Thursday, September 27, 2012

Critique

Lots of interesting dialogue yesterday during the upper level critique. Besides hitting on the usual kinds of things that printmakers like to talk about - process - we got into some of the motivations that inspired  creative investigations. I think it is highly important that such exchanges encourage a thorough grounding in the broad range of traditional, contemporary, and innovative printmaking techniques. It also encourages everyone to formulate and articulate philosophical and personal concepts and to move them into the visual. Although we have a relaxed studio environment, we also have an intensive studio experience with critical and theoretical dialogue, and that was very present yesterday. I appreciate the candor of dialogue. The goal of helping one another was healthy and constructive.

I hope some of the suggestions that were offered are thoroughly considered, especially in regard to context. Who are you as an artists and why do you do the things you do? Who else might be doing something similar and why are they doing it? Is there a difference between art and craft and how does it relate to the art and craft of printmaking? What about the traditions of your work and how does it relate to the contemporary?

Fear was an unexpected topic, and that evolved into some intense exchanges. Creativity and fear are strange bed fellows, so to say, with fear being the destructive counterpart. In fact, fear is perhaps the biggest block to creativity. Fear of making mistakes, of being criticized, of disturbing traditions and making changes, of losing the security of habit. It can go on and on. A change of focus will surely help alleviate such anxieties.

Looking forward to the continued exchanges, both formally and informally. See you in the shop.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Integrating Media/Alternative Methods

Our new printmakers began their journey into Intaglio last evening with most having plates filed and grounded by the end of the evening. Each is exploring a different theme that they will develop and evolve through the different processes they will be exploring during the semester. I'll have some new images from them to post soon.


The old guard is exploring some new approaches to their work this semester and some of the results are pretty interesting.  Alex has a box of broken glass that resemble diamonds, and, of course, I'm always a sucker for things that sparkle. He's placing them directly onto the exposure unit and then placing a photopolymer plate on top. The results are beautiful surfaces of texture that he will continue to explore and incorporate into other images, possible linking that with some of his body impressions.


Anna is working on some new ideas by creating textural surfaces that she will be cutting and mounting onto various sized wooden cubes. The image above was created by applying gesso to a canvas board and marking into the surface while it was wet. Some of that inspiration may come from the work of Yaacov Agam, where the artwork can be touched, moved, and manipulated by the viewer. It will be a challenging process.


Dani is continuing her work with the monotype process exploring identity issues through aggressive and uncomfortable images of emotional responses. Working in very transparent layers, she builds the images into psychological narratives of considerable strength.


Stasha is still searching out her vision through experimentations with mixed media, such as water and graphite powder, tusche, and color printing. Not sure yet where she will be taking this research, but as the scale increases and movement becomes less confined, her discoveries will be engaging.


Wende is a printing machine. She has several large matricies created as collagraphs that she's processing as as intaglio, some following with surface rolls, and some just printed as reliefs. They are printed in various combinations, looking for uniquely personal patterns that she will incorporate into various quilted images.

Laura is working an a relief print. I couldn't include an image today as there were no proofs available to shoot. I'll catch one on the next go-around. 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Thought I'd add some more of the monotypes since the first batch didn't generate any discussion. Maybe by having all of them on the discussion will be more involved.



Ayla utilized an older drawing from a previous studio class and added some new elements. A few points were discussed during critique that may help to strengthen the final image.


Chasson also went back in time to a project from his drawing class, building a figure from the skeleton and adding layers of muscle and tissue. He wasn't as happy with the print as he was the drawing, but then that is one of the corners we find ourselves in when we try to retranslate an image from one medium to another.


Edwin is looking at Mucha.


Jeremy went to a previous semester and restated a drawing through the monotype process. Now that everyone has experienced that process twice, the first being the collaborative impression, concepts will evolve through the monotype process better. 


Joseph's angel is pretty vibrant. I could see some transparent neutrals incorporated.


Kat is telling a story about a fox, although more detail may be necessary.


Kayla reinterpreted an earlier drawing by pushing the negative areas into richer darks. Some spatial pushing could move us into the image a bit more.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Monotypes

Last evening the beginning group discussed the first monotype project, and I have to say that it was one of the most productive discussions at this level that I've experienced in some time. Most everyone contributed critical feedback to the work we were viewing. Very sound recommendations were offered regarding the process and ways to utilize it to strengthen the work. There were healthy disagreements as well. Some of the images, though executed competently, suffered from drawing issues. those individuals will want to spend more time trying to resolve future images before they are committed to the printmaking process we happen to be exploring at the time, and current work is always going to be stronger that pulling out drawings from a few years ago. We will discuss some thematic options on Thursday so that future work is current and relevant to the artist.




Brady created this monotype referencing Superman and super heroes, calling into question the whole idea of Heroes and what that designation really means.


Hope's monotype was based on a cluster of trees that were reflecting into a pool of water.


Jessica referenced a drawing that she spent considerable time on in a previous class, an alternative self-portrait.


Josh also mined the past with an image he created in drawing class last semester, although in this case he cropped in more tightly, enlarging the skeleton for a more dynamic composition.


Lexi's image of a woman bearing a pail of water raised some interesting discussion regarding it's content, possibly referencing several stories and myths.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A New Year for Prints

We're into September 2012. That's a long time since the last posting. I had taken a hiatus from this blog due to the inactivity. I was a bit tired of only communicating with myself and responding to my own posts. But some interest has been expressed to resurrect INTAYLO, contribute more posts and include more images from the two groups of printmakers. I'm hopeful we'll have more online discussions/critiques.

There's a beginning and advanced group. The advanced group has already been working pretty steadily so I have a few images to share from those efforts. The beginning group in in the midst of the three color separation monotype process, so after this evening, there'll be some images to share from those efforts.

The advanced group is already very involved in their new work. I've changed some things around this semester hoping to make the printshop a more collaborative, interactive, and innovative arena. We started the semester with some collaborative projects, teaming up small groups of two to create prints from nontraditional matricies. There are some pretty interesting results that I hope will fuel further investigations. I teamed up with Dani, and we layered several kinds of surfaces, such as a screen door guard, shower mat, carpenter's square, stamps, and a few floor mats.

Wende and Anna created a layered impressions from shelf liners, doilies, and twine. They offset those impressions onto a sheet of sheer paper and then waxed it to hang over the original impressions, creating a veil of color and texture.

Alex and Stasha inked up a sheet of mylar, placed it on a sheet of paper and placed it under a car. They then drove back and forth over it. The remaining image on the mylar was then printed onto another sheet of paper.

Laura and Emily printed a flat of yellow, then inked up string and printed it in layers over the surface, with each layer getting more and more vague. They finished with a layer of transparent magenta that has Saran wrap textures impressed in the surface.

Brian and Dani

Wende and Anna

Stasha and Alex

Laura and Emily


Each of these collaborative experimentations examined less conventional approaches to creating images through a printmaking sensibility. There was ink and pressure and layers and paper. Aside from the work each individual will be exploring and discussing throughout the semester, we will also continue to push for more innovation through collaborative efforts and critical dialogue.