Thank you, to all of you who came to my block printing workshop this Sunday at Craft in America Center in Beverly Hills, CA. With considerable talent and power of concentration in our group, everyone got to transfer their designs to the linoleum block, carve out the printing block, and print, within 3 hours!
Handcraft work is not only artistically rewarding, but it does something positive to our mind and body. One participant came late to the workshop, because of the torrential downpour and accidents on the freeways, telling me how exhausted and stressed she was. But as she progressed with her work, and especially when she began carving the intricate designs, her tensions seemed to melt away. I gave her a magna visor to try out, to carve out the most fine details of bird legs. Once she she put that on, it seemed she found her own pace, her own world. She worked intently for the rest of the workshop and created a beautiful blockprint.
Many special thanks to Sebastian, Emily, and everyone at the Center and especially Carol Sauvion, the proprietor of Free Hand, potter, and the visionary producer of the documentary series "Craft in America". You all inspire us to do better work!