Marja-Leena Rathje
Home ::: at the print studio

at the print studio


CapDeskwPrint.jpg

MyCapDesk.jpg

Lucy_PrintRoom.jpg

Here are some glimpses of the printmaking studio in which I work - my desk with the proof on the wall which I printed last week, and our wide-format inkjet printer, affectionately called Lucy.


8 comments

You just have to love Lucy! She is amazing - I love the prints too!

Hugz

Sally

I'm sure she will be flattered to know that her namesake plays such a central role in your life. Though, if memory serves me correctly, I believe the christening occurred before the blog link. I'm impressed by the hardware and the space you must have to accommodate all this. I'm also impressed by the severely designed chair - a device chosen to ensure you don't sink into Gauguin-like contemplation and are forced to concentrate on the job. And all so sickeningly tidy. M-L, there's a name for people like you.

Is it always this tidy? No matter how much I tidy up, as soon as I start working it all ends up a layered mess! I am in awe:)

Sally, thanks, I agree that Lucy is amazing.

BB, I think Lucy was named soon after she was purchased some eight or nine years ago. It gives her a personality and for the adminstrators it's easier than calling her by her university equipment part number. The chair with its back rest is actually more comfortable than the usual stools we have in the shop. As this is a teaching studio it must be kept clean by the students who use it, and by us artists as well. All printmaking studios have to be kept clean because we use paper to print on which is easily destroyed by unclean surfaces with inks, solvents, acids etc. We have wonderful flat files and storage cupboards - I wish I had this much in my tiny home studio - which, by the way, is a mess because I don't have enough storage! My work table is covered by prints and papers looking for a place to park, sigh.

Hi Jacqueline, great to meet you! I've elaborated on your question above but please don't be in awe of my home studio though. The table top rarely sees the light of day.

Yes! Prints! Really loving what I see and hopefully more is it's way.

Cathy, hey thanks for the enthusiastic response. I'm working on a few and hope they'll come together soon.

Ah, now I understand why it looks a bit more like a rocket science lab than an art studio. The work produced here belies the place it was made. I wouldn't know what to do with Lucy but I always appreciate a fine instrument.

My own habit is to keep everything tidy until I start working but only until.

Susan, I would not have thought of a rocket science lab! It's just a computer and printer that talk to each other, under the control of the artist. Not too different from a home computer and desktop printer, except bigger and better. Tidiness is something I have to keep working at as I go along. I dislike having to start working in a messy place, whether studio or kitchen for it distracts me.