In the Studio with Bowerbox Press

It seems like there's always a deadline looming for Bowerbox Press. This year we've had multiple print exchanges, the American Craft Council show, and the Baltimore Museum of Art Print Fair. But, that deadline seems to make working easier (if sleeping impossible.) It helps to have a little extra push, otherwise it'd be so easy to eat up all the spare time (spare time- ha!) reading, cooking, or gardening. It's hard to work a full-time job and then come home and be creative, but having a project that *has to be done* makes the work come easier most of the time. The latest deadline was for the BMA Print Fair, which was more of a self-imposed deadline as I decided that what was really needed was a companion print to the Raven of last year. So I bought another plank of aspen, sanded it, and started carving- less than two weeks before the show!

I find that it's easier for me to work in stages- I'll start with the border, or the text- carve all that out roughly, and then go back with the small and extremely sharp Japanese carving tools. They're like samurai swords in sharpness. I always have a little fear of starting to carve the bird itself, but once I start I get lost in the carving and just GO. And, a few days later, it's ready to start printing!

Written by Bowerbox Press