Did I forget something?? Modern Cafe & Old Heinz Factory Logo

I was just going back through older posts while looking for an image that I could use as a hyperlink for something I was doing online.  I couldn't find what I was looking for on here and was kinda surprised.  I've posted so much artwork here over the past couple years that apparently when I really got into actively posting I forgot to add the pieces that really made me take off with reduction linocut.

Heinz Company Neon Logo - 8x10 - 3 Color Reduction

This is my first ever reduction print.  I made while taking a class at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.  Originally these pieces were only supposed to be 2 color, but I just couldn't come up with anything that I wanted to do.  After researching reduction artists and discovering some fantastic and inspiring work I decided that this would be my subject matter.

I really fell in love with this process and wanted to create pieces that were considerably larger and more detailed with additional colors.  I purchased an 18x24 piece of mounted linoleum for my next piece and started travelling through Pittsburgh's different neighborhoods looking for the perfect sign.  I found the sign I was looking for on Western Avenue located on the North Side of Pittsburgh.

Modern Cafe - 18x24 - 6 Color Reduction

The Modern Cafe is a small restaurant/bar located at the corner of Western Ave & Galveston Ave.  It was an extremely cold and bright sunny January morning the day I went looking for signs.  I knew the sun was perfect that day, but didn't know what I was going to find.  The way that the sun shown on this sign was perfect.  I probably took about 30+ shots of the sign before the cold really started to get to me...I wasn't wearing gloves and the temps were in the single digits...I said it was cold.

My only disappointment with this piece was that out of 6 prints only 1 is perfectly registered.  I've learned that had less to do with my carving and more with the registration pegs used.  They were rather loose and allowed for a good bit of movement.  The pegs I now use at home are very tight and don't move around at all which explains some of my fantastic registration I've had as of late.

The class that I took was basically a survey course of various styles of printmaking.  I didn't have any experience in any techniques so I figured that if I was ever going to get a job as an art teacher I would need to expand my knowledge.  Below are 2 examples of other printmaking techniques that I learned.

   

8x10(s) Colograph Plate (right), Colograph Print (center), Drypoint Print (Baltimore)