

I first encountered the reduction prints and wood engravings of printmaker Dave Bruner back in 2006 at a long running art even there in Philadelphia. I was delighted to run into him again at this year’s event and get a chance to come up to date on his current work.
Reduction prints are multi colors block prints which the separate areas for each color are established by cutting away from the precious state, a painstaking process that requires foresight and planning.
In wood engraving, precise tools are used to incise lines in the block, often at a fine level of detail that calls for working under magnification lenses.
Both are intaglio methods of printing, in which the ink is applied to the incised lines below the surface of the block. With the block surface wiped clear, the ink impression is made on the paper by the application of pressure in a press. This is in contrast to the process of relief printing, in which the ink would be applied to the surface, and the incised areas would be blank.
In the images above, the color prints are reduction cuts and the black and white images wood engravings.
Like all hand printed artist prints, the number created from a given design is limited. You can contact Bruner through his website to inquire about availability and order directly from him.
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