorder, Setup for Precious Lovell documentation
Sally Van Gorder, Setup for Precious Lovell documentation Precious Lovell, WangariMaathai, photograph by Sally Van Gorder
Precious Lovell, WangariMaathai, photograph by Sally Van Gorder
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Print & Letterpress L Summer Session 3

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 3
June 16-28, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Andrew Rubin
Reductive Relief Class

Using Penland’s letterpress studio and its four Vandercook presses, students will plan and print two editions during this workshop. The first will be a four-color process print in perfect registration, which will familiarize students with the reductive process for making multi-color prints from a single block. For the second edition, we will loosen things up, work in different sizes, and add the possibility of chine collé, stencils, monoprinting, and blend rolls. These prints will become part of an exchange portfolio so each student will have a suite of prints from the session. Demonstrations will also include Vandercook press maintenance, troubleshooting, inking, and cleaning. All levels. Letterpress studio.

Instructor of printmaking at University of Wisconsin-Madison; former master printer for University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Tandem Press; has collaborated with more than 75 artists including Jim Dine, Alison Saar, Robert Cottingham, Ruth Weisberg, and Judy Pfaff.

andyrubin.com | @amrubin55
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Andrew Rubin, Monkey Man no. 4, Young Darwin, reductive woodcut, polymer etching, screenprint, 20 x 11-1/4 inches
Andrew Rubin, Monkey Man no. 4, Young Darwin, reductive woodcut, polymer etching, screenprint, 20 x 11-1/4 inches
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Print & Letterpress L Summer Session 2

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 2
June 2-14, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Ben Blount
The Printed Word

Do you love language, lyrics, poetry, a beautifully written headline, or a perfect turn of phrase? Letterpress is an excellent medium for putting ideas and words on paper. This workshop will cover the basics of letterpress printing and push into complexity using the printed word as our vehicle for exploration. We will cover various approaches to typesetting, printing, and creating our own letterforms in ways that come together in unity on the page. Our work will be informed by daily demonstrations and discussions and the work of designers and printers who use language and typography in engaging ways. Students will leave this workshop with small editions and monoprints of their explorations. All levels. Letterpress studio.

Artist, designer, letterpress printer; member of the Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color Collective; teaching: Northwestern University (IL), Colorado College, Cleveland Institute of Art, Penland; residency: Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum (WI); collections: Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Newberry Library (Chicago),  National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington DC), The Field Museum (Chicago). 

benblount.com | @blountben
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Ben Blount, 100 Years, letterpress print from wood type, metal type, and polymer plate, 19 x 12-1/2 inches
Ben Blount, 100 Years, letterpress print from wood type, metal type, and polymer plate, 19 x 12-1/2 inches
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Print & Letterpress X Summer Session 2

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 2
June 2-14, 2024 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Karen Kunc
Push and Pull: Illusions from the Woodblock

In this exciting workshop, we will work toward the ah-ha moment of discovery and response by building spatial illusions in the image. Playing with printed color layers and carving reductions to the woodblock will enable amazing details and richness of color to evolve during the printing process. The process will be directed through demonstrations and discussions of cutting techniques, various printing inks, and printing with the etching press and by hand. Beginning and advanced printmakers will enjoy using inventive and contemporary methods of woodcut printmaking to make a limited-edition series. All levels. Printmaking studio. 

Studio artist; professor emerita at University of Nebraska-Lincoln; owner of Constellation Studios; Fulbright Scholarship; recent exhibitions: Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (WA), Davidson Galleries (Seattle), Maui Arts & Culture Center (HI), Galerija Art 55 (Serbia); collections: Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Cleveland Museum of Art, Library of Congress (DC), Milwaukee Art Museum, American Art Museum (DC).

karen-kunc.com | constellation-studios.net  | @karenkunc | @constellationstudios
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Karen Kunc, Florets, color woodcut on Japanese paper, 14 x 14 inches
Karen Kunc, Florets, color woodcut on Japanese paper, 14 x 14 inches
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Print & Letterpress X Summer Session 1

PRINT/LETTERPRESS – SUMMER SESSION 1
May 26-31, 2024 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Keiji Shinohara
Monotype

The monotype print is more akin to painting or drawing than to traditional printmaking. It is also a process that presents the artist with fewer technical difficulties than other printmaking methods. Students in this workshop will create images using various mediums and methods, including wood, plexiglass, paper, and textiles. We may also combine laser cutting and digital printing with drawing and painting. All levels. Printmaking studio. 

Studio artist; teacher at Wesleyan University (CT); exhibitions: DFN Projects (NYC), Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (AL), Worcester Art Museum (MA), Fresno Art Museum (CA); collections: Legion of Honor (San Francisco), Cleveland Museum of Art, Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University (MA), Library of Congress (DC), National Museum of Asian Art (DC). 

keijiart.com 
January 15 – Regular enrollment opens

Keiji Shinohara, Memory of Wonder 3, monotype, oil-based ink, drawing, photo plate on Arches 88, 12 x 11 inches
Keiji Shinohara, Memory of Wonder 3, monotype, oil-based ink, drawing, photo plate on Arches 88, 12 x 11 inches
Portrait of Keiji Shinohara
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Spring Short Session Printmaking

Letterpress – Spring Short Session
April 28 – May 3, 2024 (4 studio days)
Jenn Graves
Printing, Books, and Boxes, Oh My!

This workshop will start by covering the fundamentals of letterpress printing on the Vandercook press, giving students an opportunity to set and print both metal and wood type. We’ll explore other matrices and techniques—linocuts, legos, pressure printing—and alternate substrates such as bookcloth. And we’ll learn folded, adhesive, and sewn book structures. Students can expect to complete several letterpress-printed books and, if time permits, construct a clamshell box. Experimentation and collaboration will be encouraged. All levels. Letterpress studio.

Studio artist; teaching: Otis College of Art and Design Extension Program (CA), International Printing Museum (CA); exhibitions: Love Letters Pride,Ink on Paper Letterpress Showcase (CA), Reverting to Type: Protest Posters at Standpoint Gallery (London); collections: Escalette Permanent Art Collection (CA), University of Washington Libraries (WA); residencies: The International Printing Museum (CA), InCahoots (CA).

scrapscollective.com | @jenngraves

Watch this process video about Jenn’s Vote.

Jenn Graves, Vote, letterpress-printed wood type on paper
Jenn Graves, Vote, letterpress-printed wood type on paper
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Print & Letterpress Spring Concentration

Printmaking Spring Concentration
March 3 – April 26, 2024
Jamaal Barber
Relief Printing

Dive into the beautiful world of relief printmaking! Learn to design, carve, and print expressive woodcuts and linocuts. Starting with single-color images, we’ll cover the basics of mark-making, tool safety, using the press, and editioning. Then we can build more complex images using multiple blocks, multiple colors, color gradients, laser cutting, and other advanced techniques. As we progress, we’ll discuss traditional and contemporary printmaking from Kathe Kollowitz and Picasso to Elizabeth Catlett and Steve Prince. Students can expect to finish two or three editioned prints, with the potential for many more print variations with experimentation and collaboration. All levels. Printmaking studio.

Studio artist, podcaster (Studio Noize); participant in The Exhibit on MTV and Smithsonian Channel; teaching: Atlanta Printmakers Studio, visiting lecturer at Georgia State University; exhibitions: Samford University (AL), Public Works (SC), Mint Gallery (GA), representation: ZuCot Gallery (GA). 

jbarberstudio.com | @jbarberstudio

Jamaal Barber, Something Wonderful, linocut, collage, 18 x 12 inches
Jamaal Barber, Something Wonderful, linocut, collage, 18 x 12 inches