Block for an upcoming artist book

Pictured top: freshly carved lino block for the title page of Decorated Women, an artist book in the making. 

Directly below is a process view of the work, snapped during the early stages of carving. Whited-out areas indicate alterations made during the course of its development. For example, the original title of the work, Illustrated Women, has been changed to the more multi-layered Decorated Women. Despite my sharp tools, the text was a particular challenge to carve due to the soft and crumbly nature of the lino. 

Depending on whether I’m able to make the deadline, the artist book will be part of Ways of Being, my solo exhibition at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne, running from December 4-21.

FRANKENSTEIN'S WOMEN - a progress report

Lino blocks for Frankenstein's Women, 20 x 15 cm (each block)

The blocks for Frankenstein's Women, my forthcoming artist book, are almost ready for the next stage, namely, printing.

For those who have been following the development of this project since it began life at Melbourne Athenaeum Library during a residency for Melbourne Rare Book Week 2018, here is an overview of the work to date. (Click on images to enlarge).

As noted in my last post, the block for the title page of Frankenstein's Women (pictured third from top) was new and hadn't begun to harden. As a result, the surface was very brittle. In what turned out to be an ill-starred combination, my linocut tool, a Speedball with an interchangeable No. 1 cutter, was also new, but far from sharp, causing areas of the lino to crumble away during carving. For many   years, I've found this particular cutter indispensable for producing very fine lines. Sadly, however, the current Speedball cutters are poorly made; they are blunt, rusty and frankly, shouldn't even be on the market.

There is hope for the future, however, thanks to my friend Paul Compton, who recently presented me with a most thoughtful and generous gift - the elegant linocut tool pictured directly below. I've never seen one like it before. According to the accompanying label, it's a 'TRAD SANKKAKUTO Vee Gouge'. Some of the blocks could use some minor tweaking; this tool cuts through them like butter.