Thirty plus years ago I took a printmaking course at Montserrat College of Art, and discovered monotypes. In 2001 I took a class at UMaine in the basement of the art museum. It was a small and constricted space. In 2017, I took a class at the University of Maine so I could use their presses in the excellent printmaking studios. I was enjoying it a lot, but life took a turn, as it sometimes does, and I couldn't continue with the class at the university. A number of family members were facing challenges and needed support over a number of years.
I love the surprise aspect of printmaking when you peel the paper back. You can *plan*, but not really know what you will get until you peel the paper back from the final trip through the press. The revelation of a print differs from painting, where you can see the impact of each brush-stroke in the moment. With printmaking (for me) sometimes you get tragedies, but more often than not you get pleasant reveals. It's fun. I really like and need the idea of making little surprises in life.
For about sixteen years I focused on making folk art, and specifically folk art dolls. I will still do that sometimes, but for now will be making more art that isn't tied to a reference point in the past. So I've decided to return to making monotypes, and not feeling they have to be constrained in any way unless I want to. It's something I can do in half-hour on a kitchen counter, while caring for my son.
We will see where this goes. In the meantime, it's fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment