This is the start of a very different journey for me – linocut relief printing.
Linoleum is made from natural raw materials. Linseed oil, from the flax plant, is the primary ingredient. Together with wood powder, resins and other additives, these are combined to create a mixture which is rolled onto a jute (plant fibre) backing. This combination is then cured in ovens for around two weeks to produce the familiar, environmentally friendly product we use today. The word “linoleum” is derived from two Latin words: Linum (linseed or flax) & oleum (oil).
This design is a copy from the monogram used by John Tenniel in his drawings for Lewis Carroll’s books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.
This year (2015) being the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I hope to continue and further develop prints on the subject.
