Instead of a heavy printing press – a pasta machine?
What began as a playful idea quickly turned into a hands-on technique. In the atelier, after the “Picasso 347” art mediation, we explored drypoint — a process where a drawing is scratched with a hard-pointed tool like an awl directly into a metal (copper) plate. We inked the plates and carefully layered them with paper and soft tissue paper. Then we ran our improvised “print sandwiches” through the rollers of the pasta machine. The result? Surprising textures, rich impressions — and a clear demonstration of how mechanical pressure brings images to life.
Of course, this is not how Picasso created his “Suite 347”. Back then, the printmaker brothers Crommelynck brought a special press close to Picasso’s villa in Mougins so the artist could print whenever inspiration struck. We didn’t have brothers Crommelynck — or a press. But we had curiosity, copper plates, and a pasta machine. And so, a humble kitchen tool became a tool for artistic expression.