Sea Castles at Windhoek
A nine color reduction woodcut seen in six progressive steps, First state, Second State, Third State, Fourth State, Fifth State, skip to Ninth State.
What is a reduction woodcut?
Woodcut is the oldest form of printmaking. It is a relief process in which the design is cut into a wooden block’s surface with hand carving tools. The raised areas that remain after the block has been cut are inked and printed, while the recessed areas that are cut away do not retain ink and will remain blank during the printing process. The reduction woodcut process uses one wooden block for all the colors by layering the inks from light to dark, one color at a time. Between each color, the printing surface on the wooden block is cut, reducing the surface. This will allow for the preservation of the previous colors, and creating a new color layer. Don's reduction woodcuts usually have 9 colors, yet there are exceptions. The edition number, or the number of prints pulled from the block, is determined before the cutting and printing and is limited to that number only.
How long does it take to make a reduction woodcut print?
A woodcut design is based on a drawing done outside in a sitting of about three hours. The drawing is transferred to the woodblock and ready for cutting. A large reduction woodcut with nine colors with an edition of thirty will take about two months working 40 hours a week. The same reduction woodcut with an edition of 30 and nine colors will require 270 impressions hand-printed, through the etching press. A smaller reduction woodcut could take three weeks. A one-color woodcut, depending on size, could take one to two weeks. The edition number for reduction woodcuts is rarely more than thirty prints. Don does the designing, cutting, and inking of the woodcuts in his studio.
How do I know I have an original Don Gorvett reduction woodcut or woodcut?
On the left-hand lower corner of the impression is where you will find the edition number, the Don Gorvett signature is at the right-hand corner, and the woodcut title in the center. Don’s woodcuts, drawings, and paintings have been on the market since 1967. On a few occasions, a digital reproduction of a rare woodcut or painting has been made, usually by request. These, too, will have the artist’s signature and may be inscribed to the recipient.
Moonlight, Drawbridge
An eight-minute film about developing the reduction woodcut Moonlight, Drawbridge. Follow the progress of the nine color reduction woodcut from the initial drawing to layering the colors with the etching press. Filmed in both Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME, and Portsmouth, NH. A Steve Galante Production, 2015.