“Standing Guard at the Bunkhouse” is a limited series of 8” x 8” prints created using the reductive or elimination method of linocut. The process involves a number of color overprints made from a single piece of linoleum with more of the linoleum being cut away for each overprinted color. The series is printed on paper using oil-based inks.

On this piece, the first parts carved out of the block were what remains white on the print, and the sky blue and the yellow was inked over the linoleum.  Then the piece was run through an etching press, transferring the yellow ink to paper.  This process was repeated several times until the print is finished.  

By the end of the reductive process, the linoleum is almost entirely carved away and no additional prints can be made.

The first 8 prints in the series are full color. The 9th print is redwood and black. The 10th print is brown and black. The 11th and 12th prints are monotone. The final print is an artist’s print, where the artist chose to omit the dark blue trees from the image.