Special Projects > Love and Reproduction

Object #5: Be my Valentine!

Stop! This item will make more sense if you have received item #5.

Object Notes:

You should have received a Valentine's card with an insert about sexual/reproductive terminology used in printmaking. The card is a screenprint on Stonehenge paper. (As per usual.) I really like the Stonehenge to screenprint on, but I am starting to discover its limitations as far as card-making. When you fold it over, it gets all funny at the fold, like the top layer of lamination is crumbling off. I dunno how to describe it, but you can see it if you look at the card. I need to find something that folds nicely and can hold up to ink. Lemme know if you have any ideas.

The insert was made on my toner printer downstairs, and I learned that you can print odd sizes of paper as long as they are not bigger than legal size. (8.5" x 14") I am not sure what the minimum size is.

CORRECTION FOR THE FLYER:

I use the phrase "We fingerprint criminals " in the flyer. After thinking about it a bit, I realized that what I really meant to say was "We fingerprint people who have been arrested." They aren't the same thing, and I like to be specific about what I mean in my writing. I did not have this realization until the envelopes had been sealed. Printmaking (and art in general) can be a wasteful endeavor, and after consultation with an ethicist (my kid), I decided it would be okay to make my correction here instead of reprinting which would have required about 30 new envelopes and pieces of paper. I try to be mindful about reprinting things so I don't waste resources in order to assuage a perfectionist impulse. Since this is a closed project, I felt I could just as easily do it here.

Research Notes:

A lot of the terms used in the flyer are common knowledge among printmakers, but there are two essays that helped shape my thinking about this month's subject matter (the reproductive nature of printmaking.) Both of them are from Perspectives on Contemporary Printmaking: Critical Writing Since 1986.

"Sentences on Printed Art" by Richard S Field

"The Re-vision of Printmaking" by Kathryn Reeves

Not every essay in this book is amazing, but it has a lot of great stuff in it and is highly recommended if you are looking for some writing about printmaking that isn't technique-centered.