Ink! Big blocks! Road machinery!
The Ladies of the Lino have a big project in the works, and June saw the first tryout. We carved a great big block - actually, two great big blocks. One was made of eight pieces of lino joined together to make a two foot by three foot print block, and the other was a single sheet of lino, three feet by three feet. That was a challenge, with elbows and carving tools all crowded together while enthusiastic (but careful!) carvers all worked at once!
On a Saturday morning, we met with the kind and generous people at Tomco Asphalt of Mason, MI. They donated their time, a driver, and the use of their machines to help us with this project. We rolled the ink, laid out the blocks, and watched in awe as an expert guided the asphalt roller over the blankets and plywood and paper and carving. And it worked! Sharp prints, dramatic prints, great big team-effort prints! Some on paper and some on cloth, making banners or posters, or just big artwork.
Now the job is to plan for next year. The printing will take place in the center of town, with other groups participating with their own designs, and lots of ink and enthusiasm. There will be T-shirts!
WATCH THIS SPACE for updates on
Mason INK: A Block Printing Party
coming to downtown Mason, July 15th, 2023!