This recent piece is a sharp departure from my usual studio routine—an experimental reduction lino print of a classic moka pot. Relief printmaking is a medium I haven’t actively worked in for a very long time, making this a deliberate exercise in re-learning some lost skills.

Reduction printing forces you to think entirely in reverse and in stages, carving away layers of the same linoleum block between color runs. For this trial, I pressed the inks onto a coarse, heavily textured handmade paper. The paper’s prominent tooth and organic surface grain deliberately fight the smooth coverage of the ink, leaving behind a raw, weathered texture that emphasizes the mechanical nature of the press.

Stepping away from the precision of fine pens to wrestle with carving tools and ink rollers is a great reminder of how grounding it is to be a beginner again in a medium. It’s an untamed, physical process where you have to learn to embrace the friction and the happy accidents of the print.