I recently visited the Text and conText Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Hillman Library, where I met artist Sydney DuBose (above).
Sydney is an improv comedy artist in the Pittsburgh area who works at the Text and conText Lab. She was making New Year's prints on the lab's historic Columbian printing press.
Sydney kindly showed me step-by-step how she inked the linoleum block, laid a piece of paper on top, then used the printing press to transfer the print to the paper.
She even let me operate the antique machine!
Sydney designed her art with a pencil sketch on paper, then transferred the design to a linoleum block, and carved the design using linoleum cutters like the one shown below.
Here's a look at the carved linoleum block with gold ink applied to it, ready for printing. The numbers had to be carved in reverse for the design to read correctly on the final print.
Here's the final print in gold ink on black paper.
Visiting the Text and conText Lab gave me that flush of inspiration you get when you see where other artists work. Seeing a studio space, the tools, examples of artworks, and art in action, sparked new ideas for me.
If you're in a creative lull, or you just would like to have sparkly new ideas pop into your head, I recommend visiting the Text and conText Lab in Hillman Library. If you're not in the Pittsburgh area, is there a creative place you've been meaning to visit -- an art gallery, art school, theater or museum?
I hope you take the time to take yourself on an "art date" to a place like the studio where I met the kind and talented Sydney DuBose.
If you'd like to learn more about Sydney, you can follow her socials
@sydneydcomedy
The press Sydney was using was designed in the United States and built in England in the 1800's. You can read more about it here:
Many thanks to Sydney DuBose and the staff at Univ. of Pittsburgh's Text and conText Lab.
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