BUCKET EXHIBITIONS: 2023

We did a lot of live printmaking at openings and workshop. However more importantly, we refined the equipment in 2023 -- trying to make the portable materials as compact as possible, as well as expanding the techniques.

Tortilla Press Printing during the MiniPrint opening

Printmaking at the top of Canyon Road

in Santa Fe

Below are some significant materials that we acquired to make the LIVE PRINTMAKING process easier:

List of INNOVATIVE Materials

8x8 inch Photo Album

Memories Tattoo Stamp Pad for Skin

Dog Grooming Table

What follows is a more in-depth explanation, the long versions -- of our motives, methods, and materials:

THE LIVE PRINTMAKING

INSPIRATION

Ever since 3 Gatos Press of Guadalajara took us to do live printmaking in Tlaquepaque in 2019, we have been printing with a Tortilla Press at openings and workshop in the United States:

Guadalajara!

Live Printmaking in Guadalajara in 2019

with 3 Gatos Press

Printing with a Tortilla Press

Printing with a Tortilla Press -- with 3 Gatos Press (part 1)

EXHIBITION CONCEPT

Our agenda is to SHOW PRINTS -- specifically prints on 8x8 inch paper. The small prints fit nicely in cheap 8x8 inch frames from Walmart (or Amazon). That way we can carry around 12 framed prints in an Igloo 12 quart cooler from Target, and have hit-and-run pop-up print exhibitions:

Concept

12 framed 8x8 inch prints

fit nicely in an Igloo cooler

The other great thing about 8x8 inch prints is that they fit nicely in an envelop, so that we can send and receive prints IN THE MAIL. We have received a lot of prints from Mexico, and even some from Australia. The pop-up print exhibitions are even stronger when showing off styles and subjects from all over the world!

Concept

8x8 inch prints also fit nicely in an envelop

to mail around the world

LIVE PRINTMAKING

In order to show prints, sometimes we have to make prints:

So we ordered a TORTILLA PRESS from Joseph Velasquez of Drive By Press down in Florida:

¡¡¡Viva the Tortilla Printing Revolution!!!

Joseph Velasquez even showed us how to use the Tortilla Press on YouTube, during the Covid Pandemic:

¡¡¡Viva the Tortilla Printing Revolution!!!

Tortilla Press printing!

So we took the new TORTILLA PRESS to Santa Fe and printed live at the top of Canyon Road at HECHO A MANO gallery in 2019:

Hecho A Mano opening --

Tortilla Printing in Santa Fe

Manuel Guerra of El Paso

prints on the Tortilla Press in Santa Fe

at HECHO A MANO gallery on Canyon Road

**********

INNOVATIONS

In 2023 we developed innovations as we continued to do live printmaking as openings and workshops:

INK in a TUBE

A huge convenience is the Speedball Supergraphic Black ink in a TUBE! Using ink from the can gets on your hands, elbows and all over the place. The TUBE is as big of an innovation as BABY WIPES:

Speedball Supergraphic Black Ink

in a TUBE

PAPER

Rives Lightweight White 19"x26"

from Takach Paper

REAL TORTILLA PRESS

For one, we got a REAL TORTILLA PRESS from Amazon -- ABUSA adjustable tortilla press:

June 20, 2023

Printing on a REAL TORTILLA PRESS

with a Yoga Mat

This press did not work for us UNTIL we cut down a piece of YOGA MAT to cushion and distribute the pressure. Then it worked perfectly for printing round 4xe inch linocuts (the size of street tacos).

We stole the idea from AXLE CONTEMPORARY of Santa Fe. We exhibited 66 prints inside their mobile art van, and printed with the wooden TORTILLA PRESS out front during the PRINTED MATTER festival in Santa Fe in 2022 . However Matthew Chase-Daniel and Jerry Wellman of AXLE pushed the technique up a notch, by printing/embossing on REAL Tortillas:

Printing on REAL TORTILLAS

Matthew Chase-Daniel

prints on REAL Tortillas in Santa Fe

Maybe we should buy an Inkedibles TACO PRINTER

4 Inch Round

STREET TACO PRINTS

3 Gatos Press asked Manuel Guerra to take small round linocuts down to Guadalajara for their exhibition and live printmaking event in July 2023:

Tortilla Press printing at Hecho Gallery in Santa Fe

Tres Gatos Press of Guadalajara

sent us four round linocuts to print in 2022

It turns out that the round linocuts -- 4 inch diameter -- are the perfect size to print on the REAL TORTILLA press by Abusa, which also works with 8x8 inch paper.

8x8 Print Exhibition in Guadalajara

Round linocuts work great on the TORTILLA PRESSES

We laser cut the circular linocuts, 4 inch diameter in a 6x6 inch square -- both pieces can be inked with a different color and put together before printing:

June 5, 2023

First Friday -- Deck The Walls

Circular linocuts

printed with two colors

SKATEBOARD PRINTING

We also bought a SKATEBOARD PRESS from Joseph Velasquez (and even made our own):

Miami Summary

Printing in using a skateboard

with Joseph Velasquez in 2018

Joseph Velasquez even tells you how to make your own SKATEBOARD PRESS:

Skateboard Press build and Demo!

So we made our own:

Printmaking Rising

Robert made a Skateboard Press

for me at Quelab

Las Cruces Printmaking Studio Tour 2023

Chris Bardey printing on a Skateboard press

in Las Cruces, New Mexico

Santa Fe 2022 -- SUMMARY

March 9, 2023

We switched from Skateboard

to a smaller anti-fatigue rocker board

January 23, 2023

The Fezibo antifatigue rocker board

COLOR

Color can make a huge difference. This dark print made with blue looks black, but is a lot better than the print made in black. We mulled Maya Blue pigment directly into Speedball Professional Relief Ink Transparent Base to make the printing ink:

February 28, 2023

Printing with Maya Blue

at Henry Morales' studio

LASER ENGRAVER

We cheated by engraving into linoleum with a laser cutter at Quelab. However that opens up a lot of different opportunities, like engraving images created by AI (Artificial Intelligence):

Streamline AI Printmaking

An AI image engraved into linoleum

with the large laser cutter at Quelab

We also bought a portable 5 watt galvo lasercutter -- Laserpecker 2 -- with the idea of engraving linoleum on the spot while live printmaking:

Open Press Print Exchange 2023

The portable laser cutter

took forever to engrave into linoleum

However it takes forever to engrave linoleum with the portable laser cutter. However it only takes a minute to cut into EVA foam with the portable Laserpecker 2; and another minute to ink and print from it:

EVA Foam printing

Laser cutting and printing with EVA foam

Still, the portable laser cutter is a little too light, and could easily fall over in a crowd and zap a spectator.

STAMPING FOAM

Adric at Quelab gave us some stamping foam, which worked wonderfully with the laser engraved AI images. One only has to heat the STAMPING FOAM, press it into the laser engraved linocut, and when it cools it will hold that image in the stamping foam (plus you can re-heat and re-use the STAMPING FOAM):

YouTube: How To Use Simon Hurley create. Stamping Foam!

June 22, 2023

The STAMPING FOAM

absorbed the linocut nicely,

and made great prints

The STAMPING FOAM prints wonderfully, and would probably stamp great temporary tattoos:

Memories Tattoo Stamp Pad for Skin

Ambos Lados Closing

3 Gatos Press

tattooing from hand carved plates

in Guadalajara

BIG SHOT PLUS

EMBOSSING PRESS

After trying out the Sizzix embossing press at Quelab, we bought the bigger one -- the Sizzix BIG SHOT PLUS embossing press -- that will print on an 8x8 inch piece of paper. This works as a letterpress, is light enough to carry around for hit-and-run pop-up print demos:

December 19, 2023

Ellie and Henry try out the Sizzix BIG SHOT PLUS

and find that it works great for printing 8x8 inch paper

HAND BARENS

We also like to collect hand barens, for the live printmaking demos:

The glass print barens, from IRON FROG PRESS of Dallas, print rather nicely:

PRINT SANTA FE -- Art Fair

Print Frogs/Tadpoles

Also we liked the 3D-printed Cool S Barens, which printed with the ball bearing pushed into them (however leaving them in a hot car warped the 3D print):

PRINT SANTA FE -- Art Fair

Cool S Baren

by Lars Roeder

We also ordered some hand barens from Arteina of Barcelona, Spain:

Estampadora Manual

There is a YouTube video on how to use them:

VIDEO Estampador manual

DOG TABLE

Anna Aragon of Las Vegas, New Mexico recommends printing on a Dog Grooming Table (we ordered one, but it did not arrive):

Fat Crow Press -- Summary (September 2023)

Anna Aragon printing on a dog grooming table

in Las Vegas, New Mexico

SCRAPBOOK

8x8

Ellie suggested storing the prints in these 8x8 inch photo album/scrapbooks -- which makes it a whole lot easier to handle the prints. For one, it's easier to flip through and look at all the prints. More importantly, the two small albums are a lot easier to store than the 8 buckets needed to hold the 88 framed prints:

North Fourth Art Center -- Print Exhibition SUMMARY

8x8 inch Photo Album

BUCKET EXHIBITIONS

Sunday, December 31, 2023

SUMMARY 2023 -- BUCKET EXHIBITIONS

Live Printmaking -- TORTILLA PRESS and Other Equipment

BIG INK SUMMARY -- Albuquerque 2024

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