Black Heart Press

Helsinki Moments

The amazing CBH is still visiting BHP, and we’re dilligently working on our upcoming edition. Nothing much to write, just a whole lot of drypointing and proofing going on. See pictures.
Now that I’ve refilled my Sodium Hydroxide supplies there’ll also be a lot of steelfacing over the next few days, so stayed tuned for More News from Nowhere Helsinki.

Further reading:

I had to, kinda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MajmI5j7Bs

Recently recommended to me, kinda into it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krGDNbT4CSE

Drypoint dedication

It’s finally some kind of spring in Helsinki, and the amazing Christian Bazant-Hegemark is back in town for a week of excessive printmaking. We started with day off, I took my students to Rastila Beach to celebrate the end of the term with a campfire and night swimming in the sea. 
Christian was having none of my day off shenanigans and took some plates to the beach..

Without further ado: en plein air drypoint videography.
Oh yeah

Further reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9hEpDz4ik
or 8hz higher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThiSqefRAzY

The etchings of JANOSCH

If you grew up in Germany sometime within the last 55 years, it’s impossible to not know Janosch, or his creations, the bear and the tiger, the tiger-duck, Popov, Antek Pistol, so many wonderfully odd figures.
A couple of years ago I discovered, much to my surprise, that Janosch didn’t only illustrate just about everything, no, he also makes etchings.

I’m still not sure where exactly they are printed, but I like them nevertheless. They are maybe not high brow printmaking, but done wonderfully - one can see that in this case artist and medium clicked right away. Posting these now because I finally found some proper resolution images online here. (Follow this link for details to the etchings pictured above.
Oh Janosch..

Anyway, enjoy enjoy.

Further reading:

Popov learns to fly (in German):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjqcmlSPGwY

Schnuddel builds a house in the clouds: (in German)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9IepyUz3zk

Der Maulwurf und die Grille:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Gh8AjFVTg

Patrick Wagner
The Last Graveyards (detail scans)
etching and chine-collé on cream Hahnemühle paper
Helsinki 2013

Probably the worst tipped hat made to Ad Reinhardt’s Last Paintings ever, these scans show details from three of the (for now) final Graveyard Prints I’ve made. 
Etched copper plates, printed with white ink on black Ingres paper, chine-collé together with assorted Asian papers on cream / very off-white Hahnemühle paper.

For the upcoming final exhibition I’ve printed the largest format Graveyard Prints so far, sheet size 170x125cm, with more than 100 small plates per print, all plates ofc with their own little collé paper. (A tiny insight here: http://kuvankevat.fi/blogi/patrick-wagner)

While I love working on those plates and printing chine-collé <3, I have to admit that by now I’m pretty exhausted by the subject matter (as hinted at in my last post about it, from this January), or rather: my interpretation thereof. So for now taking a break from mementoing mori.

Anyway, enjoy! 

Further reading:

Junip - Line of Fire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSaDElz7wSI

and part 2:

Junip - Your Life Your Call:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvKXVoAXmg

Bubonic Plates

Also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEeuHmDZQv8

BlinG
Photogravure, 30x40cm
Gampi on Hahnemühle
Helsinki 2012
by Valerie Schmidt & Patrick Wagner

BlinG is the alias of British player Samayan Kay, playing for Team Dignitas. The photos were taken backstage at the ASUS ROG Assembly Winter 2012 tournament in Helsinki.
Valerie chose to arrange 4 shots for this photogravure, an idea that I was initally sceptic about, but really grew to love during plate making and proofing.

BlinG @ Liquipedia:
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/BlinG

Previous posts:
sLiko
TitaN
TLO aka TheLittleOne

For more about PROGAMER, the photogravure project we’ve been working on last year - see posts here, here, here and here.

Further reading:

Samayan messing with your stereotypes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9FSiB7ZooY

Master of the Banderoles

The MotB is thought to be a dutch engraver active around the ~1464. Little is known about him, so not much for me to write here. 

Pictured above the Wheel of Fortune on the left, with a blindfolded Fortuna turning the wheel - at the highest point of the wheel one is a king, at the lowest the fall into the open grave.
On the right there is a Tree of Life growing out of a boat, its stem is being gnawed at by possums and Death below with his bow, picking from all layers of society.

Further reading:

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi (Carmina Burana):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQrLpD12rfY

Swedish reinterpretation of the Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTqHBjryIAw

Printshop Impressions

Some mixed Charbonnel inks; my Lundhags boots under the Sjöström press; a panorama photograph of 96 intaglio plates with skeleton etchings and 96 chine-collé papers in plate shape held down by 96 one, two or five cent coins.

Further reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E8sjZdAPuw
(Pinch & Shakleton - Burning Blood)

sLivko
Photogravure, 30x40cm
Gampi on Hahnemühle
Helsinki 2013
by Valerie Schmidt & Patrick Wagner

sLivko is the alias of Russian player Artem Garavtsov, who back then played for team RoX, now Virtus.pro. We photographed him at the Dreamhack Eizo Open tournament held in Globen, Stockholm last April.
Love his seriousness.

A scan from PROGAMER, the photogravure project I’ve been working on last year together with Valerie (see posts here, here, here and here)

And yes, that likkle bright spot on the right, shows how sensitive the autotype paper is - faintest trace of grease on the exposure unit’s glass..

Here’s a no-so-recent game of sLivko, cast by Husky:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlDg9KFdj84

Liquipedia::
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/SLivko

Further reading:

Planetary Assault Systems - Flat Tire:
http://youtu.be/gTnqIhDsFcg (so good)

PRINTMAKING UNDERGROUND

aka selected illustrations from Mundus Subterraneus by Athanasius Kircher, famous for being “The Last Renaissance Man”. 
Inspired by the rumbling of an earthquake and his study trip to the Vesuv in 1638 Kircher wrote Mundus Subterraneus, in which he speculated that the tide was created by water moving to a large, underwater ocean. (ONE PIECE fans know what’s up!).
Pictured are various underground illustrations, vulcanic systems, metal veins and, as a bonus, a detailed map of the sun: one fiery ocean of fire.

Flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/odisea2008/sets/72157607766762844/with/2915985103/

Further reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80AQW6zqP9E
Tom says how it is. Just like Italo Calvino described it in “Invisible Cities”