We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cait Maltbie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cait, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned to do various forms of printmaking through college courses. I started out learning offset lithography and screen printing before moving on to learning relief, intaglio, stone lithography, and risograph. The main thing I have learned to do to speed up my process is to take a deep breath and just collect everything I need before starting. When I first started out, I struggled to gather and organize my materials in order to be prepared to print editions in a timely manner. Now, I am much better about having all of the necessary materials ready and on hand, which makes things go much smoother. Although I love all forms of printmaking, I typically use screenprint the most and favor it for creating imagery. One of the biggest obstacles about printmaking is having the space to learn the processes; not having the right equipment or studio does make it difficult to learn more and feel comfortable enough to experiment. I am lucky to be in a space that is well equipped, but printmaking studios vary so much depending on the favored process.

Cait, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Originally when I was deciding on my career path, I was a little uncertain. I knew I wanted to pursue the arts but did not have a clear idea what emphasis I would want. So, I started with what I felt was a safe option with classes in Graphic Design at a vocational college. In those classes we also did printmaking processes so we could learn the preproduction graphic design and the post production printing. While designing was fun, I fell head over heels for the printmaking aspect. We trained in offset lithography and screen print and I could not get enough of the processes, so I decided to do further education beyond an associate degree and get a bachelor’s in fine arts focusing in Printmaking. From that choice I have not looked back and have only fallen further in love with all printmaking in all forms. Each process presents its own perks and challenges in creating imagery and requires some form of labor in order to achieve the desired prints. I find that with each process I am taking the time to complete, I am spending significant time with the imagery in order to bring it to life. There is the separating of color layers as each process prints a single color at a time, cutting down paper, mixing ink, and registering the layers so that print correctly with corresponding layers. Processes like lithography and intaglio require beveling and etching with acid in order to create the matrix that is then inked and can then be produced into multiples. Each printmaking process requires its own forms of love and labor to produce multiples that continues to entice me.

Currently I am pursuing my master’s degree and focusing on making comics through various forms of print. These comics focus on personifying feelings that can be hard for me to express into characters that can communicate these feelings better. For example my comics feature a character named Ollie Opossum who is based on feelings of perpetual anxiety. In print Ollie appears timid and even when just standing there is something worried about his demeanor. They wear a yellow shirt that on the front has an opossum lying on its back with the words “playing opossum” in reference to when opossums play dead as a result of anxiety or threat. This trait was something that I identified with as I wished I could play dead at times; it also gave me a way to bring humor into something that could feel a lot more serious. I thrive off of making cutesy or humorous imagery to offset the more serious subject matter I touch on.

Additionally, I am teaching as a part of my degree and am looking to teach printmaking after I graduate to share my love of print with others. In the same way it is rewarding to create, it is rewarding to teach for me. Currently I am teaching what are referred to as foundation classes that focus on the fundamental aspects of two and three dimensional art. It is really special to foster the seeds of creativity and watch as my students and their work grow throughout the semester. Getting to bond with my students and hear about their experiences also helps to inform me as both a teacher and artist as to the environment in the art world around us. It is a mutually beneficial relationship for myself and the student where we both get to learn and become better artists together.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Be vocal in your support of artists, especially those local to you.As the viewer, it is easy to talk about art, and this has a profound effect on the artist.. Sharing their art, going to exhibition openings, and purchasing work (if you can) helps to sustain their practice and continue to create. Without support, art is difficult to pursue no matter how much you love it. When viewers are vocal about the artists they love, they can make a massive impact and give their artists a larger audience. Art is special because we all have different perspectives, and it allows us to share them, come together as a society, and appreciate each other with our unique viewpoints.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being creative for me is when an artwork I created hits home for a viewer and they can connect with my work. There is something so special about the solidarity that is felt when viewers can relate to what I have created. It opens a conversation that is personal as my artwork comes from my struggles but becomes much larger than myself as I converse with others. In exchange for putting myself out there, I am rewarded with a like minded community that further motivates me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.caitandlin.com
• Instagram: @cait.and.lin