Louisiana's Oil

The next process we studied in printmaking was Wood Cut/Linoleum Cut (we had a choice of which medium we wanted to carve).  Both are Relief Printmaking, meaning that ink is applied to the raised portion of the block surface and printed (whereas with intaglio, where ink was rubbed into the crevices of the plate and that is what printed).  The process is pretty straight-forward: create a black and white composition, carve out the white space, and print the block.

Sketch of woodblock composition.

The concept for this project was "Positive and Negative".  Instantly I thought of Louisiana, because this interplay of positive and negative associations is what haunts me about the state.  I thought about our recent tragedies, Katrina and the oil spill.  And I think they are related.  Related to the Mississippi River, related to politics, related to this dynamic and really unique environment that makes Louisiana special.  I focused on the oil industry.  For 30 years in Louisiana it has been extremely positive for the state.  A source of revenue and stable jobs it is the backbone of our economy.  And yet this spill gives light to precarious nature of the industry and how suddenly what was good became bad.  What we were thankful for became everyone's worse nightmare.  It is a confusing juxtaposition for sure.

Test Plate, Linoleum Cut, Samara Study

My composition illustrates oil on water.  It creates these beautiful marbled patterns, yet it harms our fragile coastline.  Another contradiction.  The oil is meant to be shown out in the gulf, with the mouth of the Mississippi on the horizon.  These forms, our eroding coastline and the marbled oil, I think share the same visual language.  They seemed related to me in some way.  I tried to create a visual perspective with the oil in the foreground,  the gulf in the middle ground, and Louisiana beyond.

I chose use wood for the block.  I  wanted the horizontal grain to be part of the image.  We tested the carving process on a linoleum plate to begin, and then did a few test prints, to learn the process.  Carving wood was a completely different animal... any cut against the grain felt like a gamble.  It was a slow process.  I used a drill bit with steel bristles to remove the weaker parts of the wood to create the middle ground texture. The printing process was mostly painless.  There were several areas where I just hadn't carved down deep enough so area that were white were revealing 'chatter', or black specs that weren't intended.

Overall I'm pleased with the result of my first wood block.  It is a strong concept, and I think and appropriate medium to talk about the spill.  I printed 5 on Japanese Masa paper.  If any Louisiana folk would like a print let me know.  Now that the plate is carved it's rather simple to make more prints.