Last March, we were fortunate to return to the charming and idyllic studio of Jordi Rosés and Clàudia Lloret in Arenys de Munt. Art Print Residence offers accommodation and printmaking courses to artists from all over the world who, drawn by the high-quality training provided there, come to this small town in the Maresme region and spend their days surrounded by the peace and tranquility of the natural surroundings.
At 11 a.m. on a Monday in March, we headed to Arenys de Munt with the van loaded with the parts of a Cameron 100×150. What we didn’t expect was the excitement with which Jordi and Ariadna welcomed us. After having worked mostly with electric presses, they were now going to experience a manual one. They followed every step of the assembly process as if a new member of the family were being born. But the best moment came when we unloaded the flywheel and saw the smiles forming on their faces, full of emotion and curiosity.
The assembly was relatively straightforward: all the pieces fit perfectly through the doors, and the space was ideal for installing one of our machines. Still, the journey from the van to the studio with a nearly 100 kg roller in tow was long. What is clear is that it was not nearly as complicated as ten years ago, when we had to install a TCE 135×260, which required a crane to move the parts from the truck to the garden of Art Print Residence.
About three hours later came the true test: once assembled, the little beast proved it was ready to work. Jordi placed the felt, a small metal plate, and a sheet, and Ariadna began to turn the flywheel. “It’s a strange sensation,” she said. “You can feel the plate perfectly as it passes under the roller, but it takes no effort to move the flywheel. It’s so smooth!” Without a doubt, a magical moment that we also tried to capture with our camera so we could share it with all of you. We leave the video below.
We don’t want to say goodbye without first thanking Art Print Residence for trusting Tórculos Ribes for the third time, and above all, for keeping the magic of printmaking alive.
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