What I do and how I do it.
My art background is in sculpture but during the last five or six years I began experimenting with printmaking.
What is printing and what does it involve?
To give you a better understanding of what I do, and the process I use, I will explain a few things about printmaking. It has its own language and a variety of techniques and processes.
Three types of printing are; relief, intaglio, and planar.
Relief printing is when sections around the design on the matrix are removed, and ink is rolled onto the remaining surface. The paper is laid over the inked surface and the image is transferred from the template to the paper by hand rubbing or putting through a press.
Intaglio printing is the opposite of relief printing. The image is etched into the matrix with a sharp instrument making chiseled channels below the surface. The entire plate is inked than cleaned leaving only the ink imbedded in the chiseled channels.
Planar prints such as monoprints are made when ink is applied to the whole surface of the matrix (a Plexiglass or a thin metal plate). The image is drawn onto the inked plate by scrapping or wiping away certain areas of ink. The paper is laid on top to transfer the image onto the paper either by hand or the use of a printing press.
The techniques I use are relief and planar printing.
A few more descriptions.
Matrix or template from which you transfer the image unto another surface. A matrix can be a piece of wood, glass, linoleum or any other materials. In my work I use the surfaces of my previous carved wood sculptures, linoleum and hand cut stencils or glass as my matrix.
Linoleum a soft material that can cut by hand with a special carving tool.
Stencil is cut from a thin material such as Mylar that can hold its form.
Special printing ink is applied to the surface of the matrix and then transferred unto a special printing paper either by using a printing press or rubbing by hand.
My prints can only be printed once. I experiment and explore new ways to print. I am not a traditional printmaker and allow for unpredictable surprises when I rub by hand transferring the images to the printing paper. In my work I build up various layers on special printmaking paper using a combination of monotype, my carved wood blocks, linocuts, hand cut stencils and mixed media materials. I refer to my prints as experimental prints.
You are invited to see my prints along with other printmakers in the group “24 HANDS” at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center. There are a variety of printmakers and printing techniques. The show is up until May 16.
I have been an invited participant in “24 HANDS” started by Marjorie Greene Graff about three years ago. This printmaking group began as a cooperative of 12 printmakers. The objective of the group is to show and educate people about the wonders of printmaking. “24 HANDS” exhibits in a variety of settings, including many educational institutions such as University of Tampa and St. Petersburg College. Currently the group has a print show at Dunedin Fine Arts Center. The next show will be in June at the University of Tampa and in January of 2023 at the Brooker Creek Natural Preserve. I will be participating in these 2022/23 exhibitions.
You are also invited to view my prints in June 15, 2022 at an exhibition with other Jamaican printmakers from the Fine Arts Printmakers Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters.
