Collagraph Prints-New Work

Across the Wilderness

Printmaking is versatile with so many ways to create. Lately I've been creating in the collagraphy medium which as the name implies is the bringing together of a variety of materials to make a printing plate. I've just posted five new works in my gallery section, all created with different substrates and materials. A bit of plaster here, some cork there, strips of varnished balsa wood, good old PVA glue with sawdust in it! Collagraphy is probably my favorite way of making prints and often bringing in woodcut, or lino, monotypes as the image evolves. Endless possibilities. 

The print pictured here is "Across the Wilderness." The plate was created with a variety of materials resembling dried vegetation, sand and rough surface land adjacent to a copse of woods. 

Printmaking is What I Do. . .

White Line Woodcut

What do I mean whan I say I am an artist whose medium is printmaking? I recently developed a page for my website explaining the printmaking processes I most often employ in creating my work. Those are relief printmaking including wood and linocuts, white-line-woodblock and collagraphy. 

I invite you to my "About Printmaking" page to learn more, where you'll find an explanation and example of the particular process. 

And, of course, to see more examples, visit my gallery too! 

Art as Social Commentary

Earth is Sum of its Parts with Strings Attached

As the environmental crisis gains traction, I am re-publishing a blog post of January 2011. Although, my focus in art is printmaking, I have also created some textile art,  one of which featured in this post. Your comments are welcome:

Social commentary has been expressed in art forms back to cave drawings.  Social movements, war, politics, religion, oppression and more have been given a point of view and voice with brush, pen, film, theatre and many other mediums. Think of John Lennon's "Imagine", Dorothea Lange’s photography of the Great Depression, Charles Dickens,  or the art of children in concentration camps, just to name a few examples. 

Recently I watched the first in a six part, documentary series about poverty worldwide on Link TV entitled "The Price of Cotton." The documentary, filmed in Mali and Texas, relates the story of cotton farmers in Mali, trying to gain access to markets juxtaposed to a Texas producer whose fate is in the hands of the American market system. In both instances, the small, non-corporate farmer falls victim to a system that serves the large agri-business system worldwide. 

The cotton farmers in Mali are unable to compete in the market due to the price set by World Trade Organization (WTO). The family farmer in Texas is dependent on farm subsidies to remain in business - subsidies that will likely soon be discontinued.  Farm policies favor the corporate farmers worldwide. There is no cohesive policy within any country or countries to stabilize the farm sector. 

In my textile art piece, "Earth is the Sum of its Parts....with Strings Attached," my intention was to reflect the disconnect and disregard of nations to the impact of  their policies on the environment and people in other parts of the world. Policies are implemented by Governments to serve interests within their own boundaries, ignoring the resulting consequences to other nations, their environment, economies and people. 

The documentary, “The Price of Cotton*,” shows clearly the influence of powerful nations in setting world prices and markets for cotton has affected already impoverished African farmers, and now hits back to the American family farmer too. It also shows the power of art in the form of documentary to tell a story. 

*"The Price of Cotton", as well as the other documentaries in the poverty series can be viewed on Link TV online. 

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Your comments are welcome! Do you make social commentary with your art? What commentary in art form has moved you to action or informed? 

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Changing the World Through Art and Photography

Robin Sagara writes the blog, "Working Creatively Blog" and with her kind permission, I've re-posted one here. Robin is a terrific marketing person, specializing in helping. And Robin shares with many artists, a love of the natural world. Here's her post: "Changing the World Through Art and Photography":

Guardians of the Everglades - a project with an inescapable message: The Everglades ecosystem is unique, necessary for our health and should be preserved. They aim to bring its beauty and importance to people all over the world through the lives of the ten Living Legends who are the Guardians of the Everglades. Breathtaking photos from conservation photographer Connie Bransilver and photographic artist Clyde Butcher, classic portraits of the ten Guardians by painter Nicholas Petrucci.

The first exhibit opened December 7th (and runs through January 30th) at the Museum of Florida Art and Culture, SFCC in Avon Park, FL. Check the schedule for more info/events. (Image: Clyde Buther ©Nicholas Petrucci www.NicholasPetrucci.com. Image: Everglades Prairie ©Connie Bransilver www.ConnieBransilver.com)

Then check out this TED video: Yann Arthus-Bertrand captures fragile Earth in wide-angle. "In this image-filled talk, Yann Arthus-Bertrand displays his three most recent projects on humanity and our habitat -- stunning aerial photographs in his series 'The Earth From Above,' personal interviews from around the globe featured in his web project '6 billion Others,' and his...movie, "Home," which documents human impact on the environment through breathtaking video."

From the Working Creatively Blog.

New Woodblock Work

Indigo Vase

Saturday, November 10th

I'm writing from the Art on the Prairie Show in Perry, Iowa....still time to enjoy the show which continues tomorrow, November 11th. 

Shown here is one of my new white line woodcut prints I'm exhibiting in my booth. This piece is "Indigo Vase" carved on a piece of basswood, watercolor on BFK paper. It is matted and under plexiglass and measures 11 x 19.5". You can find this woodblock print in my gallery. 

Why Host an Art Show?

Art on the Prairie

In my last blog, I wrote about the upcoming "Art on the Prairie" Show happening November 10-11 in Perry, Iowa. This event showcases the artists of many mediums from visual arts to musicians and poets too. Artists will be set up in six locations around the town square including the historic and restored Hotel Pattee.

But who's behind this show and why? Shows are often organized by professional organizations as income producers and/or to promote their members and of course their organization. Some art shows, festivals or fairs are put together by a small group to promote themselves. Or an individual may do an exhibition hosted by a gallery and some artists are doing such on their own. Now in Perry, Iowa, four women, all involved in art, wanted to host a show for Iowa artists and use the format of that show to promote and educate about art. Making big bucks was not the motivation. 

The four women of the initial "brainstorming and creating group" - Mary Nichols, Jen Heins, Jenny Ecklund, Carolyn Guay- each had some artists in mind and were committed to giving more talented Iowa artists an opportunity to show their work. The also wanted to reach across the spectrum of art to include not only visual arts, but also music, poetry and writing. Then they had this wild idea of interactive art, especially targeted at children. The show didn't come to reality overnight, but was planned carefully and certainly with dedication to the concept. 

The initial committee went to a variety of art shows and venues and approached artists they admired and asked if they'd be interested in showing at their Perry show. They talked with artists they individually knew who had talent and had produced exceptional work, but had never shown! Some they had to really coax. When ready they put out the word through their own networks. And finally, about a year later, with a plan in place, a grant secured, community sponsorship committed the show came into being.

Art on the Prairie is now in its third year and is a huge success. The show is quite festive taking place in six locations all around Perry's historic town square.  Artisans of all art mediums are on hand to show and talk with attendees about their work. Everywhere there is music, you can relax, sit a spell and hear a poem or enjoy an author reading. Art on the Prairie is truly unique and certainly worth a trip to Perry, Iowa on November 10-11th. What you will notice, too, is that the atmosphere, the ambiance you feel at this show reflects the intent and dream of the women behind it. Well done!