I've been doing a lot of dreaming and longing recently...and the object of my heart's desire is not what you might expect, but is something which means a lot to me. So the time has come and instead of dreaming I have come up with a plan of action...it is my 12 step plan for 2013. Starting now.
'Prints for Press' is the working title for this project which will help me get together with a wonderful, gorgeously large and beautifully engineered fabulously heart-stopping Brand New Etching Press. Just so you know what I'm blithering on about, I'm going to run these little beauties by you.
The first up is this honey-pot press from http://www.ironbridgeframing.co.uk/printing-presses-for-sale . It is a Gunning etching press, the studio #2 which comes in at a hefty A2 (still portable? only if you're stronger than me!!!). I love it. I really do. Sigh.
Now you'd be right thinking that etching presses are pricey petals and even my trusty Polymetaal baby etching press will set you back enough to make you blink. These A2 presses, great for home studios, large enough for substantial work but small enough not to need a new extension, are the most price friendly of the bigger presses. A press this size will serve me well enough, alongside my old faithful, for all the years to come - should I ever need a larger press then I would happily head on into the studios at Birmingham Printmakers. No, the A2 is the size I long for. The Gunning press comes in at £1322, and that's without the stand!
Next up is this one from the Dutch company, Polymetaal - available in the U.K. through intaglioprintmaker.com , coming in at £1,400 - again, without the stand. The stands are desirable, but I think a custom wooden stand might be preferable , built with my own shelf needs etc and that's where my lovely husband starts thinking, ok, so that's your birthday sorted!
There is another option (somewhat cheaper), but to be honest I'm really aiming for one of these two. So I'll leave it at that. Now my dreams are revealed - how am I going to achieve them?
Twelve Steps of Prints for Press
It's simple really - I'm carving a special series of linocuts, in small limited editions, to raise the money. I will offer these once a month (aha! 12 see?!) at a very special price for a limited period through Facebook (one or two nights), then they will go onto my Folksy shop at full price. All the money raised from this series will be set aside for the press. Prints for Press. Simple. I have started carving the first block of a 2 block print and will launch the project fully in a fortnight. Am excited. It feels good to save up for something special doesn't it. :) I will let people know about the print and the forthcoming special price nights a few days beforehand through Facebook. If you see it and share it to help get this little plan off the ground, then a big thank you from me. :)
There is a theme to the prints, a loose one, but a theme nonetheless. I think I might do an extra little give-away to the first person to guess correctly once I've launched the project properly on Facebook. More news soon. Very soon.
Right, am off to finish carving the first one! But not before I've made a large mug of something hot to keep the fingers warm in this cold cold weather. Brrrrr.
