Alternative to the Frenzy

 

 

If you are weary of the Christmas shopping frenzy or trying to avoid it, this invitation is for you. It is quiet and peaceful in the studio – a welcome alternative shopping experience if you are interested in shopping for original artwork. I am not holding an open studio, but will happily be here by appointment for anyone who wants to stop in. There are drawings (framed and unframed), paintings, collages, monotypes, 3-D pieces, and even clay whistles to have a look at. I’ll brew up some tea or share a glass of wine if you want to come and have a look! If you are interested, get in touch or contact me here and we can set something up.

 

 

Enjoy these days, every one of them and every beautiful minute!

Experiment

In printmaking, monotype is a wonderful way to experiment with materials and open the door to chance and surprise in the process. If you aren’t familiar with monotype, it basically involves making/painting an image on a plate (plexiglass, metal, even paper) and transferring that image to the printing paper by running the two together through the printing press. Unlike other forms of printmaking where multiple images can be pulled from the same plate, monotype results in a unique image with the sometime possibility of a paler ghost print from a second pull. In truth the possibilities for techniques in making monotypes are endless, and I couldn’t even begin to describe them here.

Last summer I took a short four session class just to have an opportunity to play a bit. I suppose it should have been no surprise when my printing did not go at all in the direction I had imagined. Under the guidance of the excellent artist and teacher Chris Palmer at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School, I experimented with something I hadn’t tried before: using newsprint as the  printmaking plate. Caran d’Ache water soluble wax crayons can be used to draw on a surface and when run through the press with wet printing paper, the image transfers. I had tried this in the past using a plexiglass plate and was very disappointed in the result. But I had never tried drawing and layering the Caran d’Ache on paper. This allows the layers of wax crayon to be built up in much thicker layers than are possible on the plexiglass plate, and it also transfers the drawn strokes and marks which have a very different appearance than painted ones. There are, of course, still surprises in the printing, and that’s the beauty of the monotype process. My interest at the moment is to use the monotype as the base of mixed media images, adding in drawing, collage, trace monotype, etc., and this class allowed me to begin to experiment with that.

If you want to see some of the results, Hill Gallery is having an opening of the show CHRIS PALMER: TWENTY celebrating 20 years of Chris’ instruction at the VMFA with work from his students this Friday night, January 23, 5:00-8:00 PM. Stop in if you can!

Friday is a busy night. VisArts will be opening the annual [work] show featuring work by faculty, staff, and board members. Drop by 6:00-8:00!

Unframed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a few of drawers of unframed pieces in the flat file and these are some of the landscapes. Most of these pieces are a little older, many are mounted and ready to frame. There are bargains to be found in these drawers. And here is a newer piece that is tucked away for safe keeping, a broadside with one of Kasey Jued’s beautiful poems. Read more about this one here. Only a few days left for studio visits. Stop in today or call to set up a time!

Monotype (What I Did On My Summer Vacation)

 

This summer I took a short course in monotype at the VMFA with artist/printmaker Chris Palmer. It was only four classes – an appetizer, a teaser – just enough time to distract me from the work in my studio and make me want to be in the print studio with the press all of the time. If you are unfamiliar with the term, monotype is a printmaking technique that produces a unique print when an inked or painted plate of some sort is printed onto paper using a printing press. That is an extremely limited definition; in truth, the techniques and possibilities for monotype are many, if not infinite. The scientist in me just can’t resist experimenting with different materials, techniques, and ideas. Consequently, I never really got around to doing what I had imagined I might. I was intrigued by the possibility of using newsprint as a plate that I could work on at home using water-soluble wax crayons and then printing with the press on paper that had been soaked in a water bath. The images above are two samples of my experiments; the second print is still in progress. There will be more, and I can’t wait to get back to it!!

Foxgloves

 

Yesterday I finally printed an edition of my first broadside. I printed the edition of twelve prints by hand on my kitchen counter, and I am happy to say that all of the prints came out reasonably well. After mixing a color I liked with some older ink, I ended up ordering some new ink for the edition to ensure the same color intensity. So much for trying to use up supplies on hand! But, I am SO happy with the water-soluble relief ink that I got from Graphic Chemical – wonderful consistency and pigment rich! And the ink stayed open long enough to print the edition. It might even make a convert of me from oil-based inks.

 

Here is a picture of the prints drying on the dining room table.

 

See the previous post for more information on this broadside and the class I took in Charlottesville.

 

Can’t wait to start the next linocut!