Arts of May: Art Works by Lily S. May

Linocut & Woodcut Prints--original, hand carved & hand printed

Since the 1970s, the majority of my prints have been linocuts which I have handprinted on Japanese paper. Early on, I also made several woodcuts and have made the occasional monoprint.

What are linocuts & woodcuts?

Linocut prints and woodcuts are multiple images of an inked block or blocks of linoleum or wood. They are original works of art, as opposed to reproductions. I have hand carved each lino or wood block, creating an image in the block. I've then printed the block by inking the surface of the linoleum or wood, placing paper on the inked block and rubbing the back of the paper until the ink has transfered to the paper.

What's an edition?

An edition is a number of prints taken from one or more related blocks. When an artist prints only a set number of images of a block, this is referred to as a limited edition. Many of my linocuts and woodcuts are in limited editions, but I have left some printings open. That is, I have not specified how many I will print. This is referred to as an open edition.

A Lily By Any Other Name

In the 1970s and '80s, my art work was done under three other names. I used two versions of my former married name--Susan Herman and Susan Barsel-Herman. I also used my birth name, Susan Barsel.