Linoleum Cut and Broadside in Les Baux de Provence, France

October 9-11th, 2026

$325.00

Linoleum cutting is a great introduction to relief printing. Learn to make your own linocuts and create a broadside (poster) to pair your image with words. Broadsides are a grand tradition in the printing arts that allow an artist to express themselves with imagery and words – Louis Jou did many such works. Students will learn how to use the tools, create a single color or multicolor image, setting printers type by hand, type compositional theory and printing on the iron hand presses.

One of the more incredible experiences of this class is being able to access and use Louis Jou’s type. Jou designed his own exclusive typefaces for his books, title pages and broadsides and these typefaces are proprietary – they exist nowhere else in the world, not even in digital form New type will be laid into cases for this class and future use. These are unopened packages laid in storage since the 1930’s-50’s when originally cast in Spain! If you are planning to set type in English beware that French has very few individual (sorts) in the typecase of the letter “w” among other unique nuances of the French language alphabet characters and their frequency of use.

Lodging at the Foundation is provided with the cost and we generally collaborate on meals. Les Baux is isolated, and while there are options for restaurants within the village during the day, not so much at night. We have a kitchen at our disposal to prepare meals and it is a lovely way to continue the work into the evening. There is no overnight parking in Les Baux, cars are not permitted within the walled village at the top of the bluff overlooking the Rhone River Valley where we will be staying and working.

See the main blog post here, for more information about Les Baux, the studio and other classes offered this fall.

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Examples of broadsides created by Chad Pastotnik and former students at the Louis Jou Foundation

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Materials provided by the Louis Jou Foundation:

• Sketch (tracing) paper
• Printing paper, Arches or similar.
• Some tools available
• Printing ink, rollers
• Stanhope presses
• Unmounted linoleum will be provided by the instructor, additional pieces may be purchased subject to availability.

Students bring:

• Pencil and eraser
• Ideas or sketches for 8x13cm (3×5″) and 12x20cm (5×8″) images
• Relief cutting tools if you have them, some tools will be available to use at the foundation. A cheap Speedball set is adequate for the beginner.
• Ideas for a short poem, recipe, statement, sign, etc. 
• * Try to keep it short, less than 10 lines or 200 words!
• If you are planning to set type in English beware that French has very few individual (sorts) in the typecase of the letter “w” among other unique characteristics of the French language and characters used.

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These workshops are designed for:

* The amateur who wishes to discover and understand by doing, rediscovering the manual characteristics of these rare and forgotten techniques. Having some ability to draw is beneficial for the linoleum part of the process, setting type is comparable to doing a mechanical puzzle.

* The more experienced – a professional artist who wishes to deepen their knowledge of this technique and the vocabulary of its history and use, with the goal of expanding their range of personal expression. The Stanhope iron hand press was the first major evolution in printing replacing wooden common presses – experience the process as an artisan would hundreds of years ago expressing yourself with imagery and type.

* The typographer – learn to set type the way Gutenberg did. For 500 years type was an object which was the legacy of typography within the constraints of physical limitations. To experience letter spacing, kerning, leading and mixed size characters in real life better informs the digital practice and gives greater understanding of historic examples and why modern choices work. There are few places left on the planet where you could hand set a proprietary typeface or two but this is the only place where you can do it with a harmonious family of faces in a range of sizes, character alternates and styles. A true treasure.