Experiment · shipped

Block printing

A series of multi-plate relief prints made on the kitchen counter

A multi-block relief print on cream paper: an orange block of two vertical triangles on the left, a green block of horizontal wavy stripes overprinted with orange chevrons, a black block of wild looping line work in the center, and a chartreuse-on-white concentric rectangle block on the right — four hand-carved plates printed in sequence and intentionally misregistered.

A study series in relief printing. Hand-carved blocks on plywood and linoleum, printed with a baren on cotton paper. Each composition assembles three to four small plates, registered loosely so the overprints surprise on contact. Color comes from the order of the impressions, not from the ink alone — the blue under the green reads cooler than the blue under the yellow, the orange that lands on cream stays bright, the orange that lands on green darkens toward bronze.

The work is the rehearsal. Each composition is a small problem about layering, registration, and what happens when a hand-carved edge meets a hand-pressed sheet. Twelve prints, one weekend, four blocks reused in different orders.

The series

Three or four blocks at a time.

Each print uses a different combination of the same blocks — concentric squares, radial bursts, organic loops, parallel ridges, dot fields. Order of impression decides which marks read as foreground and which dissolve into the ground. The series is closer to musical composition than to drawing: the same instruments, different arrangements, different keys.

A horizontal three-block print: an orange concentric-square block on the left bleeding into a green radial-burst block in the center, with a deep navy organic loop block on the right.

A horizontal four-block print: an orange organic shape block, a blue dot-field block with a wine-red triangle peeking through, and a black geometric crosshatch block.

A four-block print in cooler tones: a yellow ground wash on the left, a black dot-burst block, a blue radial-burst block, and a green wave-line block.

A four-block print: a chartreuse splash on the left, a black-and-white concentric-rectangle block, an emerald-green organic shapes block, and a teal dot-field block on the right.

A horizontal three-block print exploring different overlap weights.

A horizontal three-block print with denser ink coverage and tighter registration.

A horizontal three-block print with the dot-field block carrying the foreground.

A four-block composition with the concentric-square block on the left and the organic loops dominating the center.

A four-block composition pulled toward greens, with looser registration on the right edge.

A four-block composition with a heavy black-on-blue overprint anchoring the center of the sheet.

The misregistration is the point. The hand-pressed edge is the point. A perfectly aligned print is a screen-printed poster; the looseness is what makes it look like a person made it.

Closing