I’ve been printmaking for over two years, and it has quickly become one of my favorite mediums. Bringing my graphic design background into such a hands-on process has been incredibly rewarding. It’s a true labor of love that’s taught me to enjoy the process, stay open to unexpected changes instead of sticking to one vision, and put real craft and care into every piece.
My printmaking experience includes linoleum printing, intaglio, screen printing, letterpress, cyanotype, laser-cut wood and more. I love to experiment with different techniques, and each one of them has helped me explore new styles!
① Lace Cut
A 5x7 inch print from an edition of 12. This piece is a three layer print. I designed the composition digitally, laser-cut it into wood, and printed each layer separately in pink, brown, and black. The guiding prompt for this print was “reinvention,” and I created it specifically for my portfolio to reflect the stage I’m in now as a creative.
② Entre la Tierra y las Estrellas
An 18x24 inch print from an edition of 12. This piece is a four layer reductive relief print. I drew the design on Photoshop and transferred the image onto the block using wintergreen oil. After each layer was printed, I carved the block further and repeated the process until all four layers were complete.
The title, meaning “Between the Earth and the Stars,” references the jaguar’s ability to move between the physical and spiritual realm in Mayan mythology. This project is intended to exist as a paired print, one prin (in yellow and green) represents the physical world (la Tierra), while the other (in silver and blue) represents the cosmic and spiritual real (las Estrellas). Together, these prints depict the jaguar as a transcendent figure that exists within both realms.
③ Grieving Cowboy
A print combining linoleum and letterpress. I digitally designed the main image and transferred it onto the linoleum block using wintergreen oil before carving out the small details by hand. The phrase “the grief is never ending, but so is the love” has stayed with me since the moment I first read it. Using 12 pt Hellenic Wide, I set the type and positioned it beneath the main image. There is a tenderness in the cowboy reaching out to his horse. As viewers, we do not know the difficulties he may be facing, yet he continues with his responsibilites and still shows care and gentleness.
At the time I made this print, I had recently lost a close family member and was personally working through the overwhelming feeling of grief. Creating this piece became an outlet and a reminder that grief is evidence of love, and that love continues even in its absence.
④ On The Trunk Of An Olive Tree
A 12x18 inch print from an edition of 20, titled after Tawfiq Zayyad’s poem On The Trunk Of An Olive Tree. The poem speaks on the act of carving one’s story into the land as a form of resistance and remembrance. This is a jigsaw linoleum print designed digitally and transferred onto the block using wintergreen oil. The carving was especially medidative when working through the keffiyeh pattern. The original 18x24 inch block was cut into three parts: the keffiyeh background, the olive branch, and the excerpt from the poem. Each section was inked and printed separately before being reassembled and printed as a single image.