In my last blog, I announced the winner (for now) of the art that “Feeds my Soul” is Lino cut. I am too new to it to really understand all the nuances. The more I look into it, see the amazing work artists are producing, the more excited I feel.
I am sure that before the pandemic I hadn’t seen as many printmakers creations as I have seen now and I am so so lucky to get to meet many and be working in a time when I am sure its popularity is on the rise.
The art itself is not the only reason why I love Lino cut – it is also all the sensations that the production supplies.
I use transfer paper to transfer the design onto the lino. I love the smell of it. It reminds me of creating when I was at school – rather a long time ago.
Then there is the carving. I call it carving because that is what I feel I do. The sensation of pushing the tool through the lino is simply magic and revealing the grey lino below the hand-coloured surface is so utterly rewarding. I get such a thrill when you see the lino you are removing curl in front of the blade. Then there is the process of tidying up, carefuly removing little slivers from your work.
So to the next stage the inking. The sound of the crackling of the sticky ink beneath the roller that changes as you thin it out.
The magic of covering the lino with the ink….. but then, the finale, the sensation of peeling back of the paper revealing the printed design…
What is not to love…… oh yes – the clearing up afterwards…..