Exchange Portfolio: Reconciliation

Shawn McPheron's solar plate image was created with a photographic image manipulated in photoshop and then printed onto a transparency and exposed to the plate. He printed it with a modified graphite ink on tan BFK.

Rosi Benjamin's also created a solar plate print by drawing directly onto a transparency with India Ink and Sharpies and and then exposing it to the plate. Her printing involved a black intaglio with a transparent roll of a cool cyan and printed on a warm paper.

Kim Salaices' print is a linoleum cut printed over a digital image of pattern and chine colled onto a thin black paper, which she then sewed button eyes onto the rag doll and further stitched into the heart and body of the doll image.

Fran Detiel's print is a digital drawing printed onto a transparency and exposed to the plate, which she hand colored with transparent washes of acrylic, she burnt the edges of the print and also burnt the edges of the paper that the print was eventually mounted on.

Chris Little's print was an linoleum cut exploring cellular and tectonic issues, it was printed onto a map and then further mounted onto rag paper.

Almost all of the "artist's proofs" for the Reconciliation editions have been submitted. Actually they aren't Artist's Proofs since most of the editions haven't been printed yet, so each is actually referred to as a bon a tirer, which mean good to pull. Years ago print collectors use to consider an Artist's Proof as a prized acquisition because in the French tradition of printmaking an artist worked closely with a Master Printer. As the artist inspected the proofs that had been pulled by the Master Printer, the one the artist signed and labeled "B.A.T." (bon a tirer) was the one the artist wanted as a guide for the edition. This print took over as the coveted one for collectors because it was the first to meet the artist's standards and approval. However, because many artists now print their own editions and give equal attention to the first print as well as the last, the attention given to Artist's Proofs has become less important. Each print in the edition is of equal importance.

A colophon page is being prepared for the portfolio and it will have reproductions of every print created for the exchange since the portfolios will not contain all of the images. There will be 17 randomly collated portfolios of ten prints each, and one portfolio with all 17 prints as part of the printshop collection. Although I know that some of you are disappointed that the portfolios will not be complete, the budget would not allow for the editioning of 306 prints, that's a lot of ink and a lot of paper and lot of glassine and a lot of time. The had to be a reconciliation for everyone to get a good sampling of the entire group of prints, plus reproductions of the ones that are not included in an particular portfolio.

Examples of some of the prints are included with this post. They represent a diverse range of imagery and processing. They also represent a conceptual stretch of the theme that defines the portfolio.