Vero Beach, FL (PRWEB) April 08, 2014 -- Vero Beach artist Robert Ottesen has created a new printing process using an ink derived from coffee. Thanks to some new techniques and a few innovations, an image of the Seattle Space Needle has been printed in a photo-realistic manner.
According to Ottesen, “I love the mystic effect you achieve when you print with coffee, and the technical challenges made the project interesting to me.”
The print is already attracting attention from experts in the field.
“This is amazing. Rob has pushed the envelope and developed a new and creative print-making technique,” said Frank Romano, RIT Professor Emeritus and President of the Museum of Printing.
In order to print with coffee, Ottesen needed a coffee based ink. So he turned to Bob Peterson, a consultant with over 30 years of experience in the ink business. Peterson, after numerous attempts, was finally able to get coffee to mix with a special blend of printing oils.
According to Peterson, “When Mr. Ottesen approached me and explained that he wanted to make an ink from coffee, I told him that it couldn’t be done. However, after listening to what he had planned to use the ink for, I decided to take on the challenge. Creating an ink from coffee grounds has never been attempted, to the best of my knowledge. It was extremely difficult to identify an ink varnish that would allow the coffee grounds to blend with the varnish. Additionally, the time and mechanical force required to blend the coffee with the varnish was ten times more than that of a regular ink. The process definitely required “thinking outside the box”!
Interested parties will soon be able to view a copy of this historic print at the Museum of Printing in North Andover, Massachusetts.
About Robert Ottesen:
Robert Ottesen is an artist living in Vero Beach, Florida. In addition to printing with coffee he has created and lectured on such new techniques as “kinetic pointillism” and is working on creating a school for that style of painting. He also plans to print more images with coffee based ink.
Contact:
Robert Ottesen
setter_g(at)yahoo(dot)com
772-794-9146
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Robert Ottesen, Artist, +1 (772) 794-9146, [email protected]
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