Karina's Nature LinoPrints

About Karina's Nature Lino Prints

Karina is an artist by trade now for 15 years: 13 of which she has been a professional wood sculptor. She has always enjoyed textures, shapes and colors of every sort and is now expanding her enjoyment to include two-dimensional work. Her enjoyment of nature extends to her newest works in the forms of trees, mountains, animals, plants and even insects.

Karina is presently experimenting with the different techniques of linoprinting. One of these techniques is called "accumulative" printing. Another is "reductive" printing. Accumulative printing uses several carved blocks to create a piece. The blocks can be printed innumerable times for unlimited pieces. Karina has also discovered that she enjoys mixing and matching sets of blocks to create original, almost painting-like landscapes.

Reduction type printing uses only one block that is carved in a simple design that is printed and then carved again to achieve more detail and printed again. The block is carved several times until the block is "reduced" to practically nothing. The result is a limited series of original prints. The colors that she utilizes are vibrant and always mixed herself.

Karina chooses a subject, sketches the design and stylizes it. She then decides the size and shape she would like. Linoleum comes in sheets and must be mounted to a firm backing. She does this herself using an adhesive and particleboard. It is then cut to size. The design is then transformed to the linoleum block. The engraving process utilizes a variety of cutting tools that create different effects and details. Some are hand tools and some, to her pleasant surprise, are her woodcarving tools (this part of her work is a nice transition from her woodworking abilities). She then begins the printing process accordingly.