#printersolstice

Thank you so much for your interest in the sixth annual @printersolstice! For those of you joining for the first time, #printersolstice is an Instagram-based printmaking campaign designed to build community over the winter solstice and is open to all forms of printmaking. It is hosted by @follysomeprints and @linocaveprints. We have provided weekly prompts for your consideration. Please feel free to do as many or as few of the prompts as suits you.

This year’s theme is color! We invite you to explore your use of color and we thought that this year’s theme would be a great opportunity to create varied editions using existing blocks/plates/stones/screens. If you need a refresher for the terms, here is a useful resource. You can participate in two ways: you can create prints based on the prompts and tag them with @printersolstice #printersolstice so that we can see them and share them with our audience or you can simply follow the @printersolstice account and cheer on other printmakers with likes and comments while enjoying the printy glory!

Thank you so much for your interest in the fifth annual @printersolstice ! For those of you joining for the first time, #printersolstice is an Instagram-based printmaking campaign designed to build community over the winter solstice. It is hosted by @follysomeprints and @linocaveprints. We have provided weekly prompts for your consideration. Please feel free to do as many or as few of the prompts as suits you. This year’s theme is art terms. Please interpret these prompts in any way you like and tag your Instagram posts with @printersolstice and #printersolstice. This year we are keeping things very simple and focusing on the printmaking community. We will share favorite works on our grid and in our stories. There are no sponsors, winners or prizes, we would simply encourage you to print, cheer on other printmakers and discover the amazing talent that emerges from this campaign!

 

 

Thank you so much for your interest in the fourth annual @printersolstice ! For those of you joining for the first time, #printersolstice is an Instagram-based printmaking campaign designed to build community over the winter solstice. It is hosted by @follysomeprints and @linocaveprints and sponsored by @speedball_art and @flexcut_carving_tools. We have provided weekly prompts for your consideration. Please feel free to do as many or as few of the prompts as suits you. This year’s theme is 20th Century Art Movements. For those of you who attended art school, dust off those textbooks and for those of you who didn’t, never fear, this info is at your fingertips online or at your local library.

 

All of us will find that some movements resonate with our current practice more than others. Part of the benefit of participating in this exercise is to push your boundaries and try something new. We usually offer suggestions for each prompt, but in this case we want you to consider a much more holistic approach to the challenge. In the case of a movement you are particularly drawn to, ideas and inspiration are likely to flow freely. If you find yourself stuck we suggest the following while researching:

 

• Find out what characterizes and defines each movement. Even if you aren’t particularly inspired by the movement as a whole you may be able to draw from a single characteristic, artist or color scheme.
• There is often a geographical location indicated to define each movement, can a sense of place spark and idea within you?
• Explore the different media attendant to the movement. Could you be inspired by music, dance, fashion, architecture or photography?

 

 

There are many great resources, but here are a few we found online to start you on your journey:

 

•Tate

•MoMA

•The Met

•The Guggenheim

#printersolstice 2020-2021

#printersolstice is an Instagram-based campaign designed to build community and spread creativity and inspiration via printmaking during the winter solstice. It is hosted by Susana McDonnell of @linocaveprints and Mindy Schumacher of @follysomeprints. We are also pleased to announce a new dedicated @printersolstice Instagram account, please do give it a follow. It is generously sponsored by @speedball_art  @im_printed and @flexcut_tools. If you would like more details I have written a blog post about it.

 

Thank you for joining along and printing with us during this #printersolstice . You are welcome to interpret the prompts any way you like but here are some of our musings to get the ideas flowing:

12/21 Under Pressure
‘Tis the season of mixed and manifold emotions. If all our plans go smoothly, we still find ourselves juggling expectations in an ever changing world. Much like the block under the spoon or printing press, it’s an endurance test to see how much we can take. Share about how you create pressure in the printing process and use that strain and stress to create something beautiful. Do you work well under pressure, or does it overwhelm?

12/28 A New Hope
The thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices. Hope is a work of faith, directed at the unseen. Let’s celebrate a new year and the fact that it is no longer 2020 by starting with fresh prints and sharing imagery that inspires and keeps our gaze on the future. You could use this as an opportunity to explore a departure from your past work and try something new.

1/4 In Good Taste
A study of the higher pleasures or subjects that are a matter of taste. This can be a nod to that which is proper and buttoned up. Alternatively, because epicurean pleasures have come into sharp focus, they can be a source of inspiration.

1/11 Passports
Our passports aren’t good for much these days, but we do have our memories and imagination. This is an opportunity to share stories from our travel diaries, the times and places we visit in our dreams, or the created worlds of our favorite stories or films.

1/18 Freedom of the Press
There is power in printing. The ability to make multiples of your message can change the world. Press on; bold and uncensored.

1/25 Blood, Sweat and Tears
An ode to the effort and true cost of our endeavors. Our pretty Instagram photos rarely document all that it took to get to the magic moment of printing success, yet those hard steps are essential.

2/1 Creative Block
We’ve all been there, it comes with the territory. How do you break free, what practices help you get back to business? Could a creative use of an existing block provide the refresh and inspiration you are craving?

2/8 Animal Prints
Those exotic spots and stripes, or tracks left in the snow and sand. Animals wear their prints and make them too, do you?

2/15 On The Line
A state of jeopardy, uncertainty, precariousness or an opportunity to ponder the power of line to create texture and richness.

2/22 CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key
Explore the building blocks of printed color and their infinite possibilities.

3/1 A Well Made Mistake
They are part and parcel of the artistic process. We won’t ask you to celebrate them, but we can guarantee the lessons you have learned from them have been permanently imprinted on your mind. Care to share?

3/8-21 Elements
Earth, water, fire, air and space, the periodic table, weather, being “in your element”, being “out of your element”. How are the fundamentals of our world fundamental to you and your practice?

Rules for the #PrinterSolstice #psx2021 Print Exchange

Given the success of #psx2020 we will do it again in 2021! You can enter throughout the course of #printersolstice, just add the hashtag #psx2021 to any of your submissions that can be printed on a piece of paper 9” x 12”/22.5 x 30.5 cm or smaller, they must be able to fit into our selected mailers. Mindy @follysomeprints and Susana @linocaveprints will select 20 pieces from the #psx2021 hashtag and each participant will be asked to create a unique edition of 26 prints for the exchange. Mindy and Susana will also each submit a print to the exchange. Each exchange participant will receive a set of 22 prints as will Alice @im_printed, @speedball_art and @flexcut_tools . The last two sets of prints will be auctioned off for charity. Details to follow.

PrinterSolstice #psx2020 Print Exchange Submissions

Susana sorting all the prints for the exchange. Below are all of the works selected for the @printersolstice #psx2020 Print Exchange.

Left to right, top to bottom: "Tracing Moments" by Hazel Oosteroff, "A Sunday on Webster Street" by Gabrielle Stanton, "Ratios" by Claire O'Connor, "Crow Moon" by Bethany Marker.

Left to right, top to bottom: "Geisha" by Catherine Gasson, "Magic Seeds" by Catherine Stonehouse, "Print Therapy" by Ali Baecker and "Nyx" by Kate Hamel Tucker.

Left to right, top to bottom: "Noir" by Kier Fearnley, "Old Lincoln Park Bridge" by Billie Males, "Notre Planéte" by Pascaline Janvrin and "Let It Burn" by Mindy Schumacher.

Left to right, top to bottom: "Mixed Flock" by Alexis Lesnick, "Our Natural World" by Nicole Johnson, "Le Printemps" by Marie Amélie Giamarchi and "The Cabin" by Helen Bishop.

Left to right, top to bottom: "New Beginnings" by Sylvia Brueckert, "Shield Mantis" by Jennifer Zee and "Overgrown" by Emma Formato

Left to right, top to bottom: 'Balancing Act" by Sally Catson, "The Start" by Alice Clarke and "Ratios" bandana by Susana McDonnell.

#printersolstice is an Instagram-based campaign designed to build community and spread creativity and inspiration via printmaking. We have created an #editiondeprintemps, or spring edition, as we find ourselves housebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hosted by Susana McDonnell of @linocaveprints and Mindy Schumacher of @follysomeprints. It is sponsored by @speedball_art and @im_printed.

 

Hello to all and thank you for all of the wonderful submissions you have created that have made this year’s #printersolstice far more successful than we ever imagined! Our current state of the world has left us in a unique situation and there have been requests to continue #printersolstice as we are all shut in for the foreseeable future. We were so touched by the enthusiasm and happy to oblige, so with that we present the second part of our Instagram-based campaign: #printersolstice #editiondeprintemps (which means “spring edition” in French). We are presenting a more relaxed format consisting of six prompts that you can do in any order over the course of seven weeks. We have extended the time frame to allow more people to enter the #psx2020 print exchange. The details and rules are below. Also, if you missed some of the original prompts you could also enter any of them in the print exchange by using the #psx2020 hashtag in your posts as long as they adhere to the rules below. 

You may interpret the prompts any way you like, but we have offered our thoughts on them in case you need some inspiration. As with the original #printersolstice Alice will choose six winners to feature on @im_printed and @follysomeprints and @linocaveprints will select an ink prize winner furnished by @speedball_art per prompt at the conclusion of the campaign. 

As you have been, please continue to tag us and use the hashtags in posts and stories and we will do our best to like your posts and repost your stories, as we hope this campaign has aided in growing your Instagram accounts. With that, let’s keep calm and print on!

 

My Daily View

How can we put fresh eyes on our intimate surroundings? The mundane, every day; a still life or perhaps the subtle beauty of a vignette that might otherwise be taken for granted. Let’s share our unique vista with each other.

I Can Do Hard Things

We are all stronger than we know and that is being tested at this very moment. This is a space for encouraging words, songs of troubles and triumphs and lending a helping hand. 

Optimism

A freedom of spirit is to be celebrated! Perhaps we should turn down the news and use our energy to imagine a future in which our greatest hopes are turned into plans which succeed. What positive thoughts do you summon to keep your spirits high? Cheers to everyone turning lemons into lemonade!

Print Therapy

We all find patience for different things. For those of us who turn to print, let’s share about our work and practice as it provides a means to cope. What about printmaking do you find soothing and satisfying?

Love Letters

A celebration of text and the lost art of letters. Our words have power and there is something special and nostalgic about paper and tangible forms of communication, especially as a way to stay connected with loved ones out of reach.

Rise Again

A time to rebuild, get back on our feet and look to the skies. How do we sense that the movement is gaining momentum or a promise is being fulfilled? Let’s celebrate the tenacity and strengths of the human spirit and this thing we call life!

 

 

 

#printersolstice is an Instagram-based campaign designed to build community and spread creativity and inspiration via printmaking during the winter solstice. It is hosted by Susana McDonnell of @linocaveprints and Mindy Schumacher of @follysomeprints. It is sponsored by @speedball_art and @im_printed

 

Thank you for joining along and printing with us during this #printersolstice . You are welcome to interpret the prompts any way you like but here are some of our musings to get the ideas flowing:

 

1. Noir – At this, the darkest time of year for many, we welcome a look into all that is noir; dark, stark and existential.
2. New Beginnings – The celebration of the new year marks a time for a fresh start. How will you begin again? Will you resolve to start something new or put away something old?
3. Crystalization – As ice and snow set in, the world freezes, how do your creative ideas crystalize, form and come to fruition? Perhaps this is an opportunity to research crystalline structure and learn about its magic. Why do snowflakes, geodes and light refracted through glass never fail to amaze and dazzle?
4. Color Story – Let’s play with color! How does it affect and influence your work or do you even use it at all? How does printing the same thing in different colors change the very nature of it?
5. It’s All in the Details – Here we celebrate all of the little things that make our work special. Whether your artwork is very detailed or it’s the little things you do to go the extra mile in your practice, let us know how you rock the details.
6. This Too Shall Pass – If you’ve made it around to see another solstice, it likely means that you have passed through some uncomfortable and difficult moments in your life. From feeling trapped in the quagmire of hardship to the clarity of hindsight, how do you come to terms with tough times? Does your art reflect on those experiences or provide a space to get away from them?
7. Our Natural World – Let’s celebrate the beauty presented to us every day; animal, vegetable, mineral, sky and stars, there is no shortage of inspiration around us.
8. Low Hanging Fruit – Fess up, you’ve picked it, it’s ripe, it’s sweet and you won’t break your neck falling out of a tree to get it. What’s your favorite tried and true artistic answer that has also been tried by oh-so many others?
9. Oh, the Humanity – We’re a complex bunch, for better or worse. Whether it’s the human form, human emotions or human ingenuity, let’s explore what makes us human, in greatness or frailty.
10. Balancing Act - How does the element of balance play into your design process? Or perhaps you’ve heard this question: How do you do it all? Tell us about how you carve out time for art amongst the multitude of life’s demands.
11. Ratios - A time to explore multiples and gradients, symmetry and proportion, and a chance to geek out on mathematics through art a la Da Vinci.
12. Spring is Springing - In like a lion and out like a lamb. And it’s about time. It’s a waiting game, isn’t it? The anticipation, the grandeur and slow progression of regeneration. Alongside the beauty coming forth are the excruciating pangs of practicing patience.

Rules for #psx2020 Print Exchange

Who doesn’t love a print exchange? You can enter throughout the course of #printersolstice , just add the hashtag #psx2020 to any of your submissions that can be printed on a piece of paper 9” x 12”/22.5 x 30.5 cm or smaller. Mindy @follysomeprints and Susana @linocaveprints will select 20 pieces from the #psx2020 hashtag and each participant will be asked to create a unique edition of 26 prints for the exchange. Mindy and Susana will also each submit a print to the exchange. Each exchange participant will receive a set of 22 prints as will Alice @im_printed and @speedball_art . The last two sets of of prints will be auctioned off for charity, one set on @linocaveprints account and one set on @follysomeprints account. That means that printmakers and non-printmakers alike have the option to give to a good cause and enjoy the magic of receiving a set of prints! Winners from each auction will furnish a receipt of a donation in the USD amount of their winning bid dated after the day of the auction closing to an organization rated B or above by charitywatch.org , and please, let’s keep things neutral, no politics, religion or Kickstarter/GoFundMe.

 

That is all for now, we welcome any questions as we go along and look forward to the kick off coming oh so soon!