When I was 19, I worked as an intern at the Lower East Side Printshop.I found the job tedious, and I was generally terrible at it. I broke tools and sometimes did things incorrectly. One of my tasks was to lift the silkscreen between each ink pass during print runs, and I fell asleep in the middle of it. Just nodded off. They did not appreciate my carelessness during my time there.
Despite my shortcomings, my experience there left a positive impression on me, and I fell in love with printmaking. I immersed myself so deeply that I transformed my kitchen into a screen printing studio, complete with a UV light box that my father helped build and a power washer for blasting stencils out of silkscreens. I even started earning money doing small commissions, all while teaching myself a new medium.
Here I am, nineteen years later, with a printing press and a couple of art degrees, attempting to start a print shop business again. I happened upon this press through a twenty-year-old connection (I find the timing of these cycles quite interesting) who put me in touch with the seller. With my friend’s help, I transported it to my studio and have been having fun with it ever since.
Having this press has completely changed my approach to printmaking. When I started this print project, I carved some designs on soft linoleum and made transfers by hand with a brayer. I tried using these blocks in the press, and it did not go well. Running into setback after setback was frustrating, revealing to me just how rusty I was.
After doing a trial run of etchings based on a plate made by my friend, I realized how much working with others helps me work better for myself. It also led me to set a new goal – to streamline the printing process and support other artists through a residency focused on collaborative and experimental projects. I even thought up a name for it – Seventh House Press!
I hope you’ll follow along with me by joining my mailing list so you can be notified when my shop opens. Also, consider donating to my fundraiser – donations of $100 or more will receive a quality handmade print by yours truly.
This opportunity has reignited my old dream to start a printmaking studio and create new ways to connect with others through my work. While the uncertainty about where this will take me makes me anxious, I’m thrilled to follow this path and see what I’ll learn about myself along the way.