Rob Woolley is passionate about print making.
A senior in the Fine Arts Program, he is the only student that is a print making major.
He said print making is an old version of graphic design and is very labor intensive, which is why he thinks not many students are involved in the program.
“Print making has two steps. First, we create our work. Then, we print it. It is a very long and meticulous process that proves very difficult for most people,” Woolley said.
Woolley, who transferred to IU Southeast from the University of Louisville, said he never found it difficult.
He said his love of art started at the University of Louisville, where he took his first art class. He liked it, so he took another one. After that, he took his first print making class.
“I just gravitated toward the print making class I took. I wanted to see what I could do in that field,” Woolley said.
Brian Jones, professor of fine arts, is one of Woolley’s professors. Jones has seen the talent Woolley has and said he is a very passionate student.
“Rob is an excellent student,” Jones said. “He is in the shop more than I am and is very dedicated to his craft. Not only does he understand the mechanical process of print making, but he challenges himself to explore the conceptual side as well.”
Jones said he hopes Woolley will go on to graduate school after he graduates in May, an idea that Woolley is currently considering.
“I am looking at Herron University, the University of Cincinnati and U of L for grad school,” Woolley said. “Getting a master’s would allow me to teach at a school or be a master print maker at a shop.”
Jones said Woolley would be great in either of his occupations.
“Rob is helping beginner students who are in the shop when I am not,” Jones said. “He is also so good at creating prints and articulating theories and ways to go about his craft, which would make him great in a shop as well.”
When asked if print making takes a special talent, Woolley said he thinks anyone can do it.
“The kind of print making I do is hard and requires a love of the craft and patience,” Woolley said. “But if you love it, you can do it. There is also a field in screen printing, which is a much easier form if you find print making too difficult, as well as fields in lithography and commercial printing.”
Woolley also gave some advice for those who are thinking about getting into the field.
“Be open to the possibilities of the print making process,” Woolley said. “It is difficult at first, but it does get easier. If you love it, stick with it.”
By LINDSAY VEITZ
Staff Writer
lkveitz@ius.edu