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.
IMG_8424.jpg
Melanie inking the linoleum block
IMG_8430.jpg
Laying the inked block stencil
IMG_8434.jpg
Laying the print paper on top of the block stencil
IMG_8437.jpg
Pressing the paper to make sure it is in full contact with the inked stencil
IMG_8439.jpg
Janey Katz driving the printing press steamroller as it moves forward over the print
IMG_8443.jpg
Rolling over the paper and the linoleum block several times
IMG_8446.jpg
Over and over
IMG_8447.jpg
Lifting the pad off the block and print
IMG_8450.jpg
The exciting part - beginning the reveal
IMG_8460.jpg
And it's off the stencil!
IMG_8461.jpg
Showing it off to everyone
IMG_8464.jpg
Anne Steem of Remarque Print Workshop in Albuquerque shows off one of her prints.
IMG_8469.jpg
Visitors talk to various print artists
IMG_8470.jpg
Looking down the rows in the other direction
IMG_8471.jpg
Silver City's Carmen Ruiz stands by her famous fish printed scarves
IMG_8475.jpg
A tiny block print of the Buffalo Bar by Ruiz on a small box
IMG_8476.jpg
And another tiny print of the Silco Theater also by Ruiz
IMG_8479.jpg
Elizabeth Donnelly with her print card of mushrooms
IMG_8482.jpg
Chris and Steph Preciado-Shelton of Reviver Screen Printing in Las Cruces
IMG_8488.jpg
Katrina Hazell from Albuquerque with one of her letterpress prints
IMG_8492.jpg
Silver City's Shannon Curry with her watercolor print art.
IMG_8495.jpg
Matt Shure with his photograms
IMG_8496.jpg
Richard Dawavendewa and Nakisha Tracey Hope of Tuba City, AZ with their prints