The following article has been written by Jill Iverson for the Rahr-West Art Forward series.
Really Big Prints is a biennial, multi-day, large-scale relief printmaking event in Manitowoc, WI. It is hosted by Wisconsin printmakers Berel Lutsky (UW – Manitowoc), Ben Rinehart (Lawrence University), and Katie Ries (St. Norbert College).
I considered taking part in Really Big Prints in 2014, 2016 and 2018, but I had several stumbling blocks and self-critical thoughts which got in the way:
- I am too old – those artists in the website video and photos look young.
- I am too inexperienced – I haven’t done relief printing for decades – though I did some printmaking in college I hadn’t done much relief printing since high school.
- The Really Big Prints they produce are gorgeous – I am not in their league.
- I would be carving that big block for at least a month when I could be outdoors.
In spite of these stumbling blocks and with the encouragement of a few people I decided to give it a go!
I began work on an idea and a drawing immediately after I spoke with Professor Lutsky and he gave me the dimensions of the block – my worried brain started again. “Yikes, it will be almost 5 feet tall, and it will be printed using a street roller with a whole lot of really professional printmaking artists!”
“HALT JILL – Stop it now, YOU limiting and self-critical mind!”
Instead, I decided to picture myself enjoying the process and learning, and I took it one step at a time…..
The process:
- Applying /signing up. Johnny in Student Services made this pretty easy – even though things have changed a lot since I attended college – where are the paper catalogs of offered classes?
- Creating a drawing/idea to express. I spent a couple of weeks on my drawing. Also I purchased some carving tools online.
- Met with the professor to share my idea and discuss how it could be better expressed in a relief print.
- Reworked my line drawing a little, with my professor’s input.
- In the first classes: Learned skills of tool use and care, sharpening, preparing board, transferring image to board, tinting board, basic carving techniques. Choosing and ordering the best paper for the task.
- Began carving and benefited from the ongoing support of my professor and classmates. Also Professor Lutsky helped me to use a laser etcher for the script part of my design – amazing! I estimate that in all I spent at least 100 hours on preparing and carving the board.
- I truly enjoyed the many benefits of working with other artist classmates.
- Learned about the sealing of the completed board.
- Made a test print/artists proof, learning how to ink the board and pull a test print.
- Critiqued the proof and made final carved improvements.
- My PRINT DAY! WOW! Working in tandem with other printmakers, I printed my block the first day. I made 5 prints on paper and two of fabric.
- I then enjoyed a few more days of printmaking, observing and assisting the other artists. We also had a celebratory meal together at the end of the week. Hey, I am one of them!
- The prints were to be exhibited at the RWAM, wheat-pasted in an alley downtown and displayed in several other locations. (It was interesting that I found that once I was carving and in the zone, this meditative type state pushed all worries away. Art making is like that.)
So why take an artistic risk and try something new? Without great risks there won’t be great rewards. Living life fully requires some risk-taking and some trying of new things. Just doing the same old thing is another kind of risk, that is risking being weighed down by complacency. Our minds will play tricks with us overestimating the cost of failure – focusing on what could go wrong….anxiety increases and this stops us from trying new things. But being aware of this and reframing means picturing yourself doing well instead. Besides, successful artists and people, embrace failures and learn from them.
Creating art can be beneficial throughout all stages of life. For children, young adults, and for seniors being creative enhances well-being. The creative process relieves burdensome stress, encourages creative thinking, boosts self-esteem, and provides a sense of accomplishment. Being creative gives us a chance to express our ideas and feelings. Creative expression can mean being understood in a way that goes beyond words. Art gives us a vehicle to express our own facets of self and reality.
When we face our fears, and we accomplish something that we set out to do, even if we don’t do it all that well, because it is something new to us, we begin to feel better about ourselves. We produced something; we have added value to the world.
In closing, I wish to encourage others to take artistic risks of all sizes, and especially to consider joining in at Really Big Prints next time around. I agree with Professor Lutsky that, “it is important to recognize the benefits of a community, when taking creative risks, you won’t be ‘on your own’ to ‘succeed’ and you will not be the only one invested in your success.”
Thanks to Professor Berel Lutsky and Professor Katie Ries and Professor Ben Reinhardt for nudging and aiding me, also to my artist friends who carved alongside me, or encouraged me from their studios or homes.
More details can be found at: reallybigprints.org
Also:
https://www.uwgb.edu/manitowoc/fine-performing-arts/really-big-prints/
Really Big Prints 2023 – see you there?
Jill Iverson is a Manitowoc artist who works in many mediums including, but not limited to, Assemblage, Collage, Leatherwerks, Mosaics, Drawing, and now…..Printmaking. She is also a co-founder of the Lakeshore Artists Guild and Art Slam.