Stevens 470 Spends the Weekend Printmaking

This past Valentine’s weekend, the team at Stevens 470 attended a printmaking workshop at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence. Our workshop was titled “Monotypes with Mixed Media” and was conducted by Lynn Peterfreund. For a group of designers that spend most of their days working on computers it was inspiring to explore design and express ourselves through a more hands on art experience.
 

Monotypes are a looser and more spontaneous form of printmaking, so it was a great way to get started with, or revisit, printmaking. All of us have an art background and miss the days of getting our hands dirty. After our introduction to materials and processes, we began creating our own prints and exploring ideas.
 
Since I recently acquired an etching press (which is kept here at Stevens 470), taking a workshop together was the perfect way to learn all the ins and outs of using an etching press, including: how to handle inks and rollers, how to mix colors, how to soak and prepare paper, etc.
 
Our teacher, Lynn Peterfreund, did a great job teaching us lots of technical aspects as well as helping us evaluate our prints from an aesthetic standpoint. She really encouraged each of us to try new things and to not be intimidated by process or imagery. Thanks Lynn!
 

Liz Chaflin, the owner of Zea Mays, has created a wonderful printmaking studio that allowed us to jump right in. Everything we needed was available and we each had our own work station. As you can see from the photos, it was an open and inviting space that let us be creative and gave opportunity to explore.
 

www.zeamaysprintmaking.com