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NicholasWilton: Hey,everyone.It'sNicholasWilton,andI'mhereinAmyTorgeson'sstudioandwe'redivinginto...Amy'sacollageartistandprintmaker,andwe'redivingintoalltheinsandoutsofblockprinting,monoprinting,silkscreening,andboy,there'salothere,sowe'rejustgoingtogetgoing,becauseI'mafraidwecan'tcoverallthis.There'ssomanypossibilities.Whenyoucomeintoyourstudio,formeit'slike,"Howdidyoudothis?Howdidyoumakethat?"Howdowestartthisthing?

AmyTorgeson: Wecanstartbytalkingaboutblockprinting,whichisareallyeasythingtodoathomebecausethetoolsarereallyaccessible,itcleansupreallyeasily,andblockprintingorreliefprintingisbasicallywhereyou'recarvingintoeitherawoodenblock,linoleum,whichisstiffer,ortheserubberblocks.

NicholasWilton: Andwhat'scoolaboutthisisthatthiscanintegrateinwithyourpaintingorwhatever.

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

NicholasWilton: Thisisjustanadd-on.

AmyTorgeson: Youcantakethisblockand,withtherightink,justputitrightontoaboardthatyou'reworkingon.Thisworkswithclay,thisworkswithpaper.

NicholasWilton: Andthisisarubber-

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

NicholasWilton: Justabitofrubberthat-

AmyTorgeson: Iactuallysavedmystickyhere.ThisisaSpeedy-CarveSpeedball,andit'sjustareallyeasyentrypointintoblockprinting,becauseit'snotdifficulttocarve.Therearesomethatareeveneasiertocarve,buttheytendtocrumblealittlebitsoIlikethisparticular-

NicholasWilton: Canyougetbiggersizes?

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AmyTorgeson: Youcangetitinalldifferentkindsofsizes,yeah.Ijusttendtostartwiththefourbysix,butoneofthethingsthat'sindicativeofblockprintingaretheseextralinesthatyousee,becauseyou'recarvingaway,youcanseeinthis[crosstalk00:02:08]image,you'reremovingthenegativespace,basically,andleavingwhat'sgoingtobeprinted.

AmyTorgeson: Butstylistically,andthisiscompletelyuptotheperson,howmuchstraymarksyouleaveisuptoyou.Soyou'llseepeoplewhocompletelycutaroundtheitemandsoitbecomesmoreofastamp,oryou'llseewhereyou'vegotmoreofthemarkings.

NicholasWilton: Right,right.Whereit'scarvedout.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Thisisjustonanenvelope,butifyouseesomethinglikethisandyouseethesestraymarks,it'sanindicationtoyou,"Oh,thiswasprobablyblockprinted."

NicholasWilton: WhatIthink'ssocoolaboutitis,andIdon'tknowwhythisislikethis,butthere'sanimmediacyaboutit,thatit'sjustnotfussy.

AmyTorgeson: Notfussy,yeah.

NicholasWilton: It'sjustlike,boom,andit'sgone,andthat'swhatistheappeal.IfIwastopaintthosegreen...Itjustdoesn'thavethesamething.Wejustfeelthatthere'sjusttwothingshappeninghere.It'slike,boom,boom.

AmyTorgeson: There'sautilitytoit,right?

NicholasWilton: Yeah,Ilovethat.

AmyTorgeson: Icanjustputthison,andthisgreenshapecanjustbethebackoftheblockandthefrontoftheblockcanbethecarving,soyou'vejustgotbothsides.

NicholasWilton: Oh,Isee.Interesting.

AmyTorgeson: Soprettybasicsteps.Youcantakeanimagefromyoursketchbookoryoucangrabsourcematerialfromamagazineandtraceit,butIalwaysstartwithapieceoftracingpaper,andItracethesizeofmyblockonthetracingpaperjustsoIknowhowmuchspaceI'mworkingwith.

NicholasWilton: It'slikeyou'recropping.Yeah,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.SonowIknow,okay,thisismyworkarea,andIoftenuseveryabstractshapes.ThishappenedtobetuftsofsnowthatIsawthatIthenjust...Whatever.Doesn'tneedtobe...ThenIcangrabwhatevershapeI'mlookingforandtraceit,tracemyshapeshere.Then,becausewhen

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you'reprinting,whenyou'reputtingitdownit'sgoingtobebackwards,butthenwhenyou'reprintingagainyou'reflippingitover.

NicholasWilton: Sotheyendupwiththat-

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

NicholasWilton: Isee,okay.Thatmakessense,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: That'swhythetracingpaper'sreallyhelpful.Youcangorighttotheblock,butlet'ssayyou'redoingtext.Thetextwouldneedtobebackwards.

NicholasWilton: It'llbebackwards,yeah.Soifyoudrawitandthentraceit,yeah,okay.

AmyTorgeson: It'sjustalittlebitofahelp,butifyouwanttogostraighttotheblockandjusthavetothinkthroughthatreversalpiece.Soyouburnishthepencildrawingwithyourfingernailorsomeimplement,andthenit'sleftonyourblocklikethis,right?

NicholasWilton: Right,right.

AmyTorgeson: Thenwhatyoudecideis,doIwanttocarveawayallofthisspacearoundandonlybeleftwiththesethreeshapesandthenI'mcarvingthewhitespaceinbetween,sowhat'sleftistheraisedarea?Oryoucandothereverse,whichwouldbemoreofaminimalkindoflinedrawing.Youcangetreallysimpletoolsatanyartstore,andit'sactuallyprettymeditative.Ialwaysstartwiththelargerareasaround,andyou'retakingoneofyourbiggertoolsorgaugesanduseonehandtoholditanddon'tputyourhandhere,whichwedooften,andyou'rejustpushingit.Notveryhard.Youdon'thavetogoverydeep.

NicholasWilton: Boy,thiscomesoutsoevenly.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Youcandefinitelydothiswithkids.Andthenjustmovetheblockaround.

NicholasWilton: Wow.

AmyTorgeson: It'sanicemeditativeexercise.Thenyoucanthinkaboutthedirectionthatyoudothesecarvings,becausewhenyouhavethestraymarks-

NicholasWilton: Yeah,that'sgoingtobepartofit.

AmyTorgeson: -ifyoudoithaphazard,thatwillgiveyouacertainlook.Differentartistswillplaythatuporpushitback,dependingonwhatthey'regoingfor.Sometimesthebackgroundreallyisplayingarole.

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AmyTorgeson: Onceyou'vedoneyourcarvingandyoucandecidethatyouwanttokeepitasquareandjustbeveltheedges,soyoulosetheedges-

NicholasWilton: Soyoudon'thaveit,right.Isee.

AmyTorgeson: -oryoucanuseanX-Actoandcutoutyourshape,soit'smorelikeastamp.

NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,right.Andthey'retotallyreusable,you'rejustcreatingthisarsenalofcoolshapes.

AmyTorgeson: Youjustwashthemoff,yeah.Andthensavethecuttings,becausethenthisbecomesaninterestingshapethatyoucanjustprint,orsomethinglikethis.Then,whenyou'rereadytoinkup...Grabthis.I'musingjustbasicwater-basedblockprintingink.ThishappenstobeBlick.ThisisSpeedball.

NicholasWilton: Andit'swater-based,yousaid?

AmyTorgeson: Water-based,sothatmeansit'snotgoingtoworkwithwetmediaonceit'sdry.Itwillrun.I'lltalkaboutwhatyoucanuseifyouwantitpermanent.IjustmixitonthePlexihere.Youtakearubberbrayer,justmixyourcolor.

NicholasWilton: Youjustmixrightonthepalette.

AmyTorgeson: Ido,becauseit'sprettythick.Withthescreenprintingink,I'llmixitincontainersandthenputiton,butwiththisblockprintingink-

NicholasWilton: Andthere'snowaterthatyoumixwithit?

AmyTorgeson: Youcould,butitgetsrunnyprettyquickly.You'relookingforthattackysound.That'stherightconsistency.Thisistoothick,butyougetthis.Sometimesyoucanputaphonebookout,anoldphonebook,andjustputyourexcessink-

NicholasWilton: Oh,andthenturnthepagesand-

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.OrIusuallyhave-

NicholasWilton: That'sfinallyauseforaphonebook.Theydeliverthemstill.

AmyTorgeson: Yes,Iknow.Theydo.

NicholasWilton: It'slike,"Perfect,thankyou."

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AmyTorgeson: OryoucanjusthaveacoupledifferentPlexiplatesoutandsometimesIusuallyjuststartoverifit'sgottentoothick.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,it'sasound.It'slikea...

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.Youlistenforthesound,andthen...

NicholasWilton: Doyouever,asyou'redoingthis,andnowyouseeyou'redrawing,you'relike,"Oh,Igottofixit"?

AmyTorgeson: Absolutely.Youcancarve,print,andthenmakeyourmodifications.Like,"Oh,wait,therearetoomanystraymarksthereforme."

NicholasWilton: Thenyouwashthisoffandthengobackand-

AmyTorgeson: SometimesIjustcarveitevenwiththeinkonit,becauseit'swater-based,soyou'redoingthat.Thenthelightweightpapers,theJapanesepapers,taketheinkreally,reallynicely.

NicholasWilton: Isthisaragpaper?It'sbeautiful.

AmyTorgeson: Youknow,actually,Idon'trememberwhichonethisis.IusetheOkawaraalot,butIaddedthat,soI'dhavetolookitup.Idon'tremember.

NicholasWilton: We'llprovidelinksforthese.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Ialwaysput...Youcould,theoretically,putthepaperontop,butIthinkyouhavealittlemorecontrolwhenyou'reputtingtheblockonhere.You'rejustpressinglightly,andthenyourprint.

NicholasWilton: God,it'sbeautiful.

AmyTorgeson: Andeachtimeyouprint,yougetadifferentsenseof,"Okay,Iwantedmoreinknexttimeormorepressure,"andthenifyouprintonscrappapers,thatcanaddsomevisualinteresttoit.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,andwhatIlove...Thesewouldbecomegreatcollagepapers.Youcouldjustgocrazy.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,definitely.

NicholasWilton: There'ssomething,andIthinkit'sbecausethewaythepaintgoesdown,it'snotbrushedandthere'stheselittlerecessesand-

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Withthisblockprinting,Ithinksometimesthesimpler,boldershapestranslatethebest.Ifyouwanttodomuchmoredetailed

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carvings,sometimesthelinoleumisabettersurfacetoworkonthantherubberblocks.

NicholasWilton: That'sthehardclayone.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Okay.

AmyTorgeson: Then,solet'ssee.Oh,whenI'musingjustlittleabstractshapes,I'vegotmycarvedblockandthenI'vegotmysolid,becauseifIwanttogothroughanddo-

NicholasWilton: Soyoumadetwoofthem?

AmyTorgeson: Imadetwo.

NicholasWilton: Youmadetwo.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,I'vegotmytwo.SoI'vegotmyonecolorthat'sthesolid,andthenI'mdoinganoffsetwiththeline.

NicholasWilton: It'sliterallyoffset.Itdoesn'tregisterquite...Becauseyoucan't,andyoudon'twantthemanyway.

AmyTorgeson: Youcan.Youcan,butI'mjustnotasinterestedinthat.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: Butalotoftimespeople...Ifyouwanttodoamulticolor,thenyoucandowhat'scalledareductionprint,whereeachtimeyouprintyourfirstrunisacertainamountofcarving,thenyougobackandyoucarvemoreanddoyoursecondcolor,oryou'reusingmultipleblocks.

NicholasWilton: Isee.

AmyTorgeson: Andifyou'reusingmultipleblocks,you'regoingtoneedtoregisterthat.

NicholasWilton: Sothey'reintheexactspot.

AmyTorgeson: Exactly.Andthenonceyouhaveyourinkonhere,Ialwaysthink,okay,nowthisiswhereIcangobackand...

NicholasWilton: Ithinkthisisoneofthosethingswhereyouputthematerialsoutandthenyou'vegotallthesematerialsoutandyou'rejustgoingtostartlookingaroundtodostuff.

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AmyTorgeson: Right.OftentimesifI'mdoneandIthink,"Okay,whatdoIwanttousethisfor?"andIstartscrapingacrosshere,orIaddwatertoit,thenyoucantakeyourpaperandpressitrightontotheplateandyou'rejustgettingatexture.

NicholasWilton: Tocreateeightpiecesoftexture.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.Sowecanroll-

NicholasWilton: Oh,mygod.

AmyTorgeson: -justrightontohere.Whoknowswhatthiswilllooklikewhenit'sprinted?AlotoftimesI'lljusttakeoneindividualleaf.Let'ssee.We'rejustgoingtopress...Youcandothiswithanynumberofobjects.

NicholasWilton: God,amazing.Iwouldn'thavethoughtthat.Itfeelssomuchlike-

AmyTorgeson: Andthenitevenprintedonmyscrap.

NicholasWilton: Whatwasthat?

AmyTorgeson: ThiswasmyscrapthatIpressedonthetop.

NicholasWilton: Oh,wow.Yeah,IthinkIlikethatonebetter.Wow.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: It'samazinghowmuchitfeelslikethething.

AmyTorgeson: Mm-hmm(affirmative).SothenIlookhereandI'mlike,"Okay,there'ssomethinginterestinggoingonhere."Right?Justfromtheimpression.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,thisisapalette.

AmyTorgeson: Solet'sseewhathappens.Whoknows?Thismaynottransfer,butthenyougetthis.

NicholasWilton: Wow,beautiful.

AmyTorgeson: Forthemixedmediaartist,justasamethodforjustcreatingcollagepapers,eithercarvingtheblockorusingthePlexi,yeah,youcandrawintoit...

NicholasWilton: I'mjustwonderinghowmuchofthis...

AmyTorgeson: Cool.Lovethat.Youcanplaywith...Icallthisthenoisebehind.Youcanexperimentwithhowmuchinkisgoingtocreate,andthen-

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NicholasWilton: Right,right.Yeah,that'ssocool.

AmyTorgeson: -maybeifyouknewwhatshapeyouwantedtodoyou'dputlessinkdown,sothere'dbelessnoiseontheoutside,right?

NicholasWilton: Yeah,right,right,right.

AmyTorgeson: ButIlikethatlook,too,withitthroughthere.

NicholasWilton: It'samazinghow...Idon'tknowwhyitdoesthat,butIguessitjust...Idon'tknow.Theabsorptionisdoingsomething.That'sverycool.

AmyTorgeson: Sothese,we'vebeenusingthewater-basedinks.Ifyouwanttoworkintoanacrylicpainting,then-

NicholasWilton: Right,soyoudon'twantittorun.Thisislikeawatercolor.This'lljusterode.

AmyTorgeson: Yes,exactly.SothenIwouldusethescreenprintingink,andyou'regoingtodothesamething.ImixthescreenprintinginksinjustTupperware,likethis,andthenItakespoonfulsandputitonthePlexi,rollitoutinthesameway,but-

NicholasWilton: They'rethick,superthick.Samething.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,wecandoonehere.Thedifferenceisthatyou'rebetteroffusingafoambrayerwiththis,becausethescreenprintinginkjustdoesn'treallyadheretotherubber.

NicholasWilton: Oh,right,becauseitdoesn'tabsorbonthere.

AmyTorgeson: Youknowwhat?Ineedyoutojustgrabaspoon.

NicholasWilton: Ijustthinkcuttingthesepiecesout,socool.

AmyTorgeson: Youjustputitonhere,andthenyou'rerollingitoutinthesameway.Sothere'salittlebitmoreofatexturewhenyou'reusingthesefoamrollers,butitdoesn'treallytranslatetowhatyou'reprinting.Youcanusethisontheblockprints,youcanuseit,obviously,onthePlexiinthewaythatwedidit,andyoucangodirectlyontothepainting.Thisisontoscreenprintedmaterialhere.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,youjustcantotallylayer.

AmyTorgeson: Right.

NicholasWilton: Wow.

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AmyTorgeson: Ifyou'reworkinginoil-

NicholasWilton: That'sbeautiful.

AmyTorgeson: -there'sthisCaligoSafeWashReliefInk,sothenyouwouldjustwanttochangeyourinkdependingonifyou'reworkinginoiloracrylic.

NicholasWilton: Butdoesn'toilsticktoacrylic?

AmyTorgeson: Youmeanifyou'redoingoilontop?

NicholasWilton: Yeah.

AmyTorgeson: Yes,youcould...Soifyourfoundationwasacrylic?

NicholasWilton: Yeah,youcouldusetheoilontopofit?

AmyTorgeson: Yes,yes.

NicholasWilton: Isee.

AmyTorgeson: Iguessifyouhadanoilpaintinggoingalreadyandyouwantedtointegrateintoit.

NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,right,right.Doyouhavetocleanthisupwithsolvents?

AmyTorgeson: Justsoapandwater.

NicholasWilton: Sothisisanoil-based...Thisbrand,thisCaligoSafeReliefInk?

AmyTorgeson: Mm-hmm(affirmative).

NicholasWilton: Oh,it'soil-basedandwashable.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.They'recomingoutwithallthesenewproductsthatareoil-basedbutcleanupreallyeasily.

NicholasWilton: Thisisgreat.Now,isthistoxicforyourhandsandstuff?Doyouusegloves?

AmyTorgeson: Idon'tusegloves,butIdon'tuseitasmuchbecauseIdon'tneedthatoption.

NicholasWilton: Anditdoesn'treallyhaveasmell,right?

AmyTorgeson: Alittlebit.Justalittlebit,butnottoobad.Alotofblockprintersliketousethis.Theylikethelookofthatkindof...Thewaytheinkrollson.

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Thewater-basedink,yougetalittlemorevariation,andIactuallypreferthat,soitjustdependsonwhatyou'relookingfor.

NicholasWilton: Andyoumixthiscolorup?

AmyTorgeson: Yes,Imixthiscolor.

NicholasWilton: Withnowater?Youjustwanttokeepitasthickaspossible?

AmyTorgeson: SometimesI'lladdwaterifIwantalittlemoretransparency,andwiththescreenprintingyoucanalsoaddatransparentbasetogiveitalittlemoretransparency.Youcanalsotakeapaintbrushand,whenI'musingthewoodenblocks,Iwouldeitheruseafoamrollerwiththescreenprintingink...Let'ssayI'mworkingonfabricandIdon'twanttousethewater-basedink...Oryoucantakeapaintbrushandpaintiton.It'sjustgoingtogiveyouadifferenttexture.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,thismakesitperfectlyeven.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Ifwelookhere,thisispaintedonablock.Itjustgivesyouadifferenttexture.Sothenwecantalkaboutscreenprinting.Letmegrabthis.

NicholasWilton: ShouldImovethis?

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,youcanmovethat.Withscreenprinting,youcaneitherburnyourownscreensandyoucangetreallysophisticatedandusephotographicimagesandthings,oryoucandosomethingreallylow-techwhereyou'rejustusingshelfpaperandyou'retakinganX-Actoknifeandstencilingouttheshapeyouwant,andthenrollingtheshelfpaperonhereandthenwhatisopenwhereyou'vecarvedwiththeX-Actoknifeiswhatwillprint.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,sothisredistheareas...Thescreenhasbeenfilled.Thescreenisjustmillionsofholes,andtheredhasjustcloggedupalltheholes,soyouputpaintonthis,itwon'tgothroughtheredpart,butitgoesthroughtotheseotherareas.

AmyTorgeson: Yes.Andforthisparticularscreen,Iusedsomeproductsfromtheartstore,reallyeasytoget,andwhatyou'redoingiswiththisscreenfiller,you'retakingasqueegeeandyou're...Onthefrontside,you'reputtingthescreenfilleronsoit'sallred,lettingitdry,thenyou'regoingbackthenextdayandyou'repaintingonyourimagewiththisdrawingfluid,lettingthatdry,andthenyourinseitandjustbyrinsingitinwaterthisgoesaway-

NicholasWilton: Oh,you'rekidding.

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AmyTorgeson: -andleavesyou-

NicholasWilton: Soit'snotaphotographicprocessatall.

AmyTorgeson: Itcanbe,butthisisawaytodoitveryeasily.

NicholasWilton: Isthisnew,thisprocess?

AmyTorgeson: Idon'tknowhowlong.ButifIjustwant...BecauseIcanbekindofimpatient.IfIjustwanttodosomethingandnotworryaboutburningascreen,andalso,thisgivesyou-

NicholasWilton: Howlongdoesthistaketodry,thisstuff?

AmyTorgeson: Aday.

NicholasWilton: Andit'sgoop,mud,andthenit'sonthere,andthenthiswilldissolveitwhereverit'sputonitlater?Soyoucouldcomeinandyoucouldjustbepaintingonitwiththat?

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

NicholasWilton: Ortakestringandlayitonthere.

AmyTorgeson: I'mnotsurehowthestring-

NicholasWilton: Orsomewayof-

AmyTorgeson: Thestringwouldn'tworkwiththis.

NicholasWilton: Youcouldprintonthisstuff.

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

NicholasWilton: Apattern.Youcouldtakewrappingpaperorshelflinerpaperandmakeapatternonitofthis,andthenwhat,youwaithalfanhouranditjustdissolvesit?

AmyTorgeson: Iwouldsayyouneedtoletthisdry.Iwouldgiveitaday.It'sprobablyshorter,andIhavedried-

NicholasWilton: Oh,ithastodry.

AmyTorgeson: Ithastodry.

NicholasWilton: Andthenyoujusttakeitallunderthe-

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AmyTorgeson: Thenyourinseit,yeah.Andwhenyourinseitthiscomesoffandleavesyourmarks.Sowiththis,youcan'tgetreallyprecise.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,it'salittle-

AmyTorgeson: It'salittlechunkyandyou'rejustusingapaintbrush.Yourmostimmediate,low-techversionisusingtheshelfpaper,andyou'reusinganX-Actoandyou'restencilingout-

NicholasWilton: You'recuttingholesinitandjustrunningoverit.

AmyTorgeson: -andthenstickingiton.Thisisyournextstep,whichyoucangettheseproductsreallyeasilyandyoupaintontheimagethatyouwant.

NicholasWilton: Whenyousaytheshelfpaper,areyousayingyougluethepaperonherewithaholeinit?

AmyTorgeson: Youknow,Igettheshelfpaperthathasthestickystufftoit.

NicholasWilton: Oh,soyouhaveablankscreen,youcarveuptheshelfpaperwhichisstickyontheback,andthenyoulayitonhereandthenyou'vegotanopeningandaclosedthingandyoucanjustscreenonit.Oh,I[crosstalk00:21:22]

AmyTorgeson: Now,youcan'tkeepit...Onceyou'redoneprintingandyoucleanyourscreen,youhavetoputyourshelfpaperinthegarbage.It'snotgoingtobesomethingyoucangobacktooverandoveragain.

NicholasWilton: Oh,Isee.Butyoucanreusethescreenagainandagainandagain.

AmyTorgeson: Yes.Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Howmuchisascreenlikethis?Youjustorderthese...ThisisfromBlick.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,that'sprobably$25orsomethinglikethat.

NicholasWilton: Andyoucanuseitoverandoverandoveragain?

AmyTorgeson: Yes.Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Canyouevergetoutthisredstuff?

AmyTorgeson: I'vebeenlesssuccessfulwiththatwiththeseproducts.

NicholasWilton: WiththeSpeedballproducts?

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AmyTorgeson: Yes.Intheoryyoucan,andthereareproductstoremovetheimage,butIhavenotbeenverysuccessful.Ifyouchoosetoburnascreen...ThisoneIhadburnedforme,butI'vedoneplenty-

NicholasWilton: Whenyousay"burn,"aretheyusinglightinalight-sensitive-

AmyTorgeson: Yes,they'reusing...Idon'tknowexactlywhatit'scalled.

NicholasWilton: Photoemulsion?

AmyTorgeson: They'reusingphotoemulsionandthenthey'reusingaunit,alightunit,toexposethescreen,exactly.

NicholasWilton: Anditgetsitmoreaccurate.

AmyTorgeson: Mm-hmm(affirmative),muchmoreaccurate.

NicholasWilton: Sotheeightisclear.That'swherethe[crosstalk00:22:28]

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,withtheexceptionofthesemarkingsrighthere.Andifyouwantedtoreclaimthisscreen,youcan...There'saproductthatyouwouldsprayonhere,andthenwithahigh-pressurehoseyoucouldgetridofthisimage.

NicholasWilton: Wow.Wow.Andisitsilk?

AmyTorgeson: Idon'tknowiftheyusesilknow.It'sagoodquestion,becauseit'smorecommontocallitascreenprint.

NicholasWilton: Andthere'sdifferentweaves,right?

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

NicholasWilton: Differentdegrees,howmanyholespersquareinch.

AmyTorgeson: Thisone...What'sthisone?Herewego.Whatdoesitsay?Thissaysmesh250.

NicholasWilton: Oh,250.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,sothemoredetailedtheimage,thehighermeshcount.IfIhadashapethatwasjustanopenshape-

NicholasWilton: Yeah,verysimple.Wow,lookatallthis.

AmyTorgeson: -thenI'dprobablygowithalower...Thisisa160.Becausethetightertheweave,theharderitisfortheinktogetthrough,soI'vegotthisbig,

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openshapehereandsotheweaveisalittlebitbiggersotheinkcancoverthatwholespace.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,sothissaysmeshcount160.

AmyTorgeson: AndthisisoneIburnedmyself.Itdoesn'tlookasgoodastheonethat...Andyouwouldjusttapeoffyoursideshere.

NicholasWilton: Whywouldn'tyouputthispurplestuffallthewaytotheend?

AmyTorgeson: Ijustdidn'thavetherighttooltogoallthewaytotheend,andalsotheframeprohibitsyoufromusingatoolthat...Ithastobewithinsidethismeshoryouwon'tbeabletogetcloseenoughwhenyou'rerollingiton.

NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah.Okay.What'ssocoolisyoujusthavethisforevermore,andyoucancoveruppartsofthisandprint,right?

AmyTorgeson: Yes,yes.OftenI'lljusttapeoff...Let'ssayIonlywantthissectiontoprint,thenIcouldtapeoffthisentireareaandonlyprintthis.

NicholasWilton: Wow.

AmyTorgeson: Youknow,youusethesesqueegeestodabyourinkandthenrunyoursqueegee.Butlet'ssayyoujustwantalittlesection.Thenyoucanuse-

NicholasWilton: [crosstalk00:24:41]tapelikethis,even?

AmyTorgeson: Yep,exactly.Youcouldjustuseacreditcardandjustdoalittlebit.

NicholasWilton: Oh,andjustdoonearea,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,littlearea.Yeah.Icanprint...Doyouwantmetoprintthis?

NicholasWilton: Sure,let'sseehowyoudothat.That'scool.Youfindthatit'sjustalotofsettingupand...Youwanttomakeaneight,butIcouldhavetakenoutapaintbrushandmadeaneight,but-

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,there'sdefinitelymoresetup.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,yeah.Soyouhavedifferenttables.Youhavethreeofthesetables?

AmyTorgeson: Iwish.Idon't.ButthenIdothinkabout,okay,soifI'mgoingtoprintthiseight,howmanywayscanIprintitandonhowmanysurfaces?

NicholasWilton: Right,right.Makeawholebunchof...Batchit.

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AmyTorgeson: Yeah,orImightsay,"Ionlywantpartofthis,soI'mgoingtotapethisoff,printthistopshapeinasmanyplacesasIneedit,thenpeelawaythetape,givemyselfalittlebitmore..."Andifyoustartwiththelightercolor,thenyoudon'thavetowashoutyourscreeneachtimebecauseyoucanjustadd...Pulltheinkthroughtillit'salmostgone,thenputinadarkercolor.

NicholasWilton: Andbecauseitwaslighter,itgetseasytocoverup.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Isee.

AmyTorgeson: So,let'ssee.Here'smyink.

NicholasWilton: Thisisallfromthatlittlestampoverthere?

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,so-

NicholasWilton: Andyoufoundthatinafleamarketorsomething,right?

AmyTorgeson: ThisparticularoneIdon'tremember,butEtsy,eBay,peoplecometoOpenStudiosandsay,"Ihavetheminmygarage,doyouwantsome?"

NicholasWilton: Theseareoldtypographic...Thiswashowallthepostersweremade.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,there'stonsofthemaround.

AmyTorgeson: Atonepoint,Iknew,okay,Ilovethisshape,buthowamIgoingtogetitbigger?

NicholasWilton: Right,right.

AmyTorgeson: SoIprinteditontoapieceofpaper,thenscannedit,enlargedit,andthenhadthisburned.

NicholasWilton: Soyouscanitandthenyouenlargeitonacomputer,andthenyoucansendadigitalfiletooneofthesecompanies?

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,yeah.

NicholasWilton: Isee.Sopeoplecouldhavethis...Thiscouldbemadeinacityandtheycouldbe100milesawayandtheyjustreceivethefileandthentheysendthistoyouinthemail.

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AmyTorgeson: Yeah,yeah.

NicholasWilton: Verycool.

AmyTorgeson: Youcanalso,ifyou'renotfeelingverytech-savvy,ifyoucanjustscanit,oftentimestheycanhelpyoumakeitthesizethatyouneedit,ormakeitveryblack-and-white,likeifyou'vegotanygraysthatyouneedtogetridof.

NicholasWilton: Isee.Wow.

AmyTorgeson: Thisisactuallyalittlebitthick.

NicholasWilton: That'sgood.That'syourwater?

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Letmejustaddalittlebitofwater.

NicholasWilton: Where'dyougetthis?

AmyTorgeson: Ithinkthatwasoneofmykids'toyhairthingsorsomething.Thisisstillalittlethick,so...

NicholasWilton: Now,youcouldn'tgo...Thisistheoil-basedstuff,right?

AmyTorgeson: No,thisisacrylic.

NicholasWilton: No,no,thisisthewater.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: ButcouldyoutakeoutLiquitex,likeournormalpaint,anduse,oristheresomethingspecialaboutthisrollerink?Itlooksalittledifferent.

AmyTorgeson: Ithinkthereissomethingspecial,becausetheacrylicdoesn't...Youcan,Ithinkyoucanprintwithacrylic.Ithinkit'sgoingtobesomethingyou'dhavetostayontopofintermsofitdryinginyourscreentoosoon.

NicholasWilton: Ithinkthisisfiner,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,butit'sjustdifferentenoughthatpeopledon'tprintwithitonaregularbasis.Soyouwantittobealittlebitmorefluid.

NicholasWilton: Soitrunsoffyourspoon.

AmyTorgeson: Okay,thisisfine.Let'sseewheremypaperis.Now,ifyouwerebeingreallypreciseandregistering,youwouldsetup...

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NicholasWilton: Yeah,clearthedecksand-

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,youwouldclear,but-

NicholasWilton: Andyouhaveacanvason...Woulditbebetteronatable,ordoyoulikethe-

AmyTorgeson: Ilikealittlebitofcushionbehind,butyoucandoitdirectlyonatable.

NicholasWilton: Whydoyoulikethecushionbehind?

AmyTorgeson: Idon'tknow.IthinkIgotinthehabitwiththese.Becausethesearesorigid,youcannotprintonjustasuper-hardsurfacelikeatable.Youneedalittlebitofgive.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,thisfillsin.Yeah,andthispaperfeelssoftandcarpeting-like.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,sothisisjustcanvasonatable,butsometimesI'llputcottonbattingunderneath,ifIwantevenmorecushion.

NicholasWilton: Oh,wow.Wow,okay.Becausethisdoesinfluencethetextureofeverythingyou'reprinting.Yourtablehascanvasonit.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.Yeah.Ifyou'reneedingtobereallyprecisewithyourplacement,thenyouwouldhavetodotheregistration,butI'moftenjustfreewheelingit.Yourinkuphere,andthenyoucanbasicallyfloodthescreenjusttogetitwet.

NicholasWilton: Oh,Isee,soyou'renot...Okay.You'renotprintingyet,you'rejustdoingit-

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,andyouwanttodosometestprints.Iusedtotestprintonnewsprint,andthenIdecided,I'mgoingtotestprintonactuallyreallynicepaper,becausethenthatbecomescollagematerial.SoratherthandomytestprintsonpaperthatIwouldn'tuse-

NicholasWilton: Oh,right.You'remaking.You'realwaysmakingsomethingyoucanuse.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Ihavenoideahowitwillbeused,butImightaswellprintitonnicepaper.

NicholasWilton: Ifyoudoitonnicepaperandyoulikethefirstone,you'redone.Oryouhaveanothervariation.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,youhavesomething.Right.Now,becausethispaperwe'reusingissolightweight,we'renotgoingtoreallyneedtogooveritveryoftenorverymanytimes,soyouusebothhandsandpressdown,getthe-

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NicholasWilton: Wow,you'rereally[crosstalk00:30:23]

AmyTorgeson: -surfaceofthetable,andthenpullback.

NicholasWilton: Oh,mygod.

AmyTorgeson: Intheory,that'sprobablyenoughonthispaper,butI'mgoingtoturnitaroundandgobackandthenpullthepaperdownbecausethisissolightweight.Andthenyouwouldfloodyourscreenagainsothatitstays...I'mnotverygoodatthis.Ioften...It'sjustsoitstayswet,soifyou'recontinuingtoprint...Youjustdon'twantittodry.

NicholasWilton: Isee,because...Yeah.Isee.God,it'ssobeautiful,justtheedgeofitandtheweight.There'salotofinkonthere.Alotofink.Heavy.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,thereis.Yeah.Andthenyoucan...Ioftenusewater.Ifyouwanttohaveamoretransparentlookyou'regoingtouselessink,morewater,butyouwouldn'tnecessarilyusemoreinkforamoreopaquesurface.

NicholasWilton: Right.It'splentyopaque.Absolutely.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Isthatwhatyou'redoinghere?Arethoseyourcollagepapersgluedin?

AmyTorgeson: No,thisisjustprintingdirectlyontothelinen,soI'mtapingoffinabunchofplaces.There'sscreenprinting,blockprinting.Thisispainted-onacrylicpaint.Rollingjustwiththebrayers.

NicholasWilton: Andthiswriting?[crosstalk00:31:52]useditinafewplaces,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: That'sablockprint,sothat'sjuststamping,yeah.Thisisscreenprintinghere.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,Icanseethat.Yeah,yeah.

AmyTorgeson: Yougetalittlebitmoreofthelayering.

NicholasWilton: Wow.

AmyTorgeson: Andthenthisiscollage,sothesearetheleftoverbits.

NicholasWilton: Right,sothat'swherewe'regoingnow,right?

AmyTorgeson: Yes.

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NicholasWilton: Okay.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,letmejustmovethishere.

NicholasWilton: Thatscreen'sclogged.Shouldwewashthat?

AmyTorgeson: Ishouldwashitafterwe'redonetalking,yeah.

NicholasWilton: Okay,allright.Keepmoving.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Thisisbeautiful,bytheway.Whatisthis?

AmyTorgeson: Thankyou.Youcanprintonpaperoryoucanprintoncanvas,linen-

NicholasWilton: That'swhat'ssogreat.

AmyTorgeson: -allkindsofdifferentsurfaces.Forthefabric,youwouldusethescreenprintingink.Whetherit'sblockprintingorscreenprinting,you'dendupusingthescreenprintingink.Youstartaproject,butyouendupwithallofthesescrapsormaterialsorthingsthatdon'twork.

NicholasWilton: Wow.

AmyTorgeson: Inthiscase,there'ssomecyanotypeprinting,and-

NicholasWilton: What'scyanotypeprinting?

AmyTorgeson: Thatisbasicallysunprinting,whereyou'retreatingthesurfacewithaphotographicsolution.

NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,andthenyouexposeittothesunandwhereyou'verevealedpartsofititwearsdown.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,andthesewerescreenprintedscrapsthatthenIputthephotosolutionon,andthisIthinkismanzanitaleavesorsomething.

NicholasWilton: God.

AmyTorgeson: Ineverknowwherethisisgoingtogo.Thisisblockprintedhere.Thisisscreenprinted.Youcanseehowthissitsmoreontop.

NicholasWilton: Yes,there'salotmorepaint.

AmyTorgeson: Asopposedtotheblockprinting.

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NicholasWilton: Right,right.Sowhenyou'reworking,you'lljustcomeandgrablittlepiecesandgluetheminandseewhat-

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.

NicholasWilton: Thisisalljustgeneratedfromtheworkyou'rejustdoing?

AmyTorgeson: Yeah.ThenIendupwithabunchofdifferentscraps,sothenitbecomes...AndIguessit'smorefreeingwhenyou'reworkingknowingthatifwhatyou'redoingonpaperdoesn'tworkthere'sanotherlifetoit.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,soyou'lldostuffonthepaper,butthenyou'llputitonfabrictoojusttohave?

AmyTorgeson: That'showIstartedworkingmorewiththescreenprintingink,becauseifIhadonescreenthatwasinkedupandIwasmovingfrompapertofabric,Ithought,"Well,I'lljuststickwiththescreenprintingink,becauseitcangotobothsurfaces."

NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,right.

AmyTorgeson: Ididn'twanttohaveonesetofcolorsforpaperandonesetofcolorsforfabric,soit'sallpermanentink,andthenI'mgoingtogetoutthesewingmachineanddoalittlebitofsewinghere.Butthesearenew.I'mjust-

NicholasWilton: Wouldyougluetheseon?

AmyTorgeson: Icould.Myvisionfortheseisthattheywouldbestandalone,but-

NicholasWilton: Sewntogether[crosstalk00:34:50]

AmyTorgeson: Sewntogether,yeah.Butinothercollages,I'vedefinitelygluedthemtopaper.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,yeah.Andthenthingslikethis,thisisall...You'vejustgotawholebunchofholesinthings?

AmyTorgeson: Thesewerescrapscreenprintsthatdidn'twork,andIhaveaholepunchandI'vestartedmakingallofthese.

NicholasWilton: Oh,mygod.

AmyTorgeson: What'sfunisthatthisbecomesanotherexerciseincollage.Youlookforthelittlegems.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,lookatthatlittlepiece.

21

AmyTorgeson: Right?Idon'tknowquiteyetwhatI'mdoing.IhavedesignedsomecardswiththesealreadythatI'mgoingtoputtogether,andthenIfigurethere'sprobablyaroleforthesesomewhere,Ijustdon'tknowwhatyet.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,soyou'rejustgeneratingmaterialstomakeartwith,andit'salmostlikeyouhavetoomuch.

AmyTorgeson: Iknow.Ithink-

NicholasWilton: Onepainting...WhenImakeapainting,there'sapaintingattheend,andthere'spapertowelseverywhere,butwithyou,youprobablyhavemorematerialthantheactualfinishedobject.

AmyTorgeson: Yes,andIthinkthat'swhatisinterestingtome.Whenyouhavethisleftoverink,that'showit'salltiedtogether.

NicholasWilton: That'stheinvitation,yeah.Like,"Whatareyougoingtodowithme?"Soyou'reexperimenting.You'realwaysexperimenting.

AmyTorgeson: Andwiththisscreen,beforeIrinseitout,I'llrunwateronitandthenprintitagainsoIjustgetabaseofaverytransparenteight.

NicholasWilton: Likeawashyeight.

AmyTorgeson: Yes.Idon'tknowwhatI'lldowithit,butthere'ssomethingabouttheconnectivityofthematerialsandtheprocessthatisreallyintriguingtome,andit'sjustthelayering.Andtheseareallverylow-techprintingmethods.

NicholasWilton: Totally,totallylow-tech.

AmyTorgeson: Butveryaccessible,andthere'ssomethingappealingaboutthat,Ithink.

NicholasWilton: Yeah,andIlovehowitjustgenerates...Youalmostcouldbeacenterforartistscouldcomeandthenjustgetpieces.

AmyTorgeson: Getmaterials,exactly.

NicholasWilton: Yeah.Ithinkthere'sanaspectofplaytothis,andwonder,becauseyoudon'tknowwhatyou'regoingtoget,anddrawingthingsfromotherthings,andthat'sprobablythebestpartofart-making.Youcanletgoofyourtryingtomakesomethingandjustenjoytheprocessofit.

AmyTorgeson: Yeah,whenIthinkbacktobeingakid,oneofthemostsatisfyingthingswasjustsimplycuttingpaper.OverandoverandoveragainIwouldcutdifferentshapes.SoIthinkthere'ssomethingaboutthatrepetitionandtheveryaccessiblematerialsthatisveryplayfulandfreetodo.

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NicholasWilton: Thankyousomuch.

AmyTorgeson: Thankyou.

NicholasWilton: Ithinkwecoveredmanythings,andmyhead'sspinning.Thankyou,that'sgreat.

AmyTorgeson: Thankyou.