Photos courtesy Corinne Cobabe

obyn Stoller Awend is a Minnesota-based artist. She received her BFA from the University of Arizona and her MFA from the University of Dallas. Her work includes letterpress prints, artist books and installation art. Her work is exhibited nationally and internationally, and is a part of various collections around the country.

obyn is an active member of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and is a founding member of Form + Content Gallery in Minneapolis.

rinting Process:

Letterpress printing can be described as “the process of using a press for relief printing from metal type or raised surfaces formed from wood, metal or linoleum.” Once a relief surface has been prepared it is put in the press. A roller is used to place ink on the type or block, which is then pressed against paper.

rawings:

My drawings are often used as a preliminary tool. They function as inspiration, research or actual imagery. Some of the drawings are used to create photopolymer plates, which are then used in the printing process.

nstallations:

Installations are an important component in my work because they allow for the arts content to be explored from a different perspective. Interacting with the artwork adds another element or layer to the viewing process and often helps to instigate a relationship between the work and the viewer. Installations also create immediacy in the art-making process. Letterpress printing can be classified as an artform where the hand is removed from the actual surface of the work. Creating specific installations has the potential to reverse that effect.

ook Arts:

Through bound and unbound books, my work finds common threads through series. Much of my work is created with minimal layers leaving equal amounts of negative and positive space. Each work is able to stand on its own but functions as a part of a larger whole.