Big Mitten Linocuts

Big Mitten Linocuts is the printmaking pseudonym of Betsy Stecker, a self-taught artist pursuing linocut as a second career. Betsy is an educator by training, a vocation she enjoyed for 22 years before carving her first print (a black-capped chickadee) in 2018. In 2021, she officially retired from education and now shows in over 15 fine art fairs each year, seven galleries, and a permanent brick-and-mortar printshop inside the Rust Belt Market in a Detroit suburb of Michigan, USA. “The Rust Belt Market is a special place; it is a community of creatives who work on our art during the week and sell it every weekend. It’s a huge commitment,” describes Betsy.

Her work is predominantly nature-inspired, reflecting her inhabitancy of a small cottage in northern Michigan, a very forested and natural area. The cottage is a quarter mile from Great Lake Huron, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. Winged insects, plants (especially fungi), trees, birds, and fish are the lifeforms to which she is most drawn, and are showcased in her art.

“Linocut is my sole form of printmaking; it’s all I know. I did not benefit from an art education that would have led me to try different printmaking processes. But I strive to maximize the medium with my product line, using my blocks to make fine art prints as well as a large variety of textiles that sell well. The combined ales of wall art — the most profitable — and functional art — the least profitable — combined have allowed me to be a full-time artist in less than three years.”

Betsy carves only traditional battleship gray linoleum from France; “Speedycarve/rubber/softcut is incredibly difficult for me to carve; I liken it to going at a bonsai tree with a chainsaw; I just dash it to pieces. I am always amazed at the level of detail that stampmakers and printmakers can achieve with the softcut medium.” Vegetable oil-based inks such as Speedball Professional and Cranfield Colours Safewash are her go-to inks, and some pieces are also painted with gouache post-printing.

Two years ago Betsy received an incredibly generous gift from loved ones; a double-barrel press from The Portable Printing Press Co. in the U.K. “The tabletop press, which is more than 20 inches wide, is incredibly economical for its capabilities,” comments the printmaker.

“Blockprinting in the United States — especially in Michigan — is considered a lost art and is not as popular as it is in the U.K. There are small pocket communities in the Midwest US, and we’re always thrilled to meet one another! This isolation has pros and cons. There are very few organized opportunities to meet up as printmakers; but on the other hand, my customers find my art very unique and often do not know what it is, thinking it is pen and ink. They are amazed to witness the process, which often leads to a sale.”

As an entrepreneur, Betsy has lots of exciting plans, including opening a store that would house her prints and textiles as well as other art (jewelry, pottery, knitted wares) from fellow Michigan artists, as well as learning the art or reduction printing.

@bigmittenlinocuts
www.bigmittenlinocuts.com

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