Sitting under the Colorado stars next to the steady crackle of flames, summer consumed me. Aiming to get as much fresh air through hiking, fishing and camping when not working resulted in not much printing or creating. Photography and flower arrangements are my creative outlet in the warmer months I think. I did make a small series of relief prints from pieces of wood from the fire pit which I mailed to friends and family. Looking forward to accessing a library of colors, textures and places from the Western Slope when I'm back at a press.
The Baltic Sea Coming to Life /
Printing in Polska /
As of October 1st, I started a 2 month residency at the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Ustka, Poland. I shipped a silkscreen over ahead of time and loaded up my suitcase with ink, squeegees, and an assortment of tapes. I arrived without a lick of Polish under my belt, but arrived nonetheless. With an empty studio space, I've transformed it into a makeshift screen printing space. From hanging string from doors and curtain rods as drying stations to taping the screen hinges tightly to the table or washing out the screen in my shower, each step has been problem to be solved. Most influential to the work is the use of tape though. Since there is no exposure unit and I've been having issues with the drawing fluid/screen filler duo...it has led me to choose only to create images with tape stencils. This minimalist approach to creating the work has led to minimal pieces of large color planes, bold geometric shapes and simple line work. The work itself is based around the patterns and shapes around Ustka's port and shoreline that I capture on camera and translate to print. I have also begun to delve into painting while here too as a why to "sketch" ideas on a smaller scale for prints. I also use tape to define where the paint is to go on those, similar to the printing process. The show will be installed November 14, and is open from the 15th to the 25th.
(belated) holiday cheer! /
The last thing I made in undergrad at Tyler! All were printed on scraps of paper found in the studio.
flower power /
I recently relocated my hot glue gun and have been using scrap prints at the studio while monitoring to create people's favorite flowers or make greeting cards to send out. Here are just a few of what I've been making!
synapses for synaptic /
For First Friday this February 5th I've been collaborating with my friend, Billy Green who does sculpture and digital work. We're basing our pieces off of synapses. I've been printing these plexi sheets at Second State Press which will be hung as blinds so light can be projected through them. I used tape to make impromptu geometric stencils informed by the imagery of synapses, neurons and the brain.
Here's a sneak peek! It'll be at the Vox building on the 5th Floor : 319 N. 11th St #3, Philadelphia, PA 19107 from 6-10
pen to print /
Taking a drawing I made last spring (in Sketch section), I started one of a series where I will be converting the pen drawings into multi layer silkscreen prints.
The original drawing was made while hostessing in a restaurant. I would use whatever was available at the hostess stand to create lines. This instance used the edge of the keyboard at my station and the a la carte menu laying next to it.
Philly Lilies /
This piece was created for a silk screen class with Amze Emmons where the assignment was to use silkscreen to create an image or space that was 4 x 8 feet. I wanted to create an installation using acrylic to create a space you can walk through, while also being able to see through the medium to the other pieces within it. My Uncle guided me in created the lily shapes out of colored acrylic on his bandsaw with a circle jig. I enjoy the freedom and process of monoprint, so I created a matrix to expose by laying out tape and found paper on acetate (an experiment that worked out). The paper created distinct shapes and lines while the tape allowed for tonal lines and shapes - a chance procedure of texture. Once ready for printing, I printed two different patterns to distinguish a "top" and "bottom". I also had a plastic bag laser cut in our Digital Fabrication Studio here in Tyler. Hand drawing the text "Thank you - Have a Nice Day", I wanted to make a recognizable form in a suggested mass of nature (the lily pads). The final product of the piece ends up not being about a literal environment it suggests but the created environment.
While making this, I had the following ideas in mind...
What is more chaotic, nature or man? What is hidden underneath the surface of beauty? Waste in beauty. Wasted nature. Waste due to beauty. Beauty in the waste of our world. Beauty hides waste.
Grinding a litho stone /
A short video demonstrating one step in grinding a stone! End result, smooth stone and some muscles.
Preparing a Stone /
Litho was the first print class I ever took. Honestly at first, I was not a fan of the process, it seemed daunting and too many steps. After being introduced to the stone in January, I love litho and all the possibilities of subtleties and texture you can achieve on a stone unlike any ball grain plate.
Show zeit /
Happy to participate in my first show ever, and then a second one as well!
Senior Printmakers at Tyler can be seen at Metro 250 Gallery in Philly April 3 - 26, 2015.
First Edition : New Philadelphia Printmakers, presented by Star Wheel Printers @ Center for Works on Paper. 705 Christian St. April 3 - May 2, 2015.
Layers of Use /
When finding scraps and strips of paper to use in monoprinting, the reverse sides pick up ink from the layering. Sometimes I find the geometric patterns printed as a result of the layering to stand as prints themselves, created in part by creating a larger print! I like the compositions they unconsciously make.
getting inked /
cleaning up ink makes smooth (almost edible looking..) mixtures!
On the Litho grind /
this is how printmakers keep their fine physique
Monoprogress /
I've been having fun scavenging the corners other students cut off of their ball grain plates for lithography or the sharp corners for etching. Even the ends cut off of paper are great for bold, large lines.
Process /
Rinsing out and wiping off surfaces of printmaking tools is rarely mundane - The colors used during printing take on their own shapes while being scraped up, rinsed off, or wiped down. With this page, I'll capture the steps of printing and different processes used!
