New Year.  Out with the old; in with the new.   Recently I came across a very unusual take on this idea via a blog post called Leftovers.  The idea is to take 14 small pieces of unused printmaking paper and make an edition of prints for an exchange. Why waste expensive printmaking paper, right?  So being the thrifty person that I am, I signed up.   Well, I decided to take the term “leftover” very seriously.  Not only did I use up small pieces of paper but leftover ink that I mixed, pieces from used linoleum blocks, etc.  I went wild.

So what is the point besides being thrifty?  Complete freedom.  Because I wasn’t working  toward craft show production, I let go completely.   It was if I was also cleaning out my mind.  The result of all of this:  I discovered a new method for making prints that I never would have stumbled upon had it not been for this wonderful challenge.   Quite unplanned, there is a feeling in the prints that I made (pictured) that mimicked the attitude I had and I decided to call the edition “Busting Loose”.   And for any printmakers out there; they are still looking for more participants. So far, I am the only Pennsylvania printmaker.

What bits of materials do you have laying around your work space that you have hung onto for whatever reason?  Why not take a few hours and use them up and see what you teach yourself?

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