This workshop is a celebration of spring facilitated by printmaker and RBC Emerging Artist in Residence Laura Grier. Laura will provide step-by-step instructions for designing, carving, and printing your own botanical relief prints inspired by the flowers that bloom at this hopeful time of year. We look forward to creating hand-printed cards and artworks together.

In this workshop, you will use a linoleum (lino) block to create a relief print. Much like the woodblock prints in Laura’s exhibition, you will use sharp tools to carve a pattern or image into a lino block; what’s left on the block will be inked and printed.

Materials:

• We will provide all of the printing materials, including three blank cards for each participant.

Optional:

• If you want to bring additional objects to print on, you can. For example, you could print on a plain tote bag to make your own custom design.
• You can also bring your own flower samples to work from. For example, if you have fresh blooms in your garden, you can take a picture or pick a sample to use as your relief print inspiration.

Please keep in mind: If you are new to lino printing, we will be using sharp cutting tools. They are easy to use, but require a lot of care. Please be safe and follow Laura’s guidance.

This event is free and open to everyone, but there is a limit of 10 participants. Sign up to save your spot! If you sign up, but cannot attend, please email Hannah at [email protected] so we can open your spot for someone else.

Register here: https://thermg.typeform.com/to/d76GTdVX.

Is there anything we can do to support your participation? Please reach out to Hannah at [email protected].

About the Workshop Facilitator:

Laura Grier is a Délı̨nę First Nations artist and printmaker, born in Somba ké (Yellowknife), and raised in Alberta. Through the use of traditional print mediums, they instrumentalize the power of the handmade to reflect political sociology, culture, ecology, and Indigeneity. Responding to lived experiences of urban displacement as a Dene woman through print, Laura’s work is also inspired by the dynamism of Indigenous art practices and uses printmaking as a tool for resistance, refusal, and inherent Bets’ı̨nę́. They hold a BFA from NSCADU (K’jipuktuk) and an MFA from OCAD University (Tkaronto). They have exhibited at Xpace Cultural Centre, Harcourt House, DC3 Art Projects, SNAP Gallery, and ArtsPlace. Laura has received grants and awards for their work, including the Indigenous project grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and was the 2018 RISE Emerging Artist recipient. They currently reside in Tkaronto.