On Your Mark – Get Set – Print! – K Artisan Center Features Printmaking Techniques in July

During the month of July the Kentucky Artisan Center will present demonstrations by four Kentucky printmakers who will show visitors an array of print techniques and printing processes.

Beginning on July 1, Steve Wiggins, of Lexington, will demonstrate how he cuts linoleum blocks to create relief images. He will then print these images onto paper and fabric using a small tabletop press. Wiggins has been drawing since he was a child and worked with acrylics and oils before settling on printmaking.

On Saturday, July 8, Elizabeth Foley, of Louisville, will demonstrate how she creates and prints her one-of-a-kind monotypes from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Kentucky Artisan Center. Foley taught art at the Sayre School in Lexington for 20 years and she exhibits her artwork throughout the U. S.

On Saturday, July 8, the Kentucky Artisan Center will offer visitors free guided tours through the center’s gallery exhibit, “225: Artists Celebrate Kentucky’s History” and in the lobby, “Agates: Kentucky’s Jewels.” Tours are at 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. and include a tour of the Center’s outdoor sand sculpture “The Sands of Time,” with information on its construction by artist Damon Farmer.

On Saturday, July 15, three members of the Berea Welcome Center Carvers will demonstrate a variety of woodcarving styles and techniques from 10:30 to 3:30 at the Center.

On Saturday, July 22, printmaker Nick Baute, co-owner of Hound Dog Press, a full service letterpress shop in Louisville, will demonstrate printmaking from 10:30 to 3:30 at the Center.

In operation since 2008, Hound Dog Press specializes in custom invitations, greeting cards, stationery, posters, art prints and design. All the press’s finished works are printed on vintage letterpress equipment with handset metal and wood letters used for printed type. All of their illustrations are made by hand carving wood and linoleum blocks.

On Saturday, July 29, artist Marta Dorton, of Lexington, will demonstrate collograph printmaking techniques from 10:30 to 3:30 at the Center.

Dorton states, “After 10 years of printmaking, I still marvel at the surprise on the paper as I pull off the print. I apply ink or paint onto the plate I have created – and run it through the press, each time creating a one-of-a-kind print. I love the planned and the unexpected outcomes.”

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is located at 200 Artisan Way, just off Interstate 75 at Berea Exit 77. The center’s exhibits, shopping and travel information areas are open daily, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information about center events call 859-985-5448, go to the center’s website, or visit the center’s Facebook page.