Priscilla Read – Art Journey

Our final assignment in the UC Berkley Extension class “Printmaking and Street Art as Activist Tools” was to create a series of three related linocuts, printing each with an edition of five.  I decided to continue with my turtle theme to highlight the plastic problem and create a set of shopping bags.  I started by printing canvas with a turtle motif, then sewed each into fabric lined bags using an easy free pattern from Skip to My Lou.

Please Reuse – Turtles will Thank You

I wasn’t sure how much work it would be to make 15 bags in one week, so I ordered some bags from Dharma Trading.  For the second set in the series, I decided to try printing some mesh produce bags, a lightweight, washable, reusable alternative to the plastic bags we put our produce in at the grocery store.  I wasn’t sure how well these would print up, but took a chance and was happy with the result.

Carving the linoleum

Mesh Produce Bags

For the third set in the series, I created a linocut for the canvas bags from Dharma.  With these, I found it more difficult to get a crisp, clear print like I got on my original bags.  But nevertheless, not too shabby.  I’ll carry these proudly to the store and farmer’s market.

“No Plastic Zone” Tote

Turtle Totes