Mel Kendrick
Many sculptors make prints. Mel Kendrick calls his prints "drawings in wood." He stays close to the materials and tools of sculpture, drawing with a saw to create a two dimensional image.
In these immense prints for Graphicstudio, Kendrick uses the most basic of all printmaking techniques, the direct relief print in wood. At a lumberyard, he chose raw sheets of plywood whose natural patterns and textures attracted him. In the studio, with a skillsaw, he cut out shapes and inserted different kinds of wood. Ink was applied to the entire surface with rollers, and then large sheets of translucent but very durable Japanese paper were placed over it. The printing was accomplished by hand, by printers painstakingly rubbing the back of the print to press the ink into its surface. With this method, every distinctive marking of the wood, every nuance of the printer's movement, every accident of the making of the block and of the printing, is made visible.
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Copyright and Reproduction
The electronic images available on this site are subject to copyright and may be covered by other restrictions as well. The images are made available to the general public as a representation of work produced at USF Graphicstudio. Copy or redistribution in any manner for commercial use is not permitted. Anyone wishing to use any of these images for commercial use, publication, or for any purpose other than personal fair use must first request and receive prior written permission from the University of South Florida Institute for Research in Art. Please contact Director of Marketing and Sales Kristin Soderqvist at 813.974.5871 for more information.
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