About Us
Our mission at BIG INK is to encourage appreciation for woodblock printmaking: one impression at a time.
In 2012, Lyell Castonguay and Carand Burnet founded BIG INK to provide woodblock printmaking workshop opportunities for people of all skill levels. As a result, thousands of individuals have learned how to carve wood by following Castonguay’s online instructions, and numerous community members have attended BIG INK’s workshops to witness the spectacle of the woodblock printing process. With its community-driven and public art education model, BIG INK is committed to ensuring a promising future for relief printmaking and the arts overall. Join us and have fun carving your creative path!
Lyell Castonguay and Carand Burnet founded BIG INK. The duo wanted to foster a community of people who create woodblock prints. The first informal BIG INK occurred in Northampton, MA. Local artists carved blocks, ink was rolled out, and volunteers hand-printed the carvings. Those passing by could watch or lend a hand. Hand printing was standard at the first workshops. BIG INK would acquire The Big Tuna, our legendary mobile printing press, years later!
The first BIG INK workshop occurred at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, MA. Participants received a printmaking manual written by Castonguay and Burnet called The Gritty Guide and six introductory carving videos. The duo used Zea’s large press to print everyone’s work and sought other US studios with similar equipment.
Art centers with large presses in Rhode Island, Oregon, and Oklahoma hosted BIG INK workshops; otherwise, these were the only available locations. Castonguay and Burnet realized further growth depended on creating a portable printing press. The duo raised approximately $15,000 in funding through state grants and private donors to build The Big Tuna. BIG INK could now facilitate workshops anywhere.
Castonguay and Burnet designed an online course for all experience levels. It featured resources and new techniques, which the duo acquired through traveling and working with others. Workshop highlights included a print demonstration and an artists’ talk at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Castonguay and Burnet were selected to participate in a pitch competition hosted by The Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) of Rockingham Country, NH. BIG INK beat out 35 other applicants to receive $25,000. The funds aided in the creation of a new website, branding, and brochures.
Masks were in short supply at the start of the global pandemic. So Burnet sewed and donated over 300 woodblock-printed masks to artists in need. BIG INK workshops were paused for eight months and resumed at a reduced capacity. 2020 marked The Big Tuna’s first cross-country trip from New Hampshire to California!
Castonguay and Burnet continue to facilitate workshops nationwide. Each year, more artists experience the satisfaction of carving and printing. BIG INK has helped create thousands of prints carved by many outstanding individuals. See upcoming workshops here!
Lyell Castonguay, Co-Founder of BIG INK, acts as an instructor, event coordinator, and web administrator. Originally from Maine, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Manchester, NH. While in school, he focused on combining his interests in storytelling, illustration, and printmaking. Some of his favorite printmakers include Antonio Frasconi, Leonard Baskin, and Gustave Doré.
Castonguay’s interest in avian subjects began when he was gifted two juvenile society finches. Castonguay became an ethologist because he was fascinated with the secret lives of animals and birds. He recognized their distinct personalities and observed them communicating with one another and sleeping together at night. Aviculture remains part of the artist’s home life, and birds are the central subjects in his art.
Castonguay’s work is in international collections, including the Aomori Museum of Art in Japan and the Archille Bertarelli Collection in Italy. Castonguay has over a decade of experience working with fellow artists, guiding them through the creative process, and printing their work.
Carand Burnet, Co-Founder of BIG INK, acts as digital media producer. She uses a Sony α7S III and edits BIG INK’s master class series using industry leading video, audio, and design programs.
Burnet earned a BFA in Painting in Manchester, NH. In 2021, she earned an audio engineering certificate and has taken video postproduction courses at Maine Media Workshops + College.
Burnet has played the electric guitar since childhood and enjoys composing instrumentals and jamming with friends. She performs with her band, Kioea, at venues and festivals throughout New England. Her music has been selected twice as Bandcamp “New & Notables” and she was awarded a Maine ARP Grant through the National Endowment for the Arts to record her most recent album.
BIG INK Brings Big Designs to Morean Arts Center
WUSF Public Media, Tampa, FL, 09/27/19
At the Morean Arts Center: BIG INK, big prints, big weekend
St. Pete Catalyst, St. Petersburg, FL, 09/24/19
BIG INK: Two Artists, One Printing Press, Many Stories
Art New England Magazine, Boston, MA, 09/01/19
BIG INK Wins The REDC Granite State Growth Competition
The Union Leader, Manchester, NH, 05/11/19
BIG INK Interview
The Hand Magazine, Prairie Village, KS 04/01/19
A Recap of BIG INK’s 2018 Monumental Woodblock Tour
The Boston Printmakers 2018/19 Quarterly, Boston, MA, 12/15/18
Large-scale prints on display
The Republican, Springfield, MA 10/31/18
BIG INK comes to Riverviews Artspace
The Burg, Lynchburg, VA 10/3/18
Spreading the gospel of woodcut printmaking in a BIG way
The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR 7/18/18
Artists Make Ornate Ink Works with Unique Technique
Woonsocket Call, Woonsocket, RI, 9/19/16
Want to write about us, access high-res photos, or learn more?
Download a PDF press overview, photos, and video here. Please email us at contact@bigink.org to get in touch!
2023
3S Artspace, NH
A.P.E. Ltd., MA
Artspace, NC
Atlantic Center for the Arts, FL
Boston Center for the Arts, MA
Center for Contemporary Printmaking, CT
Connecticut College, CT
Five Points, CT
Hatch Show Print, TN
McColl, NC
Pike School, MA
Print League, MO
SUNY Potsdam, NY
The Hill School, PA
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, MD
2022
Arvada Center, CO
Art Complex Museum, MA
Dedee Shattuck Gallery, MA
Firefly Artists, NY
Heckscher Museum, NY
Hopkins Art Center, MN
Hudgens Center for Art & Learning, GA
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, MD
Print Club of Cleveland/Balwin Wallace University, OH
Riverviews Artspace, VA
Sharon Art Studio, CA
Tiger Lily Press, OH
Toe River Arts Council, NC
Whiteaker Printmakers, OR
2021
3S Artspace, NH
A.P.E. Ltd., MA
Artspace, NC
Color | Ink Studio, MI
Hatch Show Print, TN
NY State Teachers Association Conference, NY
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, MD
2020
3 Fish Studios, CA
Center for Contemporary Printmaking, CT
Dedee Shattuck Gallery, MA
Hudgens Center for Art & Learning, GA
Pajama Factory, PA
Riverviews Artspace, VA
Roaming Studio, KY
Shepherd & Maudsleigh, MA
Toe River Arts Council, NC
Whiteaker Printmakers, OR
2019
3S Artspace, NH
Artspace, NC
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, VT
Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, DC
Cultural Arts Center, OH
Firefly Artists, NY
Hatch Show Print, TN
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, MD
Morean Arts Center, FL
NY State Teachers Association Conference, NY
Phillips Exeter Academy, NH
Pike School, MA
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, MD
Red Delicious Press, CO
South Shore Art Center Festival, MA
University of Akron, OH
2018
3 Fish Studios, CA
Artists Image Resource, PA
Carroll Community College, MD
Center for Contemporary Printmaking, CT
Dedee Shattuck Gallery, MA
Firefly Artists, NY
Fleisher Art Memorial, PA
Frontline Arts, NJ
Georgia College & State University, GA
Lancaster Museum of Art, PA
Phoenix Rising Printmaking Co-op, OH
Riverviews Artspace, VA
Roger Williams University, RI
Salem State University, MA
Two Rivers Printmaking Studio, VT
Whiteaker Printmakers, OR
Zea Mays Printmaking, MA
2017
Amherst College, MA
ARTSPACE at Untitled, OK
Atlanta Printmakers Studio, GA
Concordia University, QC
Gettysburg College, PA
Ink Shop Printmaking Studio, NY
Manhattan Graphics Center, NY
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, MD
New Hampshire Institute of Art, NH
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, MD
Shepherd Studio, MA
University of Florida, FL
2016
ARTSPACE at Untitled, OK
Center for Contemporary Printmaking, CT
Easthampton City Arts+, MA
Printworks, MA
Whiteaker Printmakers, OR
XOS Open Studios, RI
Deerfield Academy, MA
2015
AS220, RI
Pickwick Independent Press, ME
Roger Williams University, RI
Past Exhibition Sites
3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH
[Artspace] at Untitled, Oklahoma City, OK
Bend Art Center, Bend, OR
Brickbottom Gallery, Boston, MA
Florida State College, Jacksonville, FL
Hudgens Center for Art & Learning, Duluth, GA
Tab last updated: 3/16/23
Frontline Arts, Branchburg, NJ
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD
Seoul Museum of Art, Korea
Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA
Toe River Arts Council, Spruce Pine, NC
What is a woodblock?
A woodblock is essentially a hand-carved stamp. Woodblock prints, aka woodcuts, are made through a process of elimination. First, an artist draws a design onto a piece of wood. Areas to show “white” are cut away with a chisel, leaving the characters or image to show in “black” at the original surface level. The stamp is coated with ink and pressed onto paper by hand. Large woodblocks require a specialized machine press to exert enough force to produce a quality impression.
