Carving

wood handled linoleum carving tools with lino strip in a ceramic cup

Coming into the residency, I had proposed an idea around local food and food security. Namely, expressing that community food sourcing and production is a method including multiple skills and that can feed many. Practically, I’m working through a story that tells the life of a jar of jam. In keeping to a literal storytelling style, I’m carving eight (or more) ten-inch square linoleum blocks.

For those new to the practice, I’m literally carving old fashioned smooth lino flooring. I use a simple clothing iron and pressing cloth to warm the lino a bit, and gauge into it the shapes I’m looking for. You’ll see that the lino itself is pink in the following images. I’ve washed it in this colour to make the design easier to see and carve out. Otherwise, the surface and carved areas are varying shades of grey and it’s easy to miss lines and hard to see what has already been carved.

partially carved linoleum block in varying shades of pink and grey on a bench hook with calendar and schematic in the background

Warming a lino block with an iron and then following drawn lines to carve it

The carving process leaves lots of space for mind-wandering and podcast listening. If you have any recommendations, please comment with them below! My long time favourite is Normal Gossip, and a new fave is Magical Overthinking. I like good stories (not so much true crime, but maybe) and a host with a fun sense of humour.