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

LA VS StP in HEL

I have a couple of favourite spots in Helsinki, and one of them is pictured above - I walk past it every morning: a curious meeting between Catman and Priboy.
I like it because it reminds me of the time the amazing Priboy was visiting Helsinki, crashing at my place, and within seconds of entering my appartment for the first time spotted some Catman stickers on my kitchen table and exclaimed “Oh, Camilla!”
You guys totally need to hook up and exchange stickers.

My only weakness is a listed crime 
My only weakness is … well, never mind, never mind
Oh, street artists of the world
Unite and take over

If St. Petersburg, Tel Aviv and Los Angeles are kinda far away, a walk through Helsinki might take you to all these places, street art wise. 

Further reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ_94PJHaGI

Alternatively:
THE SHAPKA 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La1qNWi4LjQ

THIS IS LOS ANGELES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utsHQy3ywS8

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

Final Exhibition Blues

Printeresting is running (or planning to) a feature on final exhibitons all over the place. I’d love to participate from Helsinki, where Riku Mäkinen, Diana Soria Hernandez and yours truly showed prints - but too lazy and incompetent when it comes to documentation photography, and it’ll probably take months for official school photos to be released.

So instead showing: 
- photo of my socks + matching rose I got on exhibition evening
- photo of NOFU on my right hand, curtesy of Priboy
- photo of yours truly and the amazing Kalle Ceder. Also a copious amount of green balloons.
- terrible photo of my prints, on exhibition in FAFA gallery, until June 2nd. Sheet in the middle is 184x125cm.

*(I spent most of the time prior to the exhibition working, most of the opening events partying and the days after the opening I was busy with coke withdrawal symptoms. All in all 2 good years. I’d say.)

Further reading:

Riku!
http://rikumakinen.net/Site/Riku_Makinen.html

I wasn’t there when you made it, but I feel like I’m there when I’m looking at it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfVDLw237IM

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

sineadcahill:

Lithograph on fabric and paper, embroidery, velcro

detail from The Life of the White Dog (4500 Worth Street)

Saol an mhadaidh bháin
Proper printmaking badges have to be printed and embroidered, ofc. Sinéad Cahill showing how it’s done.

I liked the title of this work and did some reading about it. Reminded me of a friend who, one day in Bucharest, told me of a saying her brothers had to celebrate the good moments, and it was “living the life of the destiny”.
Obviously bad grammar, but it kinda stuck with me. I have on various occasions confused random groups of friends on strangers by exclaiming “this is the life of the destiny”.

Further reading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CTBnqvJKdM
(DAS SYNTHIE MODUL - NEUTRALMASSE)

diehler:

Australian Printmaking - featuring Peter Lancaster of Lancaster Press

Brought to my attention by the lovely Jade, wife of one of my PTP classmates, Adrian who hail from Melbourne, Australia. 

Even more lithography video goodness happening today!
This time curtesy of Emily, your #1 source for all things roller conditioning wise. Also featuring a photo of Helsinki Litho’s (Litho from Hel) very own Valpuri ;)

Further reading:

Bruce, brought to you by MPFC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f_p0CgPeyA

Australasia, brought to you by Pelican:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LarwAMC_lNE

Video Stone Lithography Time!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?
If you’re not into litho (why not?) then the video is still fun to watch for the accent alone. Printing done by Alastair Clark.
From the Edinburgh Printmakers, btw.

Further reading:

Some English (not Scottish, I know, and I’m so very sorry.. not) music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27uvVtCTiWc
(someone enlighten me about Scottish music, yes?)

erikkwakkel:

Chained library Zutphen

I took these pictures during a visit to the chained library of Zutphen, in the east of the Netherlands (May 3rd, 2013). It is one of three such libraries still in existence. More info:

http://www.librije-zutphen.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=14&Itemid=111

Dearest BHP followers, you must, when done adoring this chained library, go and follow this tumblr, for scholarly medieval goodness out of libraries, chained or not, printed or hand written.

Also: TGIF <3 Done with work in the printshop in Tampere, finally time to spend the weekend working on more print related stuff in Helsinki. It never ends ;)

Anyway. Go go follow Erik!

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