About Printmaking

Printmaking is a centuries old tradition of creating artwork on various substrates (plates) and running that inked plate through a press. This transfers the image from the plate onto the final prepared paper, usually a heavyweight watercolor paper. Each print is considered an original work of art. Sometimes the plate is run a single time through the press imprinting the inked art onto the paper (monotype), other times it will be run multiple times. if the artist has used a repeatable element on the matrix (plate) such as a stencil or mask it is called a monoprint. If the plate is incised in any way creating grooves in the plate (for example drypoint, copper etching, or photopolymer based processes it is referred to as an intaglio print. If the artist creates a raised surface by carving out a lower plane, allowing the ink to sit on the top -surface of the matrix (such as a woodcut, or Lino-cut plate) it is referred to as a relief print. Limited editions of these print processes are labeled as such (i.e. 1/12 means you have the first print of an edition of 12). Most of my printmaking artwork is considered monotypes, as they are not repeatable. Occasionally i will create a series of monotypes, exploring a theme or composition. if i use a stencil or other repeatable image, i label my work as a monoprint, even though each image is different, If I use the term EV in an edition label, it signifies that this is my “edition variable” , because the editions are quite similar, but unique in some way. Please ask if you have any questions about your selected print.