Tag: printmaking

Meet The Maker: Jennifer Manzella of JLManzella Prints

*Photo Credit: Ben Pelta-Heller

I’m a local artist, printmaker and educator and I just moved back to Philadelphia after over a decade in Athens, Georgia where I received an MFA in printmaking from The University of Georgia. I love living in this city! I now live in South Philadelphia and I make prints at a studio called BYO Print, a print cooperative located in Sharktown studios in Old Kensington/Fishtown. As a member of BYO I have access to presses, etching mordants, screen-printing supplies and other print related equipment. The medium size Charles Brand etching/relief press is the piece of equipment I use the most in the studio.

The process of printmaking informs my imagery. I work mainly in relief printing with woodblock and linoleum. Sometimes I use a color reduction process where I print all the colors from one block, carving each one away as I print, while other times I print a single image with multiple blocks. The process of relief printing is one of the oldest forms of making multiple images. For me, it usually starts with a sketch directly onto the block. The next step is carving the block where a lot of changes can happen to the imagery. The space around the image is carved so that what is printed is raised, therefore it is in “relief”. Rolling ink over the block with a brayer then inks that raised surface, which is printed by placing paper on top of the inked block and applying pressure. I use a press that allows an even amount of pressure to transfer the ink to the paper.

When printing multiple blocks, I use transparent additives in my ink to create layered colors and gradients. It’s important to use some sort of registration technique to align each of the blocks on the paper, therefore, I use a registration jig to hold the paper in the same place each time I print a different block.

I draw a lot of inspiration from traditional Japanese woodblock prints of the 17th and 19th century and I’m interesting in the intersection between urban and natural landscapes. My own photos are often the source material for the drawings and prints I make and sometimes I’ll combine elements from several different pictures to make something completely new.

Rarely do I have a fully formed plan of how the prints are going to work out because in the process of printmaking there is quite a bit of unpredictability. I work with my mistakes and sometimes rework my blocks. Because I often work in layers it’s hard to know exactly how colors are going to print on top of each other. Pulling the print after carving, mixing colors and printing is the most exciting part.

You can explore more of my print work on my website: www.jlmanzella.net or follow me on instagram @j.l.manzella. My prints will be on sale at the upcoming Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend at the Event Space at SugarHouse Casino.

November 14, 2017
An Interview with New Academy Press

New Academy Press, founded by Justin George and Michael Burch, is a collaborative screen printing shop in Pittsburgh, PA. New Academy Press will be vending at our Art Star Craft Bazaar for the first time this year, so we were interested in learning more about them. Check out our interview and come visit them at the bazaar at booth # 110!

Art Star: What will you be selling at the bazaar?
New Academy Press: We will be selling screen printed paper goods, such as illustrated prints, postcards, bookmarks, and paper sculptures.

AS: Describe your process.
NAP: We take original illustrations and designs and screen print them by hand. Some of our prints are then cut, torn, folded, and glued to create 3-dimensional paper sculptures.

AS: Are you professionally trained?
NAP: Justin holds a BFA in printmaking and Michael has one in photography.

AS: Are you able to make your work full time? If not, what do you do for your day job?
NAP: We work full time hours for New Academy Press, but to stay afloat we also spend additional time as a bartender and restaurant manager.

AS: Where would you like to see your art/craft business in the next 10 years?
NAP: We would like to move our operation out of our living room and into a larger, dedicated workspace allowing us to increase our creative output, and eventually spread our love for art making through teaching classes and workshops.

AS: Any exciting projects in the works?
NAP: We are currently working on a suite of new prints for a gallery show in August at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination here in Pittsburgh.

AS: What are your favorite things about Philadelphia?
NAP: So many things! Michael spent a brief time living in Philly, and the things he misses most are the Museum of Art, bicycle lanes and beautiful old buildings. Justin enjoys the Mutter Museum and Ben Franklin.

AS: What are some of the inspirations for your work?
NAP: We are heavily influenced by past eras of scientific exploration, design and manufacturing. We love learning about the people who have spent their lives searching for answers and discovering new things about the natural world.

AS: What are you reading / listening to?
NAP: That is a very big question. We love talk radio, podcasts and audiobooks that teach us about this crazy universe, but when it comes to getting thing done we like really loud rock music.

May 1, 2014
An Interview with Marcus Benavides of Red Light Press

Red Light Press is Marcus Benavides’ Fine Art Printing Press that specializes in limited edition woodcuts, lithographs and other prints on paper. This will be Marcus’ first year participating in our Art Star Craft Bazaar, so we were interested in learning more about him. Visit his booth #50 at our upcoming bazaar or check out his website

Art Star: What will you be selling at the bazaar?
Marcus Benavides: I’ll be selling Woodcut and Lithographic prints.

AS. Describe your process.
MB: I carve tiny marks into wood, roll those carvings up with oil based inks, and reproduce the images on paper. I also draw images on Bavarian Lithographic Limestones, chemically alter the stones with acids and solutions, roll the image up with ink, and print the image on paper. Both of these methods are printed with the help of Lula, a 100 year old, cast-iron, hand-cranked printing press.

AS: Are you professionally trained?
MB: I received a BFA, MA, and an MFA in printmaking. I’ve been making prints for 10 years and I’ve been making art as far back as I can remember. Years of honing my craft, sharpening pencils, and grinding down stones can only stem from a love of hard work and printing beautiful images.

AS: Are you able to make your work full time? If not, what is your day job?
MB: Sadly, I am not. I work at a commercial print-shop here in Philly.

AS: Where would you like to see your craft business in 10 years?
MB: Owning a printing press allows me to make multiples of not only my own work, but collaborations with fellow artists. I would like to see Red Light Press’s expanding portfolio include more collaborative prints. I want to provide an artistic outlet for the ideas of like-minded individuals. Today, this is achievable with local artists; however, in the future I hope to build a fund for visiting, nationally-recognized artists.

AS: Any exciting projects in the works?
MB: I am currently in conversations with two local artists about printing collaborative prints. That, and I’m working on a new piece entitled “Surf Mothers Must Die!”

AS: What is your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
MB: Dim Sum Garden’s soup dumplings.

AS: What are some of the inspirations for your work?
MB: I’m inspired most by the things that scare us as civilized beings; Indecency, the Grotesque, the Occult, Rebellious Behavior, Moralizing Folklore, and the Sleaze and Grime of back-alley cultures. I’m also influenced by the pop culture and cartoons of my childhood.

AS: What are you reading / listening to?
MB: I listen to a lot of early Blues and Rock & Roll music. Mostly stuff from the 30’s to 50’s. But my taste runs the gamut of music genres.

AS: Anything fun readers might be interested in knowing about you or your business?
MB: I grew up in South Texas. I have a rifle-scope scar on my left brow. That, and I have a collection of voodoo and Mexican witchcraft paraphernalia.

April 23, 2014