Rolling ink on a plate and then wiping it off is both the simplest and most challenging of printmaking techniques. Careful attention to pressure and movement lifts the ink in a way that leaves a pleasing texture, blends gently with the remaining ink, and enhances the larger image. The tool chosen for wiping is critical: rags of various material and thickness, brushes, q-tips, and textured materials all lend a particular look to the ink left behind. While wiping in this way is most often a monotype technique, it can be used to beautiful effect in linocut, making an otherwise reproducible image unique. Kristina Horton-Flaherty has a deft hand when it comes to wiping, and she’s been playing with the process on many of her linocuts. Her birds, without wiping, are an elegant study in movement. The same print, wiped lightly…and then more heavily…illustrate how dramatically different the same image can appear.
