CREATING PRINTS AT APS
Keeping Asheville Print Studio green is a top priority! We use soy and water soluble, environmentally friendlier inks - no solvents or harsh chemicals. This method not only protects our health but the health of any one who enters the studio.
STUDIO PROCESS
Asheville Print Studio is dedicated to the creation of art prints and the artists who make them. While ‘Print’ is a broad term that encompasses many techniques, there is always one consistent factor - these images are made using ink and pressure.
Before a print can be made, a matrix needs to be created. It can be carved into wood or linoleum, drawn onto a metal or wood surface and fixed in place with acids or gum arabic, by gluing textures onto a surface or simply painting a non-porous surface with ink. The possibilities are exciting, open to invention and exploration, and at APS we celebrate this aspect of printmaking!
PULLING PRINTS
After the matrix is complete it is inked with rollers, brushes and rags. Paper is placed on top of the inked plate and a print is ‘pulled’ through a machine called a press using pressure. APS has three printing presses - a 24x36 Charles Brand, a 24x48 Takach and a 30x60 Takach. We are also set up for experimental printing using wooden spoons, rolling pins and rubbing with ones hand. However we apply pressure, our resulting prints, called ‘impressions’, are revealed when the paper is peeled off of the matrix.
Multiples of a print, that are all created identically, are called an ‘edition’. At APS, our preferred way of working is to create Monotypes: a one of kind, non-repeatable unique images. Due to the infinite variations of this method, we can be free and spontaneous. We use prints and their ghosts - the copy of a print made without re-inking - to layer other images upon, to drawn on, or even for collage and mixed media work.
Don’t Miss… PRINT DAY IN MAY - May 4, 2024
Join us for this exciting day when you can see printmakers in action at our studio! Join us from 10:00-4:00 and get an inside look at the printmaking process. This is inky goodness at its best!