Student Work

Student Work

Monday, February 21, 2011

Printmaking Research

Please read "Printmaking Today" and then follow the guidelines for research. Both items can be found on the course website. Then post your research on contemporary printmaking here. Due Wednesday, Feb. 23rd by 1 pm.

7 comments:

  1. Leona Pierce
    1950-61
    Woodblock print
    Bicycle Pull
    Link: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/mediaManager/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=538313&width=628&height=471
    The composition of the piece is very interesting and I chose this print because I found it balanced while still being visually exciting. There are buildings in the background that give the picture depth due to their size in relation to the children in the foreground. They also serve as a means of setting the location for the whole print and as a result the empty space that the children are playing in can be read as a street running across the city. The buildings are clustered very closely together, giving that claustrophobic feeling that comes with city life. The children balance the piece by giving some weight to the white space, but at the same time they are juxtaposed with the tight nature of the buildings, since they are so nicely spaced from each other and take up the majority of the print. I really enjoy that part of the first child and his bike are going off the page, as it gives the whole piece a sense of movement and continuation.

    Alex Milsom
    2010
    Mezzotint
    Silverbell
    Link:
    http://solandergallery.co.nz/files/images/Silver%20Bell.jpg
    For me, mezzotint always has a very eerie feeling about it and that’s why I was drawn to this print. I also really enjoy this piece because it reads like a story to me. The silhouette of the wolf and its shadow off to the side creates an ominous feeling and the attention to detail of expression on the girls face adds to the apprehension. The trees on the left side of the print almost seem to enclose the two and lend an air of caution and danger. The fact that this print has a frame printed around the whole thing highlights the “narrative” like nature of the piece, driving home the storybook quality.

    Natalie Couch
    2008
    Silkscreen and Woodcut
    Pikopiko Toro Piko
    Link:
    http://solandergallery.co.nz/files/images/Torotoro_Piko_-_Natalie_Couch.jpg
    I chose this print because it combined printmaking techniques and also because it incorporated words into the design. The design itself seems to be making a commentary on language. The form that the words are a part of is very organic and flowing and causes me to imagine a blanket or a wave. The black form at the top (maybe because I think the image below is a wave) resembles a seagull and the repeating design in the back stabilizes the piece and presents the idea of unity. This piece seems to be dealing with topics of language and culture and the pervasive and inseparable nature of identity culture and language.

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  2. Orit Hofshi

    http://www.orithofshi.com/images/woodcuts/resilience.jpg

    Resilience (Holesov 1944) Spoon printed woodcut on Okawara Paper, 66.1” x 70.9” / 168cm x 180cm, 2008

    http://www.orithofshi.com/images/woodcuts/summit.jpg

    Summit woodcut 71.2" x 61" / 178cm x 152.5cm

    http://www.orithofshi.com/images/mono/07_excavation.jpg

    Excavation Monotype and woodcut 97cm x 127cm; 38 ” x 50 ”

    I chose each of these prints because they were visually appealing to me. I found the artist in our reading and just googled her as her description seemed interesting. To my surprise I was right away fascinated by her large prints and woodcuts that all depict landscapes. Orit Hofshi is an Israeli female artist. Her work is obviously charged by her surroundings. The political climate of Israel has been tumultuous for decades and moreover the history of its people is even more dramatic (I need not to develop on WWII).

    1) Resilience: this work represents a building in shambles surrounded by debris. The artist used sepia tones, making it look like an old photograph from a war article. To me it looks familiar because it resembles WWI/ WWII pictures we have been exposed to in textbooks at school when I was little, or even war documentaries I would watch at home. To my mind this can only mean the artist is reflecting on the current socio-politico conditions of Israel vs. Palestine, where bombings occur everyday. There could have been, mostly were people under these debris. The building was someone’s home, or maybe a public building full of workers…
    2) Summit: I love the pun on words in this title. It could easily mean the top of mountain or the meeting between heads of a government. It is confusing because it is such a dark image. It reminds me of Otto Dix’s work almost. I find the line work very interesting here because it is so rich and presents an amazing texture. Landscape plays a very important role for this artist and fills up all her work. It is significant as Israel was a new world/land for the oppressed. The three dark figures in the background could be political figures reuniting in a summit but they could also be survivor of an attack. The fact that we do not know is what makes this piece so interesting.
    3) Excavation: this print is not as dark. There is definitely more light to it. A red line/cloud form separates the sky and rocks across the print. There are five human figures that seem to be searching for something in the rocks/debris. The red color goes all the way to the sky as a mist or shadow. We can assume a bomb raid has occurred and the red is the blood from all the deaths. The figures are indeed excavating, searching for dead bodies of family or friends, maybe even hoping to fin survivors.

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  3. http://virginia.catholic.org/images/local_ad/12010090141robero.jpg

    Betsabee Romero
    ink relief on carpet strips
    2010
    Title Unknown

    I think this piece is interested because it has both two dimensional and three dimensional qualities. Two thin pieces of carpet hang down with black tire marks on them, with the tires sitting at the end of the carpet. It has a very structural feel to it. The print itself reminds me of a linocut because she carves shapes into the tires to print them instead of using the existing tread. The shapes are sometimes very whimsical and other times reminiscent of Mayan or Aztec art, with their use of rudimentary skulls and animals in repeating pattern. Romero's pieces are a look at the automotive industry and how cars 'reflect fissures and contradictions in industrialization, nationalism, globalization, and consumerism.'.


    http://www.bostonprintmakers.org/media/Polish%20Show/Krzysztof%20Tomalski,%20Prints/tomalski.html

    Krzysztof Tomalski
    Bochnian Torso II
    etching
    Date unknown

    This piece features a dark, geometric shape on a mostly solid white background. Fine lines in teal and pale yellow give detail to the mass, making it appear to twist and split apart. The top appears to be made of pyramidal shapes. I like this piece because I am always surprised by the detail that the etching technique provides. This etching has a lot of depth, and it seems like the 'torso' could pop right off the page. I also like the use of the black paired with teal and yellow. I could find no explanation of the piece, but since it is called 'torso' I would imagine that it is a look at the body and how we perceive it, since it is very deconstructed.


    http://anagram-press.com/artAndBooks/index.php?id=13

    Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring
    Tugboat Thea
    Letterpress 10x18''
    2009

    I am so happy that I found this girl's blog. Her letterpress prints are awesome. I love her flat, graphic style. This particular piece is shows the bow of a boat with large text being enveloped by an octopus. It is duotone of gray and teal. The piece contains a quote by a feminist, and it is supposed to speak to women to make the most out of their lives and go out and do something. I like both the inspirational aspect of it as well as the visual. The piece combines both typography and octopi, which are pretty much my two favorite things. I love the use of multiple fonts and the dynamic aspect of the I being pulled down by the octopus. Her other works are all similar in their poster-like quality.

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  4. 1. Dorit Elisha
    Gelatin monotype print on fabric, 20” x 22”
    http://www.interweavestore.com/Mixed-Media/Books/Printmaking-Mixed-Media.html

    I loved Dorit’s work because it is innovative, colorful and full of texture and depth. She is a mixed media printmaker who loves to use scraps of paper to create her backgrounds, and I love the unique graphic style that this technique creates. When asked what inspires her work, she responded, “I live in an area that is rich with different ethnic cultures, and just walking the street or the market really makes me want to run to my studio and start a project. My home and studio are packed with colorful papers, fibers and decorative items that I have collected and those also trigger my creative juices.” I love that her work is personal and that she is inspired by the different cultures that surround her. Every piece that I’ve seen of hers so far is something that I would like to own or could see myself recreating, so I would love to research her work further. Dorit has also written a book, Printmaking + Mixed Media: Simple Techniques and Projects for Paper and Fabric, which explains her techniques and would be tremendously helpful if I were to do further research.

    2. Rosalyn M. Gaier
    “Brilliant Aberrations”
    collagraph, 6" x 7"
    http://users.stargate.net/~rgaier/Prints/Handpulled.htm


    3. Lois Bender
    “Untitled”
    Printmaking Medley of Drypoint, Stencil, Silkscreen, Pochoir, Monotype in Mixed Syntheses
    http://www.resonates-decor.com/Printmaking6.html

    I absolutely fell in love with Lois’s work, especially when I zoomed in and saw the detail of her pieces. Her prints are mostly of flowers, leaves and other organic, natural objects. Being the nature lover that I am, I was immediately drawn to her work, but it was not only the content of her work that inspired me. The color, depth and detail of each piece was beautiful and alluring, and her use of overlapping and printing with transparent inks gave each image depth and interest. I also love that she doesn’t use a traditional (realistic) color pallet with any of her prints (for example she used turquoise, dark blue and bright purple for a lily pad print) and usually uses 3-4 colors in each print to give depth and variety without overusing colors. Lois’s inspiration comes from the natural beauty of the earth that surrounds her and a lot of her printmaking inspiration comes from the photographs that she takes of different flowers and fauna.

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  5. Voulez vous poisson
    Screenprinted textile design
    Annabella Sardelis
    2010
    http://www.highpointprintmaking.org/exhibitions/2010/coop_winter/06.html

    This particular print is especially intriguing because of the “painterly” qualities it obtains. When I first looked at it, it did not give me the feeling of a typical print, but rather an abstract expressionist painting. I enjoy the repetition of images but the spontaneity of the colorful paint against the emphasized background that appears white at first glance, but when I took a closer look I was able to recognize the quiet patterns. I was also drawn to the mirror effect that the print has, one side almost being identical to the other.

    Moon Revealed II
    Woodcut, collage
    Roberta Allen
    2010

    http://www.highpointprintmaking.org/exhibitions/2010/coop_winter/14.html

    The amount of texture presented in this print almost makes it appear as 3 dimensional, and I find that to be an extremely difficult skill to accomplish. When I look at this print, all I want to do is touch it and see what material it is, but I know when I touch it, it will just feel like flat paper. That skill is so interesting to my eye, that one can create illusions that are so realistic.

    Flower Bleed
    Screenprint
    Zac Adams Bliss
    2010
    http://www.highpointprintmaking.org/exhibitions/2010/coop_winter/04.html
    The simplicity of this piece is what intrigued me here. For me, printmaking is so experimental and expressive that it would be very difficult for me to make an extremely concentrated, simplistic piece that obtains movement and color at the same time. I think the simplicity of it speaks a million words, and associating the title with the image also makes me wonder what the artist was thinking when creating the piece.

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  6. 1. Ron Pokrasso: A Tree Between, 2010, inkjet, intaglio, monotype, collage on paper mounted to wood, acrylic, drawing, 36x80 inches.
    http://www.zanebennettgallery.com/artist_galleries/pokrasso-r/pokrassogallerynew.htm


    2. Mehrdad Khataei: Summery Afternoon, Intaglio Printmaking (Etching, Engraving, Mezzotint, Aquatint, Drypoint) on Arch Cardboard. 56x76cm
    http://www.caprintmakers.org/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=223&Itemid=30#


    3. Karen Brussat Butler: Prairie Woman, Lithograph with HC, 32x22
    http://www.caprintmakers.org/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=191&Itemid=30#


    Each of these prints are very different formally in terms of structure as well as in meaning, however, I found each to be provocative for different reasons. The print “A Tree Between” by artist Ron Pokrasso uses warm colors, natural as well as man-made elements, abstraction in composition, and multimedia. His print includes elements of photography, intaglio, monotype, collage, painting, and drawing. The juxtaposition of contrasting elements such as a photographic rendering of a window mixed with scribbling marks and splotches of paint creates an interesting balance. I chose this print because I found it visually appealing and because I liked the mixed-media approach the artist used to discover the print. The second print I chose was by Mehrdad Khataei, titled “Summery Afternoon”. This print uses a grayscale color scheme, and represents a realistic setting, however, expresses it in a slightly surrealistic, or characterized manner. This print was made with intaglio etching, engraving, mezzotint, aquatint, and drypoint. I was drawn to this print because of it’s gloomy atmospheric quality and because I liked the way that its composition is defined by areas of light and dark values. Also, I liked how the print looked almost like a drawing, however, I think because of the printmaking techniques, the artist was able to further explore the hazy, atmospheric quality that defines this print. The third print I chose was by Karen Burssat Butler, titled “Prairie Woman”. This is a lithograph print with a cool color scheme of blues, greens, and yellows, featuring a woman holding a teacup that is sprouting grasses and flowers. The print is meant to represent the artist’s aunt and celebrates her Midwestern heritage. I was drawn to this print because of its composition and the message it gives of the loss of the traditions of the artist’s heritage to big business agricultures which has taken the land from local small farmers. This somber message is expressed in the contrast between the blooming flowers and the woman’s sad expression.

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  7. http://www.contemprints.org/exhibitions
    Antonio Frasconi, Migration IX, 2008, Woodblock print

    This print was appealing to me because of the use of texture. The artist successfully created the texture of a rainy sky, and what could be interpreted as a smooth plain with patches of rougher grass, or more likely, as water with rough rocks. It is interesting that all of these textures were created with the same technique-woodblock.

    http://www.contemprints.org/exhibitions
    Leona Pierce, Bicycle Pull, 1950-61, Woodblock print

    What drew me to this piece was the use of line, and the fact that such delicate changes in line quality were achieved with the use of a woodblock. When I picture woodblock printing, I usually imagine something that is rough and lacking fine detail. This image, however, discounts my previously held belief, with its use of intricate detail, and powerful contrast between positive and negative


    Susan Jaworski-Stranc, Harbinger, reduction linocut
    The depth achieved in this image is not something I readily attribute to a linocut print, or any print for that matter. This images looks like it was had painted, and shows a degree of problem solving to get the angles and shadows exactly right, as plates always print in reverse.

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