The Southwest Print Fiesta took place in the Silver City MainStreet Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 on a beautiful early fall day. The star of the fiesta is always the Steamroller Press of various prints from linoleum block stencils on large pieces of print paper.
When this photographer attended the fiesta, local business owner Janey Katz drove the steamroller. The process takes many steps after the stencil is created by the artist. The stencil must be thoroughly inked, the print paper padded by wood and padding material and lined up precisely on the wood lying on the pavement. Helpers must ensure that the paper is fully in contact with the inked block and must be carefully pulled off the stencil for the big reveal after being pressed multiple times by the steamroller.
Print vendors included several Silver City artists as well as artists from throughout New Mexico and a few from Arizona and Texas.
Printers sometimes use screens; other times the use the linoleum or wood block technique; letterpress is another type of printing press. And artists using all these techniques and others show off and talk about their processes.
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Melanie inking the linoleum block
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Laying the inked block stencil
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Laying the print paper on top of the block stencil
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Pressing the paper to make sure it is in full contact with the inked stencil
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Janey Katz driving the printing press steamroller as it moves forward over the print
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Rolling over the paper and the linoleum block several times
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Over and over
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Lifting the pad off the block and print
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The exciting part - beginning the reveal
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And it's off the stencil!
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Showing it off to everyone
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Anne Steem of Remarque Print Workshop in Albuquerque shows off one of her prints.
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Visitors talk to various print artists
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Looking down the rows in the other direction
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Silver City's Carmen Ruiz stands by her famous fish printed scarves
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A tiny block print of the Buffalo Bar by Ruiz on a small box
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And another tiny print of the Silco Theater also by Ruiz
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Elizabeth Donnelly with her print card of mushrooms
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Chris and Steph Preciado-Shelton of Reviver Screen Printing in Las Cruces
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Katrina Hazell from Albuquerque with one of her letterpress prints
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Silver City's Shannon Curry with her watercolor print art.
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Matt Shure with his photograms
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Richard Dawavendewa and Nakisha Tracey Hope of Tuba City, AZ with their prints
