INTRODUCTION TO LINOLEUM ETCHING (PRINTMAKING)

@ Waterfall Arts

May 4 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

$65.00 – $85.00

Learn to etch linoleum using drain cleaner! 

This class will explore the technique of etching linoleum with caustic soda (lye). This “kitchen safe” technique produces a wide range of textures and mark-making, and it can be printed in both intaglio and relief. The result can range from a loose painterly style to halftones or fine lines and can, of course, be combined with traditional lino-cut carving. 

We will make a caustic soda paste from sodium hydroxide crystals (aka drain cleaner), wallpaper paste crystals, and water. This will get hot and produce fumes (that we will stay away from for a few minutes) but then it will stabilize to a paste that can be stored in a glass container for up to a week. We will explore ways of applying the resist, or stop out, and use the caustic paste to create various effects. 

All materials and tools needed will be supplied. Bring any source imagery that you would like to work on, keeping in mind the loose nature of this technique. This class is for adults, ages 15 and up, who have a basic understanding of any type of printmaking.

About the instructor: Paul Valentine graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in architecture. He has worked as a museum exhibit designer and as an architectural designer before switching to focus full time on creating art. He has exhibited artwork and painted murals in Qatar, Italy, Russia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, and the United States and participated in a 9-month Artist Residency at the FireStation Museum in Qatar. He has dedicated a significant portion of his life to exploring the natural world, having trekked over 10,000 kilometers of long-distance trails including walking across the US twice on the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, and the Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand. The impact that sleeping under the stars for almost 2 years during these adventures has had on his work cannot be overstated. Seeing the first-hand effects that we are having on the world propels him to use his art to help inspire people to take better care of the beautiful and magical places we have all around us.

Waterfall Arts

256 High Street

Belfast, Maine 04915