Erick Agsoven

Printmaking, Multimedia and Art with buttons.

I am currently working on a linocut printmaking project and a an art series in which I create art with buttons. 
  One of my linocut printmaking projects is a series about Skulls. For example, I have chosen Day of the dead a Mexican tradition and also some designs of animals. I have exhibited  some of these pieces in Toronto and México City. 

The process of creating linocut printmaking begins with the carving of a design into linolium. My finished carving becomes the stamp for my printing. The next process is rolling block print inks and acrylic paints onto the lino stamp. To do this, I set up the colours on a piece of paper first  to get the mix of colours that I want to use for my print. Sometimes, it takes a bit of 'playing around' to get the mix that I desire. When I am happy with the mix, I then take my roller and run it through the mix and then roll the roller tool over the lino stamp. I then carefully place the linocut stamp onto a canvas. I usually prefer to use wood or different kinds of paper.  

I have done much of my printmaking as well as other art projects with the help of Sketch, a community art center in Toronto. At sketch, I participated and facilitated various kinds of printmaking workshops such as silk screening and  Lino cut printmaking. As well, I also made most of my button art (which is my own development and creation) at Sketch.   

In some of the art exhibitions that I have participated in, we set up tables in order to allow the public attending the exhibit to participate with us, and learn how to make some prints too. Some of the organizations that I have worked with call this concept Live Art Together.

Another project I was involved with through Sketch, was CUE PROJECT. I participated in the Cue project in 2010 and also 2012. I developed a project creating art with buttons. I used mostly Native designs from Canada and México. To make this project, I chose designs and enlarged them to fit  the dimensions of a canvas of wood or felt for example. Then with my button making equipment, I cut and made the designs into individual buttons and assembled them back together on the canvas.