"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.