Print Hole is a project started by Austin, a relief printmaker located in Victoria BC, in December 2020 to create art for his own space. With some inspiration from other printmakers in his community and around the world, Austin picked up some lino and a basic set of carving tools. He started off slow by drawing house plants he kept around his home, and then eventually started designing more detailed scenic pictures, until he eventually realised he could begin incorporating his love of folklore and stories into his art.
Currently, inspiration for Austin’s works comes from masters including Kawarazaki Shodo, Utagawa Kunisada, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, to name a few. “I consider my art to fall into the genre of Ukiyo-e,” says the printmaker. Austin still works with lino, but has also began making woodblock prints, with an aim to focus more on this practice as he continues to move forward with his artistic endeavours. He comments; “I have found carving wood allows me to pay much more attention to detail, and I enjoy building multi-layered composite images with water-based pigments. I also find that working with wood allows me to have a more sustainable practice.”
Austin has become involved in the local artistic community participating in local events and workshops, as well as promoting creative reuse initiatives to divert materials from the landfill. In the long term, he hopes to begin making more larger commissioned pieces as opposed to editioned prints.
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