An Education in Printmaking

Earlier this month Hoffer decided that the other printmaking MFA person, Alison, would be working with me on silk screen printing and papermaking. I in turn will be working with Alison on lithography and intaglio printmaking. Right now we are working on lithography, and Alison has also shown me how to form paper using the screen and deckle. Hopefully later this week Jeff (MA ceramics) and Alison will be showing me how to work the hollander to make the paper. Lithography wise, I just showed her the first and second etches tonight, I have a good feeling about it. Thanks out to my Mom for sending the number 5 pencil, I don't think that it's kosher to just have somebody jump straight into etches with the Nitric. Oh and I may have hooked another lithography student, one of the painters said that she might be interested in learning.

Beacon

Our first MFA seminar thing was a trip to Beacon, New York, to see the collection of modern art at the Dia museum. It was a pretty good trip, although in all honesty paintings that simply consist of the gessoed surface or just lines are completely lost on me. I am afraid I just do not agree with Greenberg, it's a cool theory and all about the art transcending everyday life by having nothing to do with it, and existing on its own optical plane, but that's just not my taste. I did quite enjoy the sculpture, though. Especially the spider piece by Louise Bourgeois and the fish piece by Bruce Nauman.

If you cut me do I not bleed the same red?

I think I could stand some feedback on these. This is a reductive woodcut I did of Shylock from the Merchant of Venice. These were the best of the ones pulled. Personally I think that just the straight red is the one that actually works the best. Or maybe not, my images always look different to me when I post them. I think that the red works better with the wrinkles, though.

Madonna Hall

Well it turns out that I may have to find an off campus place by the end of this semester. Madonna Hall where I am currently living has been undergoing extensive construction, and in order to keep on schedule next semester they will be moving us into a hotel, or given the situation I have the option to break contract without penalty.
I have been living here for over a month now and have not described where I am living. The building is still fairly new (built in the 60's sometimes), but the students have not been kind to it. The condition of my walls is really quite atrocious, although I do have permission (since they are tearing it down) to paint my room, too busy though. The vent in my room is ungodly loud, and it is also rather cold at times. They tend to have a hard time heating the third floor, especially now with the construction and the fact that half of the building does not have windows. Lobby wise some of the windows are hanging off, and we also have an elevator that is made out of plywood. Mailbox numbers do not correspond with room numbers, also the floor/wing kitchens do not include refridgerators (neither do the rooms). I should note though that Madonna did win an award for its interior decorating.

Pan God of Dreams

Alright this is something that I have been playing with. Technique wise this plate has been sawed into, drilled into, line etched, aquatinted, areas carved out with burins, and there is also an attempt at line engraving.

Possible Art Crit Paper Topic

Helen Frankenthaler's wood cut series Tales of Genji may very well be my art criticism research paper topic, or more specifically just the criticism surrounding the series. (God forbid that we actually critique a piece) At anyrate the spontanaity of these images belies the amount of planning that actually goes into them. If I am not mistaken she is averaging around 6 blocks per image. Each block closely examined and chosen for it's wood grain, which she then carves and then paints with watercolor. She is also using a special printing process that is designed to make the colors bleed a little bit. The paper she is using is entirely hand made and designed around the image, and is intended to imitate the color and texture of the wood blocks.

Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I last posted, and much has happened. For starters I now have my own studio space up with the MFA painters, it's previous occupant had to leave due to personal complications. I would have to say that it is really quite marvelous having my own space to work in again. It was rather uncomfortable in the printmaking grad studio, I was really the main grad student using it, but I prefer to work in chaos and dirt and Hoffer prefers pristine work areas (i.e. getting oil and what not on the paper protecting the table surface). So this is much better for me, Thank you to Eva and Rob for recommending me for it. There has been talk of a possible trip to Paris this springbreak, so I am going to be looking into loan type things for that.
On the printmaking front my enquiry to the Sharpie company proved ineffectual beyond recieving a "Thank you for liking our product so much." So to all of you printmakers out there using sharpies for etching they thank you. Also I have recently learned about a company, New York Central Art Supply, their paper selection is so huge it has to have it's own seperate 180 page catalog. We are talking things like historically made printing papers out of Spain to embossed paper from India, or Elephant shit paper from Africa. Their web page is http://www.nycentralart.com/