The Great Owl reprint

Editioning the Great Owl

Several years ago I made an an engraving of a great owl. This was (and still is) the largest Resingrave engraving I've made, coming in at 8 x 10 inches. The print was originally created as a show piece for a solo exhibition 5 years ago. At the time, I had limited access to a printing press and this block became a nightmare to print. The combination of super fine lines next to large solid black areas was very challenging to print correctly. I ended up pulling 3 or 4 Artist Proofs  for the show and then I shelved the block. 

About a month ago, the Chicago Print Collaborative invited me to be a part of their holiday print show and requested this owl. I decided it was about time to make a proper small edition. 

The block being inked.  

The block being inked.  

Ready to GO!

Ready to GO!

The block is placed in the plywood jig I have set up on the etching press. This jig is a frame of wood allows the main roller of the press to roll along the side rails and gently press the paper onto the block. This prevents the roller from hitting the block and jumping off of it during printing. It also helps with aligning the paper. 

Best part...

Best part...

... is the REVEAL!

... is the REVEAL!

Here are the prints drying. This took over a week because I used oil-based ink on this fibrous Kitakata paper, which soaked up the ink beautifully but stayed tacky for a while.

The Final Print

The Final Print

The Great Owl - 8x10 inch image printed on a warm Kitakata paper in an edition of only 10 prints. These are available in our shop!