Our First Group Discussion

Monotypes were due yesterday at 3:15, providing about an hour at the end of class for discussion in regard to where the prints were and what needed to be done still. I'll have some examples to post sometime on Friday. There were several that were very well executed and crafted and that took advantage of the full concept of color separation, and there were some that were short of the last one or two runs of colors or neutrals to resolve the image. I'm hopeful they'll be in a better place by the extended deadline of Friday at 10:00 a.m.

Resolving the impressions may involve techniques and methods that don't require the press. Some of the images may be better resolved with some hand work, drawing and/or painting. Afterall, it is a monotype, a one-of-a-kind impression. Often called the "painterly" print medium. Troy's resolution to his "kind of a cross" image was to go additive rather than sustaining the reductive process, allowing him to expand his imagination. This process merges printmaking, drawing, and painting, and can often do so with rich and exciting works. After printing, the image can be reworked to some extent using various types of media. However, it's a good idea to think about what that media is, or will be, since you're working on a oil based surface. Don't lose the integrity of the print by using it as simply a base for drawing or painting, but rather exercise your creativity to effectively blend those approaches.

This project stretched over twelve days, more than adequate time to print three colors, four if needed. That length of time actually could have yielded a small series of impressions, like Daniel is starting to explore. However, I can fully understand the intimidation factor that comes with a first semester printmaking student who comes in to work and isn't quite sure if they know how to mix the inks, or pull an impression on the press. That's why technical journals are so important. Of course, if you have a technical journal with no technical notes, it's a tough road working in the shop during non-class hours. So let's see if we can get our journals up-to-date on what we've covered so that the shop starts to experience more frequent activity than just Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

See you in the shop.

Another Holiday! No Classes!!

Monday, January 18, is the holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday, although he was actually born on January 15, which is Friday. Federal law (5 U.S.C.6103) established that MLK's birthday be celebrated this year (2010) as a National Holiday on the 18th, and every year on the third Monday of January. However, it's interesting that the law was established for federal employees. Most federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For those employees, when a holiday falls on a non-work day, Saturday or Sunday, the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

It's weird, if it falls on Friday it seems to me that that is a work day, not a non-work day, so why is MLK's birthday celebrated on the third Monday of January instead of this Friday, a work day, then we could at least have printmaking class on Monday. Last year, 2009, MLK's birthday was on Thursday the 15th, but celebrated on Monday the 21st, since, again, it was the third Monday of the month....go figure. If you'd like to celebrate MLK's birthday in the printshop, let me know and I'll bring the cake.

Beginning a New Semester

Spring classes start on Monday. I like the optimism of the "spring" semester, although it's freezing today, somewhere around 50 below zero. We have a mixed bag in the studio this semester, 11 beginning students, three in 300 level, one in 400 level, and one BFA. We'll also have both etching presses and, I hope, both litho presses running this semester, so there will be lots of printing fun!!! Those of you in the S240 group, if you get the chance to get any of your supplies by Monday, bring your scraper and burnisher with you. If not, we'll get into that on Wednesday. See you Monday at 1:15.

End of the Semester

It's Friday morning, close to noon; probably will be noon by the time I post this. The printshop is empty this morning, no printing happening. Maybe there will be some activity later, maybe tomorrow, even Sunday. I hope so.

There are a few shots of the printshop in its current state. Of course it won't look like this on Wednesday morning. It'll be clean, inks and other materials will be returned to their assigned locations, tables, counter tops, the big island and the small island will be scrubbed clean. Brayers will be in their drawer with the roller-side up. Tools will be back in their drawer. The hot plate will look new. Glass inking slabs will be shiny and the duct tape trim around them will be cleaned of all the ink. The acid room sink will, again, look like a stainless steel sink. We'll say goodbye to any unclaimed pinwheels. The light table will be a clean expanse of light table. A chunk of final grades is based on "Printshop Rules and Maintenance", so beyond each of the assigned printshop duties each of you had for the semester, the general maintenance (including some of those duties) have been a bit lax. Make sure everyone pitches in between now and Wednesday to get the shop back to where it was on the first day of the semester, so everyone can reap the rewards.

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.

GYOTAKU

Rob's flounder

Brian's flounder

On November 10th, Mineo Yamamotto, a renowned fish printer from Japan, came to IUS to conduct a seminar and fish printing workshop. The event was hosted by the Department of Fine Arts and the School of Natural Sciences. We had twenty partcipants, twenty fresh flounder, and twenty experimental attitudes. The results were pretty remarkable, and I have posted two of the prints above. Mineo was very helpful and very engaging with his explanations and demonstration of the process. He also had several of his own works that were quite beautiful.

Relief Prints

Trista Escobedo

Shawn McPheron

Kimberly Fawbush

Khara Cornelius

Fran Dietl

Chris Little

Beth Dougherty

We viewed and discussed final relief prints today, with a selection of those prints reproduced above. Each will have an edition of at least 4, some may have more. Many of the prints explored multiple processes, and given the variety of approaches taken I think that a pretty broad range of educational and creative experiences were shared by many. Chris and Khara both were using maps as a printing base, with Chris printing on actual map sections and Khara on digital maps. Several explored chine colle, and Shawn, Beth, and Kimberly had some pretty successful results. Fran took advantage of translucent paper mounted over another and different color paper for her strong graphic image, while Trista printed her image over a dog foot print decorative paper that created an image of multiple complexities of meaning.

Relief prints, like all of the print processes prior to the digital, has a long history and tradition. However, during the last quarter of the 20th century printmaking went through a lot of changes, perhaps due to large contract print shops working with artists who didn't know how to create prints. Prints began to incorporate other media, they no longer were just flat images created with ink, paper, and pressure. They incorporated photographic processes, sculptural considerations, even elements of installation and video. The work created in those printshops was orchestrated by Master Printers, artists who knew how to create prints based on extensive experience and knowledge of the processes, and who worked with the artists who didn't know how to create a "print". Much of printmaking is about is about critical thinking, having an idea and exploring that idea through a process or processes, resolving creative problems, saying something new and visually engaging about the potentials of both the idea and the process. That takes skill, creativity, knowledge of what came before, and the ability to think critically.

After the relief prints are editioned, wonder what would happen if.......