Introduction to Relief Printmaking with Paul Valentine

Come and learn the basics of relief printmaking from our November exhibiting artist, Paul Valentine. We will learn how to create a linocut from start to finish, including composition tips, transferring the image to the block of linoleum, carving with chisels and gouges, and complete the the process by printing an edition. One of the amazing things about this form of art is that it can be very successfully created at home using just a knife and a wooden spoon or in the art studio using professional chisels and a heavy printing press and this course will cover how to do both! You’ll leave at the end of the class with a finished edition of prints, and the foundation skills to keep creating at home. 

All materials and tools will be supplied. Bring any source imagery you would like to work on, with the thought that simple and bold images will be the most successful. This class is for ages 15 and up, no experience necessary.

Relief Printmaking is the technique of carving the surface of a flat piece of wood (called a woodcut) or linoleum (called a linocut), rolling ink onto the surface, and pressing a piece of paper on top. The image prints in reverse onto the paper, which is the final artwork.

About the artist: Paul Valentine is a multidisciplinary artist living in Surry, Maine. Formerly an architectural and museum exhibit designer, he graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelors of Architecture. He has exhibited artwork and painted murals in Qatar, Russia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, and the United States, as well as participated in a 9-month Artist-in-Residency at the FireStation Museum in Qatar. Paul has dedicated a significant portion of his life to exploring the natural world, having backpacked over 7,000 meters of long-distance trails, walking across the US twice, on the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, and the Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand. The impact that sleeping under the stars for a combined 2 years during these adventures has had on his work cannot be overstated. Seeing the first-hand effects that humanity is having on the world propels him to use his art to help inspire people to take better care of the beautiful and magical places we have all around us.