Exchange Portfolio: Reconciliation

This is the colophon page of the exchange portfolio created during the fall semester 2009. What will the spring 2010 colophon look like?

As in almost every previous semester, we will be undertaking a group portfolio exchange project this semester. Discussion of the project will be March 1 to decide on the theme, media, paper and image size, and edition number. Last semester there were 17 participants, each creating an edition of 11 impressions based on the theme “Reconciliation”, each print was on 9” x 12” paper with an image size of 5” x 7”. At the end of the semester, each participant received a portfolio of 10 randomly selected prints, while the shop received one complete portfolio of 17 impressions. The decision to not create editions of 18 was primarily cost related. 17 people printing editions of 18 impressions would require a lot of paper and a lot of ink.

The theme for the project is very open, but unlike the current 200 level intaglio project, this portfolio theme will be pursued by everyone rather than having several themes going at once. This allows for a collaborative strengthening of ideational fluency, taking an idea and interpreting it through each of the 17 unique sets of experiences, perceptions, and mediums. The media is also open and will ultimately be decided by each participant. At the moment, we have a few working in lithography, a few in silk screen, a lot of intaglio, and soon many more in relief. An exchange portfolio that explores all of these processes creates a more intriguing collection of prints than a portfolio that explores only one process.

So be thinking about a theme, and take a look at some of the past portfolio projects for inspiration.

Exhibit Opportunity

Anyone have some work they want to enter in a show in Jeffersonville? Go to:

www.springintoart.org

I'll be serving as the awards judge, don't know how it'll be juried, but it would be fun to see some work from IUS.

Monotypes, Phase I

Shawn created this image that is not particularly characteristic of the usual resulting palette of bold intense colors. I think he's still going to run another layer or two over this to push the atmospheric perspective even more.

Pako's confident drawing style that embraces illustrative rendering blended well with the separation process that resulted in a wide range of colors and values and a sense of animation.

Miranda explored an idea of image stereotypes that pushed the palette into interesting and expressive directions with bold colors and composition.

Mel looked at the abstraction of text, shape, and color to create the complexity of camouflaging pattern .

Greg looked at various travel images for inspiration and created this brightly colored sea/land scape.

Danny shows one of his influences in this pseudo-diabolical portrait that has an interesting contrast of colors carrying the content to other unexpected places.

Aberlyn's self-portrait has a strong sense of the dramatic created through her drawing/design skills and the resulting palette, belying the contemplative expression on the face.

These and many more prints represent a big batch of monotypes in my office that are fresh off the press. So fresh, in fact, the fragrance is filling the room with the sweet aroma of the printshop. Several of you have been down this path before, but there are about twelve who explored this method for the first time. I think the veterans showed obvious signs of growth from their last efforts with the three color separation process, and those exploring for the first time did some pretty competent things as well.

Learning a new process, or expanding on a process that clearly still possesses an element of surprise is always fun and challenging. Sometimes, though, the challenges can present themselves as barriers depending on how much or how little we tap into that side that is the creative part of who we are. Try not to let the those challenges of process become a barrier to your creative development, rather, embrace the challenge so you can express your visions, and be open to allowing the vision to take a different direction depending on the challenge. Printmaking, as you all know, and as we've discussed, is about deferred gratification. The thought process can be very convoluted at times, but the discoveries can be vastly rewarding.

I posted the images above because of their finished, resolved quality, and how they utilized the color separation process. Also how they resolved visual issues through that process without resorting to solutions outside of the process. Many of the pieces can be resolved by becoming mixed media, maybe even becoming stronger as such, but confronting creative problems that still have the potential for strong resolutions can be very satisfying, and edifying.

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.