My printmaking tools: burin, brayers, inks and wooden spoon.
Printmaking is a demanding discipline. There are Master Printers, whose only function is to translate the visions of artists into perfect Intaglio and Relief prints.
Then there are artists, like me, who handle the whole process, from concept to finished print, ourselves and enjoy the experience.
At Hovedskou School of Art, in Gothenburg, we were taught etching, dry-point, aquatint and lithography hands on and from the ground up. The equipment was archaic, but functional, and though the 19th century 'Litho' press drew sweat , tears and, on occasion, blood, we learned, that technology changes but the principles of printing remain the same.
I now work with even simpler tools: burin, brayer and ink, mulberry paper and my grandmother's old wooden cooking spoon, worn smooth by generations of stirring large pots of stew and preserves.
It happens to be perfect for burnishing the back of the paper, and is much coveted by my colleagues.
Because each relief print is prepared and printed individually , there are subtle differences even within editions.
"Limited edition" means that the prints are numbered. For example:'1/30' is the first of 30 prints, and no more than 30 will be produced in that edition.
'Open edition' means that any number of prints can be made from one block or plate, but please note, that each one of these is still an original and not a reproduction.
My prints have been exhibited in London, Paris, Brussels, The Triennal of Small Prints in Chamalliere, France, Martinique, Barbados, Caracas, Venezuela* and Gothenburg, Sweden.
*Feria Iberoamericana de Arte, Caracas, Venezuela. 2013.
Then there are artists, like me, who handle the whole process, from concept to finished print, ourselves and enjoy the experience.
At Hovedskou School of Art, in Gothenburg, we were taught etching, dry-point, aquatint and lithography hands on and from the ground up. The equipment was archaic, but functional, and though the 19th century 'Litho' press drew sweat , tears and, on occasion, blood, we learned, that technology changes but the principles of printing remain the same.
I now work with even simpler tools: burin, brayer and ink, mulberry paper and my grandmother's old wooden cooking spoon, worn smooth by generations of stirring large pots of stew and preserves.
It happens to be perfect for burnishing the back of the paper, and is much coveted by my colleagues.
Because each relief print is prepared and printed individually , there are subtle differences even within editions.
"Limited edition" means that the prints are numbered. For example:'1/30' is the first of 30 prints, and no more than 30 will be produced in that edition.
'Open edition' means that any number of prints can be made from one block or plate, but please note, that each one of these is still an original and not a reproduction.
My prints have been exhibited in London, Paris, Brussels, The Triennal of Small Prints in Chamalliere, France, Martinique, Barbados, Caracas, Venezuela* and Gothenburg, Sweden.
*Feria Iberoamericana de Arte, Caracas, Venezuela. 2013.
Click here for list of print exhibitions.
lilian.sten@gmail.com
Sten Print-on-Demand Original Design:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/liliansten