Southwest Print Fiesta 2023 Print Exchange

I had to print an edition of 45 prints for the Southwest Print Fiesta 2023 Print Exchange:

The final print,

on 8x8 inch paper

Drying our editions of 45 prints

at Henry Morales' studio

in Albuquerque, August 18-20, 2023

This is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) image.  I generated the "woman riding a rhinoceros" with Leonardo.AI.

Leonardo.AI

Generated with AI

using Leonardo.AI

NOTE: While I did not draw the "woman riding a rhinoceros," I did generate it from a "model" trained on my "pen and ink" drawings.  So there is something of my linework in the image.

Then I laser engraved the image into a 6x6 inch linoleum square using the laser cutter at Quelab (like I also did with this one).

Laser engraved linoleum plate

In fact I laser engraved  several shapes and sizes, because LightBurn software is so easy and such a pleasure to use:

And I proofed all the laser engraved variations:

I laser engraved both

a positive and a negative

Originally I wanted to print a small round "street taco" sized image, 4 inches in diameter, like they did in Guadalajara last month:

Originally I wanted to print

a round small image,

4 inches in diameter

Printing a small round "street taco" sized linocuts

in Guadalajara in July

However the "street taco" sized images seemed too small on 8x8 inch paper, so ultimately I choose to print a larger size:

The brayer would dip into the dead areas, and ink the negative space around the image -- which printed as smudges on the paper. So I cut out all the dead area to avoid the smudges:

Cutting out the negative space

using scissors

We printed at Sir Henry Morales' studio in Albuquerque.  Henry inked my plate, and I laid the paper over the linocut with my "clean" hands:

Henry Morales inking my linocut plate

We used Henry's letterpress proofing press to make all the prints -- as seen below when Henry and Virgil were using this press back in April:

April 18, 2023

We used the same letterpress proofing press

to make my edition,

that Henry used to make prints for Virgil

My linocut plate

on the letterpress proofing press,

before laying paper on top of it

In two nights, August 18 and 19, we pulled 45 of my prints on 8x8 inch paper, Rives Lightweight White BFK.

Fresh prints

Fresh prints hanging on a clothesline

Of course I could not resist pushing the AI image, by animating it with AI (using PIKA LABS):

Leonardo.AI

PIKA LABS

AUGMENTED REALITY

PIKA LABS

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Ellie was a big help!  She, Henry and I teamed up to pull Henry's edition of 45 two-color prints.  I anticipated great pain, but itt was actually fun with three people.

Teamwork --

Ellie and Henry worked together

to pull his edition of 45 prints

Henry Morales is sending a two-color print edition

to the Southwest Print Fiesta 2023 Print Exchange

Ellie was also a big help working the Tortilla Press at the PRINTERS PLANET Festival in Santa Fe, on Sunday, August 13th, 2023 -- as was Virgil too.  It actually was fun pulling prints with three people:

Ellie and Virgil were a big help

at The PRINTERS PLANET Festival in Santa Fe

on August 13, 2023