"Shifting Perspective"

Collagraph monoprint, 10 x 22". When I play around with colors, I often mix or "dirty up" those colors to create a wide variety in each image. I've found myself often going to different shades of blue and orange for many prints, and blue, red and violet for several others. In this case (and in a minority of the others) I decided to play around with various shades of red and orange, partly because my sister and brother-in-law are fans of orange and I thought I would give this print to them. When I finished the print, I was especially drawn to the various arrow-like shapes that pop up throughout. These arrows and the overall composition cause me to look all around the print, sometimes with little time to stop and absorb the whole image. There is a great deal of detail to reflect on, and only from a distance do my eyes tend to find significant rest. As a result of this seemingly constant visual movement, I get the impression that I can see this print in countless ways. I also get the feeling that I can interpret the imagery in this print in countless ways. Keeping these ideas in mind, I decided that, as I look at this print, my perspective is constantly shifting; hence, the title.

"Misunderstanding"

Collagraph monoprint, 10 x 22". I was playing around again with color and shape when I made this print; and, just as with the print below, I was reminded of communication and miscommunication when I reflected on the finished product. The white spaces remind me of Kufic letters as well as Roman letters. The variety of red, blue and violet shapes lend themselves to the idea of letters for me as well. The white space that forms an 'M' shape near the upper right corner first caused me to think of letters, and it also got me to think almost immediately of the word "Misunderstanding," a simple word that seemed appropriate for a title.

"Communication Breakdown"

Collagraph monoprint, 10 x 22". I pushed myself into the printmaking studio again a couple times this past week to create some more finished prints. One of the fruits of my labor was this print produced by inking up the same plate in different ways and printing it ten times on the same sheet of paper. I focused primarily on the various colors and on the larger shapes I was creating as I worked on this image. The final product reminded me somewhat of letters on a sign, although the letters didn't really spell out anything recognizable. I like thinking about the ideas of communication with words and through the visual arts, and the ideas of miscommunication and confusion. When I focus on the white space within the image, I get the impression of two – and possibly three, including the middle white space – heads turned away from one another; this additional perspective contributes even more to the idea of confusion or miscommunication. I decided to title this piece with these thoughts in mind.

"Gathering Thoughts"

Collagraph monoprint, 6 x 20". After about a month without significant creative energy or inspiration, I found myself wandering back into the printmaking studio, selecting one of my favorite plates and running off four prints over the course of a couple hours. This was the largest of those prints. I used that one plate eight times, inking it up and placing it on the paper in a variety of ways to create this composition. I decided to call it "Gathering Thoughts" because I had many things on my mind, including reflections on how we attend to incoming information and process that information in our working memory. I've been taking an Ed Psych class, and we had been discussing these very issues. As we process information, we draw on our prior knowledge to make sense of it. As I created this print, I had a general idea of how I was going to use the plate and what the final image would look like. I wanted to work with colors, lines and shapes, but I imagined it simply as being abstract and not necessarily representing any familiar ideas. When I look at this print now, however, I am reminded of letters and numbers and other familiar shapes. I can now see the print in a different light. I can see "L"s and "Z"s and lightning bolts even though I didn't have these images in mind when I made the print and despite the fact that the plate I used was not shaped like any of these images. I can process this image – as I am at this moment – by way of what I know, by way of the imagery that is familiar to me. I can see how my prior knowledge has been informing how I see many of my prints, and I'm excited to have this and other vocabulary to help me think and write about my art.

"Random Silliness"

Collagraph monoprint, 3 3/4 x 22 1/8". I know I've said this before but as I was making my prints, I experimented quite a bit with different plates and techniques. In many cases, I'd say that I was just plain playing around. This was one of the results of my playing: a print I produced in May, 2010 using one plate inked up in a variety of ways with a variety of colors. I enjoyed the challenge of creating images for such a wide variety of paper sizes, and this was no exception. I created the image thinking about how the different colors worked together. I also thought about how the gear shapes played off each other; for me, the negative space between and around the gears is just as interesting as the positive.

"Patina"

Collagraph monoprint, 4 3/4 x 21". I made this print in April, 2010. This is one of my favorite prints as far as the color and details are concerned. The photo doesn't capture every minute detail, but it does show the variety of shapes found throughout the print. I really like the metallic color that I was able to produce through my inking of the plates; it reminds me of an antique artifact, and I really enjoy looking at old things.

"Landscape of Imagination"

Collagraph monoprint, 11 x 15". I made this print in April 2010, using this plate for the first time. I experimented with the initial inking of the plate as well as with the composition of the print as a whole. As I worked on these prints, I was faced with numerous decisions. I especially needed to decide what to do for the next step, or whether to do nothing. In this case, I was tempted to add more to this print but decided that I liked the image as it is. I worked quite a bit with leaving voids on the paper, and this white "void" taking up the bottom half of the print worked for me. It gave me the impression of a hill, perhaps (but not necessarily) snow-covered. I see many things in this image, and I leave you to see what you will. Allow your experiences and imagination to do their thing.

"Oracle Bone #3"

Collagraph monoprint, 7 7/8 x 3 1/4". As I played around with colors and imagery I worked on several scales. I'm not one to let perfectly good paper get tossed in the trash or recycling bins, not when there's potential for cool small prints. In this case, I decided to play around with the shape of the plate and with the way I inked the plate up. I printed off a series with this plate, inking it in a variety of ways. Three of the prints reminded me of ancient Shang Dynasty Chinese oracle bones, many of which happen to have early examples of Chinese writing. The bones were cow scapula or turtle shells (the bottom shells) which were heated in order to reveal a message to the diviner who could decipher the cracks that formed. Many of the oracle bones have a question that was asked of the diviner; many of those have the answer that was divined written as well; and a few of those even have the eventual outcome recorded. I'll let you decipher this print however you will.

"The Moment Fades"

Collagraph monoprint, 30 1/8 x 11 1/4". This was a time-consuming but enjoyable print that I made in April, 2010. I used eleven stencils, numerous plates and a couple of different printing techniques. This was a key part of a series I did leading up to my largest print, "Perseverance." Although this print is also aesthetically pleasing to me turned 90º counterclockwise, I prefer showing it this way.

"The Tipping Point"

Collagraph monoprint, 8 x 22 1/8". I made this print at the beginning of May, 2010. I came up with the idea for this print as I was finishing a couple of others using these plates. I looked at this piece of paper, which I had already torn to this size, and I decided I wanted to create a composition that played around with the ideas of gravity and movement. I used these two plates to give the impression of movement from right to left; the empty space on the left side gives me the feeling of future potential movement in that direction. I decided, however, to place the gear-shaped plate in such a place where you might think it's actually rolling into the circular depression on the right. I love playing with potential and with multiple possibilities, and this turned out to be one of my favorite prints. It is now hanging in the home of two long-time friends.

"Red"

Collagraph monoprint, 8 x 22". I worked a great deal with color as I made most of these collagraph prints. In some cases I focused so much on color that the prints were as much color studies as they were finished prints. I sold one print that I titled "Orange" at a print sale before I photographed it, so I won't be able to share that image with you. I posted earlier (below) a print I titled "Violet." Here is one I titled "Red." In each case, I focused on one color. As I did, however, I brought in other colors in profound and subtle ways which I felt enhanced the main color. In the case of "Orange," I used various shades of red, burgundy and violet to help the orange pop forward visually. In the case of "Violet," I played around with value changes and with small amounts of ink residue (especially green) to make the print more interesting and to play with the idea of "pure" color. In the case of "Red," I used one plate inked in red with subtle orange and blue hues. As you look closer at any of these prints you can see that they are polychromatic, even if subtly. I made this print in May, 2010.

"Fractured"

Collagraph monoprint, 22 x 30". I made this print in March, 2010, using three plates and two stencils along with a technique I first used to make some monotype prints in November, 2009. This was the last in a series of five large prints. I really wanted to push myself with this series, working with the idea of the void and trying new imagery. I sat on the initial inking of this print for about a week before I decided what I was going to add in order to finish it. I was not sure about it as I completed the piece; when I went back to look at it about a week later, I decided I really liked it. It captured some of my feelings as I pushed my creative envelope; I often felt fractured as I made this series of prints, as though I were somehow destroying my preconceptions of my own art. I really feel like this print was a great culminating piece in a crucial series for me as an artist.

"Multiple Perspectives"

Collagraph monoprint, 20 x 22". I made this one in April, 2010, using two stencils and several plates. I played around with the gear shape again, this time seeing it as a window. You might feel like your looking forward or downward (if you see it the way I do). I also wanted to play around with the negative space in the middle and around the outside, allowing the plates and press to not only transfer ink to the paper but to emboss the paper (like a copperplate would do). The more I worked with the materials, the more I saw countless possibilities to create different imagery. I felt this piece especially emphasized the variety of perspectives viewers could take as they look at and think about the work. This piece was displayed in a show at the Rotunda Gallery on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's city campus in November, 2010.

"Your Wish Is My Command"

Collagraph monoprint, 8 7/8 x 5 1/4". This is one of the prints I made over the course of a few days. I used three plates and one stencil. As I created it, I was reminded of circus imagery. I was also reminded of a genie in a bottle. I decided to go with this second reference when I titled it.

"Corrugated"

Collagraph monoprint, 8 x 11". I really liked how this one turned out. It was the result of much experimentation with plates and colors. I used one plate twice to create this image which reminded me immediately of rusted corrugated metal - hence, the title.

"Perseverance"

Collagraph monoprint, 22 x 59". This is currently the largest print I've ever made. I created it towards the end of April, 2010. I used several different plates and stencils in a variety of ways, implementing many of the different techniques I had been developing over the previous weeks. I enjoyed the challenge of working on such a large scale, printing on two large pieces of paper on a large printing press. I used a double-sided adhesive tape to connect the two 22 x 30" sheets of Rives BFK. This piece was displayed in a show at the Rotunda Gallery on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's city campus in November, 2010.

"Tattered"

Collagraph monoprint, 12 x 14". I made this print in May, 2010 using one plate while building up layers of ink. I really like the textures in this print. I used this same plate to make a few similar prints with different colors, but this is my favorite of that series.

"Sunset"

Collagraph monoprint, 10 1/4 x 11 1/4". I made this one in May, 2010 using just one plate. I experimented with this plate in a variety of ways on several prints, playing around with different compositions and with the inks I used. I liked the shape of the plate itself, but I also liked the other shapes I could create in the negative space or in the spaces where the plate impressions overlap.

"Reorientation"

Collagraph monoprint, 15 x 22". I made this one in April, 2010 using several plates and stencils. One of my goals was to work on a larger scale for many of my prints. This one ended up being of medium size; I made six prints that measure 22 x 30" and one that measures 22 x 59". Working on a larger scale had its challenges as well as its rewards. I liked scaling up the different parts of these larger prints, making larger stencils and more and larger plates. I was really happy with how they turned out; I like getting viewers' attentions from a distance, and I think larger pieces of art tend to do that better than small pieces.

"Awe in Discovery"

Collagraph monoprint, 7 7/8 x 12". I created this one in May, 2010 with three plates and two stencils. I really enjoyed playing with color as I made these prints. I started the year with the "pure" colors as they came out of the canisters. I found a wide variety of colors (and textures) as I mixed those colors in numerous ways.

"Residual Layers"

Collagraph monoprint, 9 7/8 x 14 1/8". I made this one early in May, 2010 using two plates and two stencils. This was one of several experimental prints that took shape over multiple days. It was so freeing not meticulously planning out an image. I enjoyed sitting on an unfinished print for a day or two, contemplating the seemingly endless possibilities for how I could "finish" it.

"Topsy Turvy"

Collagraph monoprint, 10 x 15". I made this one in April, 2010 using two plates and two stencils. As I immersed myself in the process I played around a lot with these gear shapes. You can probably tell, since several of my prints have gear imagery. As I worked with these "gears" though, I found I could reference many other things, including the sun or eyes or bubbles. I like the idea of referencing a variety of ideas and other images in a piece of art; and I often reflect on some of the potential ideas and images other people may have in mind as they view my work.

"Profound Impression"

Collagraph monoprint, 6 3/4 x 9 3/4". I created this one in April, 2010 using two plates made of different materials and inked up in a variety of different ways. I started looking for different materials to use as plates and stencils when I started printmaking last year, and this print really represents that continuing exploration.

"Change of Course"

Collagraph monoprint, 10 1/4 x 14 3/4". I created this print in April, 2010 using several plates and four stencils, as well as some techniques I developed as I experimented with the materials I was using. It reminded me of both a navigational instrument and a ship's steering wheel, hence the title.

"A Glimpse Inside"

Collagraph monoprint, 9 1/8" x 25 1/2". I created this print in April, 2010, using seven different collagraph plates and four stencils. It was an early creation in an important series for me as I immersed myself in the collagraph printing process. I made it and another print of the same size and similar design one after the other. This print and its sibling are now hanging in a friend's home.