How did linocut printing become your medium of choice?
I was planning to major in art history in college, mainly because my parents are in the arts—they’re museum people—and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I was required to take a “history of printmaking” class, which I thought was going to be a real bore. Even though it was technically a history class, we had to carve prints out of rubber on the first day, and we printed them in the classroom with a spoon like we were in middle school. I had so much fun that I ditched the art history major and went all in on studio art.

Walk us through your printmaking process.
Most of my prints are of food, so I’ll share a classic example: My wife is a farmer and always comes home with organic fruits or vegetables that she grew, like a tomato. I’ll take a photo of the tomato or sketch it right onto the linoleum, and then I use U- and V-shaped gouge tools that are like little knives to carve away the linoleum. Most of my prints are two colors, and I always print from lightest to darkest. I’ll pick a color, roll on the oil-based ink with a brayer, and send it through the printing press. The reverse of what I carved will be printed on the paper.

How did you come up with the idea for your mini print vending machines?
I moved to Maine from New York in 2020, and we got here during a massive quarter shortage. The apartment we moved into, which I still live in today, has coin-operated laundry in the basement. I had just become a full-time artist, and my wife was farming, so our clothing was constantly dirty. I was participating in art markets, and I thought that having vending machines I could drag around would be a clever way to collect coins so I could do my laundry. I also like offering affordable artwork, because there aren’t many fun things you can buy for just a dollar.

Why is accessibility important to you?
I’m an artist myself, and I don’t own any artwork that’s fancy or expensive—everything in my apartment was made by local artists or friends of mine, and it’s all affordable. When I started my business, all my customers were college students who had no money. Most people who think about owning art think about the pieces from big auction houses like Sotheby’s or Christie’s, which cost millions of dollars. Having something that brings you joy, a real work of art that only costs a dollar, is pretty special. It’s so fun that you can frame something that comes out of a vending machine rather than just throwing it in the trash.

How has Maine influenced or affected your art?
I’m originally from New York, and I don’t think I could have had this career anywhere other than Maine. Aside from the inspiration I get from the local produce my wife grows, I feel like everyone’s always rooting for me here. There are so many fellow artists in the community and so many markets to participate in—they make it easy to do what I love.

Grab your quarters and head to any of these Maine venues to purchase one of Inciardi’s $1 prints. For a full list of vending machine locations across the country, visit inciardiprints.com/pages/store-locator.

Allagash Brewing Company
100 Industrial Way, Portland

Broadturn Farm
388 Broadturn Road, Scarborough

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Soleil
550 Congress Street, Portland

The Post Supply
65 Washington Avenue, Portland

Wild Oats Bakery
166 Admiral Fitch Avenue, Brunswick