BUCKET EXHIBITIONS: Printmaking Techniques and Innovations -- 2025

SUMMARY 2025

EXQUISITE TESSELLATION SUMMARY -- 2025

We refined and developed our printmaking approach in 2025 (this post is similar to the one on my personal blog):

PRINTMAKING

TECHNIQUES and INNOVATIONS

PORTABLE PRESS

The FISKARS FUSE SYSTEM works wonderfully as a Portable Printing Press. It has a carrying handle, but it is a little heavy to carry for long distances:

PORTABLE PRESS -- FISKARS FUSE Creativity System

The hacked FISKAR FUSE SYSTEM

ready to print

PORTABLE PRESS

Printing at Quelab

March 19, 2025

All the pieces needed to transport

and print on site

The antique Show Cards Presses work really well, however they are too heavy to carry around:

March 3, 2025

Ellie found and refurbished and old

Vandercook No. 0 Show Card Press

(too heavy to be portable)

PORTABLE GALLERY

We subverted a DISH RACK to serve as a Print Gallery, especially when there are no walls to hang the prints:

MAY SUMMARY -- 2025

We found that a Dish Rack

makes a good Portable Gallery

for 8x8 inch framed prints

Printing at the SANTA FE ART INSTITUTE

The Portable FISKARS Press, BUCKET for carrying framed prints,

and Dish Rack for displaying prints at an art fair in Santa Fe

COLOR

We liked printing with the Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Relief Colors, available at TAKACH PRESS in Albuquerque:

PRINTMAKING IN COLOR

We liked printing with the variety of the

Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Relief Colors

PRINTMAKING IN COLOR

Printing Tessellations in Las Vegas, New Mexico

Printing at Fat Crow Press in Las Vegas, New Mexico

with the Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Relief Colors

Remarque Open House 2025

Mexican Amate paper

also added color to the print

We might make even stronger prints using unique colors from pigments, pushing beyond those sold commercially in tubes

STYROFOAM PRINTING

Pressing into Styrofoam with ball point pens also works to make relief prints, and is a great way to make prints quickly, especially with kids:

May 28, 2025

Testing the Styrofoam printmaking method

Styrofoam Printmaking at the Juan Tabo Library --

with HENRY MORALES

Henry Morales had a Styrofoam printmaking workshop

for kids at the Juan Tabo Library in Albuquerque

on May 31st, 2025

June 3, 2025

Henry used a heavy book press

to print the Styrofoam designs on an apron

June 3, 2025

The Styrofoam discs

printed really well on fabric

July 1, 2025

Barbara Endicott used Styrofoam

to make two colored reduction prints

LASER ETCHING LINOLEUM

At Quelab I can laser engrave into linoleum and make relief prints. I've been using this method to make prints from AI images based on my drawings:

AI Laser Engraved -- Linocut Prints

Laser engraving one of my AI figures, based on my drawings,

into linoleum to make prints

AI Laser Engraved -- Linocut Prints

The 6x6 inch linocuts

take 30 to 60 minutes to laser engrave

AI Laser Engraved -- Linocut Prints

June 16, 2025

PRINT EXCHANGE 2025 -- Southwest Print Fiesta

I submitted this laser engraved linocut,

based on my drawings,

to the Southwest Print Fiesta Print Exchange 2025

LASERING SILK SCREENS

We got the idea to laser cut images into silk screens, using metal screen mesh, from Future Forge Makerspace, when we were at the Southwest Print Fiesta 2025:

Laser Cutting an image into Silk Screen for printing

AI imagines laser cutting designs

into silk screens

Experiment -- Laser Cutting into Silk Screen

30 Power and 80 Speed cut right through the emulsion

on the metal mesh, proving that this approach worked

Laser Cutting -- into Metal Silk Screen

Our first image worked nicely

laser cutting an AI rhino into metal mesh silk screen

CULMINATION -- Drawing, AI, Printmaking

My AI figure drawing

successfully laser cut into metal mesh silk screen

PRINTMAKING SURGE

Making silk screen frames from PVC tubes

OTHER TECHNIQUES

We commissioned a "hat" die from the Ukraine on Ebay, with the idea of punching out tessellation tiles from Expanded PVC Foam (because we can't laser cut PVC). However we haven't found a working hydraulic press, or otherwise, to try this out yet:

April 7, 2025

NOVEMBER SUMMARY -- 2025

We ordered a metal "hat" shaped die from the Ukraine

Expanded PVC Foam -- Tessellation Tiles

The "hat" die was too thick

to fit in the FISKARS FUSE die cutting system

November 12, 2025

Henry Morales gouged into linoleum and wood

with a Customizer Engraving Pen

PRINT CRUNCH

Ellie found an antique glass doorknob

that works well for hand printing on rice paper

January 22, 2025

Hand printing with the glass door knob

Juarez

In Juarez they were cutting into fake linoleum

with a bent over razor blade taped to a stick

We carved into small soft Speedy Carve blocks to stamp people with temporary tattoos. We bought the Tattoo Inkpads from Made to Order Stamp & Seal in Albuquerque:

PRINTERS PLANET TAOS 2025 -- Preparation

Temporary Tattoo Ink from Made to Order Stamp & Seal

PRINTERS PLANET TAOS 2025 -- TEMPORARY TATTOOS

Daniel carved wonderful temporary tattoos

May 21, 2025

Ellie bought Mokuhanga brushes

but we haven't perfected the technique

June 10, 2025

Ellie also successfully used

the Ternes Burton registration pins

Printmaking -- Bits and Pieces

We have not tried collagraph technique yet,

however the Wagner wax apparently works well

on Expanded PVC Foam

REMARQUE OPEN HOUSE -- Detonography and Tessellations

Chris Cherry gave us a brass plaque to print

that they had "etched" with Detonography

AUGMENTED REALITY

As we are in the Digital Age, we can enhance linocut prints with Augmented Reality. At Quelab we slipped NFC tags into the frames, so that viewers can hoover their smart phones over the print and conjure up a 3D AR image:

MARCH SUMMARY -- 2025

Lisa Casuas' tessellation linocut print

enhanced with Augmented Reality

At the CURRENTS Exhibition in Santa Fe, CORRINA ESPINOSA had a great Augmented Reality exhibition. By scanning just one QR Code (and not downloading any apps), she lead viewers to multiple AR experiences from several framed prints. Each print acted as a individual "target," delivering a different AR experience when visitors hoovered their phones over the framed prints:

CURRENTS NEW MEDIA Exhibition in Santa Fe