Woodcut technique

Author: Ann Westley
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This book is written for advanced students and printmaking interns. It is a technical guide that includes descriptions of specific creative processes, accompanied by print demonstrations provided by printmakers from around the world. When writing to the printmakers, I told them I hoped to receive technical information and asked them to briefly describe the ideas and concepts that inspired their work. From these basic materials, leaps in creativity and imagination are sparked, which determine the future development of printmaking technology. The narrative materials I obtained elucidate the guiding principles and theories behind each technique, and many are expressed directly in the artists' own words. Among various printmaking techniques, relief printing is the oldest. It has a history dating back to ancient times, composed of numerous images, and I attempt to express the essence of this history through contemporary visual imagination. When describing current production methods, I trace back along the ancient Silk Road, beginning to see an endless, cyclical footprint. Today's production methods seem like the surface texture of ancient invisible fabrics, beneath which are interwoven numerous production techniques from the East to the West. The Silk Road is the backbone of this book. The book will also include: how modern relief printing combines with other printmaking techniques and expands into painting, photography, sculpture, and installation art; the outstanding use of wood and metal materials, how they are expressed together with found objects and collage materials; both traditional methods and computer mice are happily incorporated into this book.