The Printmaker Brotherhood

There’s a brotherhood in printmaking that’s kinda hard to explain unless you’ve stood in a studio surrounded by ink, carving tools, pencils and the quiet hum of a press.

For me, most of my influences have come from being surrounded by the music. I’ve been collecting art for years, admiring the beautiful concert posters and reaching out to the artists who’ve been at it long before I pulled my first proof. There are many in the field but these two stand at the forefront

AJ Masthay and Jim Pollock.

These guys aren’t just printmakers. They’re living proof that ink, sweat, and a little bit of madness can turn into magic.

AJ Masthay: The Lino King

The first time I saw one of AJ’s prints, I fell in love with this medium. His posters, for some of the most iconic bands were vibrant, electric and simply put are down right fucking cool as shit. You can tell AJ doesn’t just print for the sake of printing. He dives deep inside( check out his diver series) and creates something so amazing you kind of just need to stop, take a breath and be like “ How in the hell did he do that”?

AJ has a sense of layering, color harmony, and his ability to make linocut look painterly in my opinion. That’s helped me approach my own work. It makes me realize that printmaking doesn’t have to traditional, it can whatever you want it to be!!

There’s also a generosity in the way AJ shares his process that has influenced me more than any technical tip ever could. He’s always been open to me, answering questions I may have or openly given advice where advice was needed. Hell, he introduced me to a world I may never had the opportunity to visit, and THAT makes me feel part of a larger creative circle.

I’ve found myself adopting a mindset of…. make what you love, share what you learn, and keep the ink moving. Thank you so much Lino King, you are truly a mensch.

⸻

Jim Pollock: The Godfather

Then there’s Jim Pollock… the godfather of jam-band poster art. His posters are raw, unpredictable, and always something sought after. Jim’s work has always been connected to the music world, especially through Phish and the jam scene. His art feels like a concert…. And even though his prints have this wild, unpolished vibe, there’s an honesty there that’s impossible to fake.

Jim’s approach taught me that it’s okay, even good sometimes, to leave fingerprints of imperfection on your work. The tiny quirks and lines are what give a piece its soul. Whenever I’m printing and something unexpected happens like ink on the tympan paper, a smudge, I think, “Jim would roll with it” :-)

He’s shown generations of artists like me that printmaking doesn’t have to be perfect. It can be loud, messy, and full of movement. That freedom, that sense of play, has pushed me to let go a little, to trust the process and the ink more than my perfectionism.

What connects AJ and Jim, despite their totally different styles, is their authenticity and kindness. They both pour themselves completely into their craft, and in doing so, they’ve built lives around making art that matters. Not just because it sells, but because it moves people.

Their influence on me runs deeper than just artistic technique, It’s all about the mindset!! Both of them remind me that printmaking isn’t about chasing perfection; it’s about chasing connection with everyone around me 😊.

So here’s to AJ and Jim…. two artists that have made a huge mark on my life, my craft and my business.