Off to Fargo

We're off to Fargo to Attend the Mid America Print Council conference.  As part of the conference activities, there will be an exchange portfolio with the theme of "Convergence".  This theme is defined as the occurrence of two or more things coming together, and each artist participating in the portfolio and exhibition can interpret that as they see fit.  Each image has an edition of twelve, and each artists who participates will receive a portfolio of ten prints by different artists in exchange.  So we'll bring our portfolios to show next Monday.  The images above are by those of us from IUS who will be participating.  Jamie Klein's lithograph and screenprint combination; Rob Woolley's intaglio with relief roll; Susan Moffett's screenprint with relief, and my digital with relief roll.  I couldn't catch Donna today, but will post hers next week. 

Mid America Print Council Conference

The MAPC Conference in Fargo, ND starts Wednesday, October 1 and continues through October 5.  I will be attending this conference along with Susan Moffett, Donna Stallard, Rob Woolley, and Jamie Klein.  The conference theme is Convergence (impressions of space we inhabit).  The conference literature explains that we "will explore how artists, educators, and creative people in general are influenced and marked by the spaces they inhabit.  The conference will also examine how the current world of printmaking is affected by vast quantities of available and developing methods and approaches, methods that seem connected to one another (historically, in terms of process, or by physical characteristics) while others seem quite unique.  The theme also questions limits and how they are determined or superseded, and how artists who use prints/printmaking are leaping into open space, or taking the risk to enter vast expanses.

That's a lot to think about.  There will be numerous panel discussions and demonstrations of printmaking techniques. An artist named Chris Flynn will be doing a demonstration of "digital print through press" which interests me a lot since my current work is about taking digital prints and doing traditional printing on top of them.  E.C. Cunningham will be doing photo-intaglio/collagraph monoprints, which seems particularly connected to the theme of the conference.  I hope to see that demonstration as well.  Art Werger will be doing color mezzotints, which I'm sure will be an interesting process.  He's a very meticulous printmaker.

The panel discussions are rich with provocative topics and I wish it were possible to attend them all, but I'll have to pick and choose.  Those of particular interest are: The Role of Classical Practices in the Digital Age, Teaching Critical Thinking in Print, and A sense of space. You can read descriptions of these panels by going to the link below:

http://www.mapc2008.com/presenters.html

See you in class on Monday.

Color Separation Monotypes

The prints above were created with a three-color separation monotype process.  I may not have had my camera adjusted just right to capture the true colors of the works, but at least you'll be able to see the range of execution possible with this unique print process. There were no particular conceptual parameters to the project, it was mostly to get the beginning students to become familiar with and more acclimated to the printshop and the presses.  Some of the images were inspired by drawings done in previous semesters.  Those posted here are by Alex Kennedy, Julie Anderson, Allison Filippini, Cricket Bidwell, Jay Whitman,  and Kyrstal Clements.

Soap Box 2: Print, Politics & Democracy

Check out the link below for the American Print Alliance.  It is mounting a national exhibition that will then travel for the next few years.  One of my prints was accepted and is reproduced on the site.  Also click on the link with the above title to see other prints in the exhibit.

www.printalliance.org

WHAT IS A PRINT?

Go visit this website to see the four main print processes, two of which are the primary areas of focus this semester.

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2001/whatisaprint/flash.html

Moving on.....

Hurricane Ike will long be remembered in the Ohio Valley.  The power at my house finally came back on Saturday night, and I know a few of you were still unfortunately without power yesterday.  I can fully understand and appreciate the inconveniences that Ike has caused. However, we have to move on with our work in class.  I can't continue to teaching the art of printmaking to alternating groups. Those of you who have missed classes since the storm should try your best to get caught up.  In the printshop is a very informative studio manual called A Printshop Handbook, by Beth Grabowski.  This textbook details all  of the processes we have been exploring with Intaglio to date, from plate preparation to pulling the first impression.  Please review it particular to line etch and aquatint.

On Wednesday, the 24th, at the beginning of class I will collect all monotypes after they've been signed.  I will discuss that procedure with you then.  Think of what your title might be to include with the signing.  After reviewing the monotypes, I will then attach an evaluation and return them to you within a week.  You may then revise, redo, or create another in response to the evaluation, which will be included in your final portfolio.

Remember, if you've not yet paid your materials fee, please do so ASAP.

See you tomorrow.

I'll be leaving for Alabama tomorrow and will return Sunday night.  For those of you who are first time etchers working in the shop this weekend, please remember to cover the acid when you're finished etching; turn off the hotplate; return tools and materials where they belong.  

I will be collecting your monotypes on Monday.  

Have a good weekend.

Brian Harper has added to his blog an easily accessible link for voter registration for both Indiana and Kentucky.  If you've not registered to vote yet, here is an easy way to do it.  It's at www.claybucket.blogspot.com

As I'm sure you're all aware, there are some very important issues that we are all facing in this presidential election, so the more who participate in the process, the better for us all.  It may even provide further inspiration for the class project: "POLITICS: ISSUES OF VOTE O8"

PLEASE VOTE!!!!!

Hurricane Ike took a big bite out of class yesterday, more than 50% absent.  I understand the difficulties.  So we're a little behind on our schedule and will try to get caught up on Wednesday.  I did not take the monotypes yesterday as planned, but will do so during our next class.  Also, we will need to take a look at October 1 and discuss what we'll be doing that day as I will be out of town attending the Mid America Print Council conference in Fargo, ND.  We're currently scheduled for a soft-ground demonstration, but I think some of the other processes you'll be involved with will easily occupy your workload that day.  We'll discuss it during class.  Rob and Jamie are also attending the conference, but there will still be some experienced printmakers in the studio should you have questions: Julie, Cricket, and Brent.

I hope everyone gets out from under all the Ike debris and will be in class on Wednesday.  See you then.  

This is the color version of Awakening that I said that I would post in order to demonstrate the difference between the duotone image (below this post) on the cover of Contemporary Impressions and the actual print.  The color was created by a blended relief roll onto the plate after the image had been inked as an intaglio.  The blend was created with three different inks, two with Cyan (the bottom a bit more intense) and one with Benz Yellow.  Each color was further mixed with transparent tint base and Setswell compound.  I also added a few drops of linseed oil to the mixture so that the relief roll would not pull up any of the intaglio ink;  the intaglio color was stiff and the relief roll was loose. It was important in this printing for the inking combination  to have a strong repulsion of each other since the solar plate was not etched very deep.  I did not want to lose any detail by having the relief roller pull any contrast from the plate.