Video by Mattias Lundblad.

Troy Zaushny, Wax Cut Monoprints from Mattias Lundblad on Vimeo.

I use a wax block (wax-cut) instead of more traditional materials like wood or linoleum in a typical relief printing method – where the surface of the block is cut and that which remains is inked and printed. I usually create a small series of monoprints rather than an edition. This means that each of my prints are unique, although they come from the same block. I often use my ink rollers like brushes, applying many colors to the surface of the plate creating shades and textures that cannot be replicated.

I am fascinated by the reductive process because of how the original block is consumed as the final artwork starts to emerge. It is a trans-formative event that to me, is symbolic of the destruction that occurs to an idea or vision when it is manifest into this world. While I celebrated this metamorphosis, I was always mournful of the waste products, the oily rags, piles of wood or linoleum shavings, and spent blocks that arrived with the artwork. I think it was for this reason that I started working with wax. I’ve been collecting my wax from used candles for about 15 years, adding harder waxes and purifying it along the way. I pour my own blocks using a mold of wood boards, clay, and a tabletop. After printing a series, I can scrape down the block and use it again, up to 4 times before melting it down with the shavings to pour another.