My name is Isabel Rosen-‐Hamilton and I am going into my junior
year as a printmaking major after spending the
summer studio assisting at the print shop Harlan & Weaver located
in New
York City. I discovered this particular studio through researching artists that I am
interested in such as Louise Bourgeois, Kiki
Smith and James Sienna. Discovering that Harlan & Weaver has printed most
of these artists’ work, as
well as others, I began
researching the studio
itself. Established in 1985 in its
still original location
on Canal Street, I was pleased to find out that, not only in my
hometown, they were
in
a very familiar neighborhood in which I had spent much of my childhood.
Through a family member to an old family friend, I made an appointment to visit the
shop and meet with Felix Harlan and Carol
Weaver,
the original owners
and printers.
The studio focuses on specifically Intaglio printmaking, which includes
etching and drypoint, aquatint, sugarlift and spit-‐bite techniques. Having previous knowledge with these
processes, I felt ready to use
what I knew to bring my
printing and myself to a more confident level. As a studio assistant,
I was often manning the job of
the “clean hands person”.
While printing, I was
in charge with handling
all paper, from soaking it to moving
it to a plastic wrapper to keep it moist to placing and removing sheets from
the press itself. However, I had lots of
responsibilities before
any actual printing was to commence. I mixed batches of ink, set up the press with the proper
pressure and blankets intact and to make sure everything that would be needed
was stocked and within reach of
the work area.
Throughout the summer, I
found Carol and Felix to be extremely informal and supportive. Not only would they explain a task to
me before expecting me to follow
through, they would explain all the inner
workings of each
aspect or process of working in the
studio.
Although many of the things I learned were things I already knew, but the most
important part of my time at Harlan & Weaver was that I was taught how to
perform at a professional level in the studio. Whether assisting in another
print shop or when producing my own work, I will always think back to how Carol properly wrapped and packaged a print
after
it was sold or how I watched Felix meticulously hand
wiped each plate countless times.
