About The Process
The images in Amalgam are all prints — most are linoleum cuts, carved into
24” x 18”linoleum blocks — several are lithographs.
They were all printed by master printer Justin Sanz —assisted by Ian Harkey and
Faye Blue at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop,
on paper handmade from recycled rags by Saint Armand Papeterie
in Montreal, Quebec.
The font, Franz, inspired by Trade Gothic, was also carved in linoleum.
The prints began as rough sketches. Using reference, either found
or created, a tighter drawing was made on tracing paper and transferred
onto the linoleum block. The image (then in reverse) was carved with
cutting tools of various size. The finished block was inked with a variety of
rollers, in order to capture both fine detail and broad expanses. In a process
called chine colle, color parts were cut from assorted papers, backed with
Methyl Cellulose adhesive, placed on the linoleum block with dampened paper,
and run through the press. The finished prints were stapled onto a board to dry.