The Wood Engravers’ Network Fourth Triennial

The Wood Engravers’ Network (WEN) is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the advancement of wood engraving arts and committed to furthering public recognition and appreciation of the art of wood engraving, its practice and history as art, illustration, graphic design, and printing. Its goals are to provide educational and exhibition opportunities and increased public access to this historic process.

Wood engraving is a relief printmaking process (like letterpress, stamps, woodcuts and linoleum cuts) where ink is rolled onto a raised surface and pressure is then applied to transfer the ink to paper or fabric. As a reductive technique, wood engraving employs tools called burins, which remove wood fibers from the end grain of a woodblock, producing lowered areas that will not print. The flat raised relief areas are inked with a brayer (a rubber roller) and pressure is applied to transfer ink to paper, creating a mirror image impression of the block.

An engraved wood block shows the tactile and sculptural nature of the relief carving. Wood engraving allows a variety of cutting styles because it can reproduce very small details and does not compete with the grain of the wood. It is extremely durable and has been employed historically for industrial purposes, book illustrations, as well as limited edition prints.

Tools of the Trade

This exhibit is WEN's Fourth Triennial, a juried show displaying a variety of engraved and relief prints by its members.