Artist/Printmaker-Debra James Percival

Bouncing Ball of Life

Another print for the Here Come the Ladies seris and maybe even part of the Then and Now seris of prints. The woodblock is from a print I made in 1991 titled ˋBaby Faceˋ https://artbank.ca/art-piece/baby-face-92_3-0134?author=Percival%20Debra%20James&name=Baby%20Face&year=1991#f:@category_e=Work%20on%20paper I have moved so often and chucked stuff each time -I was surprized I still had this woodblock.

Now the fun info. The pictures of the process. I love the messy process of printmaking.

This is the stage of okay what do I want to do and what do I have to work with.

Made it to the press. All the photopolymer stencels were inked up intaglio and run through the press. Then Iplayed a bit with some gold ink.

The print was taken off the press and laid on a towel on the floor. The woodblock was stamped on by me standing on it.

And that was how ˋBouncing Ball of Life` was made on a very rainy day in Ottawa Ontario Canada, July 9, 2026 at the Nepean Creative Arts Centre in the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective Print Studio.

Check out my tictok page for Videos Debra James Percival

Spirit Dove Story

If you look to the right side of the photo you can see my Copper Dove. I was bloging for Peace that morning. On that morning none of the copper scrap peices were etched. A lot of etching and printing has happened over the years since.

I started organizing the plates for printing in 2022. It was a slow process making the template and proofing the stages of printing the plates.

I had to organize what could be printed each Print day.

Then a plate had to be made for the first color. I used poster board covered in screen filler.

I love making plates with kids poster board coated in screenfiller. It is amaxing how well it holds up to lots of editioning.

I made another Template of just poster board to cover the Dove when I was printing the backgrounds. This project took untill 2023 to finish, just because life stuff got in the way. Very glad to be alive.

Found a video I made for my son back in 2023. He dove me to the beach that morning 🙂 I was living in PEI in 2008.

That is the short version of the Spirit Dove story. I am retired from teaching these day but I love to share my printing journey. why I am retired from teaching? It is a lot of fuss and preparation:) I just want to print! But volunteer teaching to raise money for the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective Print Studio is fun.

When I Was a Little Girl

This image is part of a project I am working on that has no deadline 🙂 I refere to it as “Then and Now”. The painted on doll figures were in another print way back in the early 90ˋs When I was a little girl I got a walking doll for Chirstmas. It was my last Christmas with my Dad. Me and the Doll actually did go for long walks together that summer. I was a very sad little girl that summer.

Shylight photopolymer is so fun to play with. But warning alert 🙂 It is expensive. I made this plate laminating the photopolymer film onto the Aluminium plate. Let dry for a few days and then exposed the film to a painting of the doll figures on plastic, then added stencils and fabric. * Below are the two plates used for the image. The Ploymer plate and a peice of fabric.

The polymer plate inked up and the print of the peice of fabric I printed for texture.

There will for now be 6 editioned “When I Was a Little Girl” . But when I sign the prints I will put out of 10. Just incase I want to make a few more. But right now I am ready to move on to something else.

Check out Tic Tok @ Debra James Percival for videos of studio work

Turtally Fun! For Sure:)

Way back in 2024 I had an idea for two scrape peices of copper hanging around since the 90ˋs

Turtally Fun all started with a peice of bristle board and lots of screenfiller.

I love the Printmaking process. Down below I will show you some photos -but first here are a couple of fun finished prints. There are four finished with backgrounds. The other three are waiting for an idea.

The Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective did a show called OUR FUTURE. The 2 turtle prints are how I responded.

It is 2525 and the human race has evolved to Frog People. After decades of misuse and pollution by humanity, Earth is covered in polluted water. And the Turtle is the supreme majestic caegiver of the Frog People.

Now for the process photos ……

The Plate all inked up.

Screenfiller has so many uses in my studio

Finally my Print hanging at the show OUR FUTURE

Happy Printing Everyone.

Empowerment & I Don’t Need A Prince

This was a fun plate to work on.

ˋEmpowerment`
is an aluminum etched plate.
I used Skylight photo ploymer film tho make the image.

There are 9 varied `Empowerment`prints editioned and one `I Don’t Need a Princeˋ

And the one and only…………. full page print that I liked enough to keep.

Too be a Printmaker you really need to love the process!!! Here are a few photos of the process for I Dont Need A Prince.

If you go to my TikTok@debrajamespercival page you can find the video of my very bad day in the studio. I destroyed the other print that was supposed to be the 2nd ˋI Don’t Need A Prince`. That happends! for sure.

Here Come The Ladies “2025

I really like working on this series. It is A fun mixed media print seris playing with fabric & photo polymer stencils & copper plates and more.

Here are some photos to tell a story.

“Old Hags celebrate” the figures are a colagraph made with cheesecloth & string shaped on a peice of floor linoleum and cut out.

the collagraph inked up for another print

I used the polymer stincils in this print & callagraph on the top print. “Got This Lady Stuff Down” and there are five in the edition.

The above print is one of my favorites from last year

The copper relief etching used in “We Won’t Let You Crake”

“So Grasping, Desperate” zoom up on the frog. I love the frog.

And that is what I was Doing when I made “Play” Here are some phtos of the process.

Since you actually came to the end of this blog * please take a little more time and ZOOM on the prints to see the details and tecxures.

Tortured Soul Print

Way back in the 80’s I was really into woodblock printmaking. Over the years I have moved a lot and discarded a lot of my wood blocks. But Tortured Soul survived. I like hanging it in my studio spaces.

I am having fun working on a series of prints “Then and Now”. The next two photos are Tortured Soul in the 80’s and Tortured Soul 2026.

Tortured Soul from the 80’s a combination of Mono-print background and woodblock’s

Tortured Soul 2026 combination of printmaking techniques: background is a peice of fabric inked up with lots of ink:) the dancing bear,rabbit and female figure are stencils.

I love layering ink on top of ink! The wolf eyes in the 80’s print from what I remember about what was happening with me then – were a warning to be cautious . Today in 2026 it is all about reflecting. Life has been and is a circus of good, bad and silly. Lots of ups and downs.

I gave up my little studio space in Stratford. Things never did get settled there. Looking for another small space. But I am still printing at the Print Studio run by the Ottawa-Gatineau Printmakers Connective .

One year at the Stratford Studio.

It has been a year at my Cozy Studio. We just had an open house and art show. Here are a few videos I took of the space.

I am in the middle of editions. When an edition is completed, I will post the full edition. When I edition, they are all varied. I like to play with ideas. Especially enjoying working on “Here Come The Ladies. The “Then and Now” series is working its way into the “Here Come The Ladies ” series.

This is an example of what I mean by blending the two series. I finished working on this print this week. The copper plate in the middle is my very first hardgound with future floor polish way back in the 80’s early 90’s. A long time ago! There is no set title yet . Something to do with home & joy.

It took a long time to clean up the studio!

Happy Printing 😀

New Beginnings

September always feels like a good time to start something new. Last winter, unfortunately, there were not good working conditions in my studio. Now I’m looking forward to a better winter.

In the Print Studio and my Cosy Studio, there’s are a number of editions happening . The “Then & Now” series, the “Here come the Ladies” series, and the Turtles edition.

I am having a lot of fun in the Print Studio run by the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective . It is a lucky thing that at the Nepean Creative Arts Center is where my Cozy Studio and the Print Studio is.

Here are a few pictures of work in progress.

How to explain how/what printmaking method I am using right now. I would say I am painting/printmaking with stuff.

If you would like to see some finished prints, there are some on my Instagram page. @debrajamespercival

Happy Printing:)

Printmaking New Studio

Cozy Studio

New beginnings for an oldish Printmaker. Because life is a series of twists and turns. I have not had a workspace to set up and make intaglio type plates for a few years. August 1, I started moving into a lovely cozy studio space. I am so excited to re-explore photopolymer film and image making in my coxy studio at the Stratford Studios, Nepean Creative Arts Centre. Big plus it is next door, just across the parking lot from the Ottawa/Gatineau Print Studio. So Happy!