Kelly’s Morning Bath Linoleum Block Prints

Kelly's Morning Bath 1 in green, linocut © B.E. Kazmarski

This week I’ll be featuring a few more of my linoleum block prints and posting the art on Etsy. Because each print is unique and I usually only have one at a time, Etsy is ideal for block prints! I’m starting with Kelly’s Morning Bath, above, and I’ll also feature chickadees, whales and an eagle, so stay tuned.

Detail of print so you can see the composition and the paper.

Kelly gives herself a complete bath every morning after breakfast on the table in front of the window in my studio, her every move full of purpose and industry.

First panel of Kelly's Morning Bath

This print captures a leafy summer morning, as this window in my house faces my lilac and a number of trees which filter the sun, speckling the table with splashes of sun and shadow.

It is printed on rice paper embedded with leaves and other plant parts in various shades of green, matted with a green parchment black core mat, framed with clear glass in a plain matte-finish black frame.

Center Panel of Kelly's Morning Bath 1

The image size is 5″ x 10″, the frame size is 10″ x 20″.

Block printing is a technique wherein the artist carves the surface of a piece of linoleum, leaving raised areas which will become the image. Ink is rolled onto these raised areas, then a piece of paper is pressed against the block and when it’s lifted away the ink remains, leaving the image on the paper. Because of this process, each print is slightly different and therefore unique.

I usually print a series of six prints, preparing my papers ahead of time, then offering them matted and framed, matted only, print only, hand-tinted and sometimes incorporated into another type of work.

Kelly's Morning Bath 1 right panel

I carved and printed this one according to my first idea, then decided I might like each scene to have a border and a little more detail, so you’ll also find Kelly’s Morning Bath 2. In addition to this matted print, they are available as a print alone or matted with no frame. In addition to the printing them as wall art, I also print them on other items such as curtains, placemats, tablecloths and other household items.

You can find this set of prints in my Etsy shop, or if you are local to me I actually have these on display in my shop in Carnegie, in the back room at Carnegie Antiques, 423 West Main Street.

Green paper detail.

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