Ink lathered hands delicately trace the edges of the finished bronze canvas. Etched onto it is an ambiguous design.

The design is a key concept of the visiting artist for the “Shockpress Collaborative” Chris Flynn, a print-maker from Chicago. “Shockpress Collaborative” is a program organized by the Print Media department of the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries at Wichita State. The program invites contemporary print-makers to lead workshops with students.

His work embodies the extension and ideas of morbidity and mortality, while expressing bodily empathy. He incorporates drawing, traditional printmaking and handmade paper together to craft works of paradox and timeliness.

“Printmaking is an art method.” Flynn said. “The nature of the technique combined with various concepts develops and creates an exchange of ideas and helps grow those ideas.”

An art form, Flynn says, that is an expression rather than industry.

To create the print, Flynn layers ink onto a bronze-plated canvas, etched with a design. He then spreads the substance evenly and gently wipes the ink away using a thin cloth until the engraved image appears. A blank sheet of paper is placed over the top and the canvas is rolled underneath a press. Flynn cranks the press slowly until the canvas reappears from the opposite side. He lifts the sheet of paper off the canvas and a flawless imprint appears.