Statement
Most of my work is based on the printmaking process. I began twenty five years ago with pictoral monotypes. I painted fairly traditionally on an acrylic plate and ran it through the press once. I moved on to collage by necessity when I had limited use of a press. I found I enjoyed the recycling process of cutting up old prints and rearranging them into patterns. The resulting work was jazzy and colorful with a sense of humor. I have now had my own press for years and am free to print both monotypes and collage materials. These pieces combine composition skills honed through years of collaging with a freer more experimental approach to transferring ink to paper via a press. Recently I have returned to painting while continuing my printmaking and collaging, incorporating themes and sometimes collage materials from previous work.
Techniques and Materials
Monotype simply means single print as opposed to editioning prints. I ink up an acrylic plate with either oil based etching ink or oil based/water miscible inks. Paper is laid over the plate and run through a press. I repeat this process multiple times, laying color over color as well as working from the cognate or ghost image left over on the plate after it has been printed a first time.
Relief prints: I use collographs and linoleum blocks for my relief prints. Collographs are limited use plates made out of sealed mat board that has layers glued on and parts carved down. Linoleum blocks are thin pieces of linoleum which are easily carved with sharp tools and last through many printings.
Archival Papers: I use heavy handmade papers such as Rives BFK for the substrate for collages or for straight monotypes. I use a Japanese rice paper, kitikata, for printing collage material as well as for monotypes.
Inks: I primarily use Charbonnel oil based etching ink and oil based/water miscible inks.
For painting I am using oil and/or acrylic paints on clayboard panels or paper.
