An old love

My introduction to printmaking was a monotype class over 20 years ago, at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) in Norwalk, CT. From the moment I stepped into the upstairs, light filled printing studio with its exposed wood beams, wide plank pine floors, and scent of inks, and waiting presses, I felt at home. Since that day I have made forays into some of the myriad printmaking techniques, but I regularly return to my first love… the monotype.

The monotype is a painterly approach to printmaking wherein each print is unique. Paint or ink is laid directly on a smooth substrate and put through the press. There is no image etched onto a plate that the ink is flowing into. Over time I have developed my own vocabulary of gesture, color, and content. I generally steer clear of creating editions, preferring instead to create unique prints. At times I make a piece that evokes a feeling and sense of place and wish I could recreate parts of it.

A new process

The idea of Carborundum printing appealed to me for its repeatable nature, ability to create atmosphere and appearance of a tactile surface. The use of multiple plates offer the ability to combine the freshness and variation of monotype within a repeatable matrix. The plates are created by painting a mixed paste of acrylic medium and different size and concentrations of grit (silicon carbide) onto plexiglass. Once dried, the painted texture holds ink. The plate is then inked, the surface wiped so that only the certain areas with grit hold ink, and is then run through the press with paper. The paper picks up the ink left on the plate. This technique allows a variety of mark making depending on the grit consistency, opacity of the ink, the areas that are wiped and the ability to paint further onto the plates for a freshness and variation of image and mood.

A day of printing

The stars aligned at summer’s end when I finally worked with Christopher Shore, master printer at CCP, and Mitchell Visoky, an artist and friend, to learn the process. I knew within hours this was a process I enjoyed and would help me convey what I wanted within my artwork. We spent a day making plates and another day inking and testing them.

When I joined Mitchell and Chris for a day of printing (for one of CCP’s largest fundraising events). I was eager to dig in and experiment. Working along Mitchell and Chris became a collaborative process, with conversations weighing different artistic decisions, and questions that opened the door to further exploration. I tried different combinations of the plates, shifting and changing how I inked them, varying the transparency of the ink, and the ways in which I further painted the plate. All these elements allow for the creation of varying mood, atmosphere and image across a series, using the same plates.

I create twelve 12 x 12 inch monoprints. Happy with many of them, I look forward to increasing the plate size to work on a larger scale. I jot down other ideas, “what if” combinations, colors and plate possibilities. When I leave CCP, my excitement is palpable, my heart pounds with excitement and satisfaction. Making art does that. It allows me entry into deeper parts of myself, and to share that journey with others. I arrive home tired, ink stained, my mind buzzing with possibilities and my heart full. I could not think of a better way to celebrate my birthday then to be elbow deep in ink, fully engaged with the art-making process, with people I enjoy, and in a place that I have come to love.

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