ReallyBIGPRINTS wrap

ReallyBIGPRINTS!! is done. Now we get to bask in the glow of the project completed. It was a tremendous four days. We got to see so many wonderful printmakers pull large prints off their really big blocks. In addition to the thrill of the prints themselves, I loved getting to know the printmakers from all over the country. Special shout out to our esteemed print helpers and Lawrence University students: Cael and Molly. You all were great!

Some photos below. I'm sorry not to have photographed every team and print, but more photos will likely show up on the ReallyBIGPRINTS facebook page over the next couple weeks. You can also see some short videos of the process here. 

If you're reading about this project and feeling inspired: mark your calendars for summer 2018 when we're planning to host the third (and final?) ReallyBIGPRINTS!! That should give you enough time to carve a block, ask off work, and plan your road trip to lovely NE Wisconsin. 

Lastly, if you're in Wisconsin now and missed the printing you can still see the prints! They'll be on display at the Rahr-West Museum July 31 - August 28. After that they'll head to the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum and be on display in time for Wayzgoose 2016.  And then on to Lawrence University. Three chances to see the full collection of Really Big Prints.

My block, finally carved and ready to proof.

Hannah and Rose were our lone undergrad printers on Wednesday. I am so proud of them...to the point that I had to stop myself from telling them that every hour.  But seriously, look at that print! 

The all female team from Redline Milwaukee. Their collaborative block read like a narrative biblical painting...all about the state of things in Wisconsin. 

Our two story drying rack. We pulled prints as they dried to make room for the next day's prints. If you're planning a big print event, this part is key. 

Michael Connor's lovely fishermen print showing through on thin paper. 

Lemonade cup/glove holder added to the roller. 

First color run of Ben Rinehart's pressure print. 

Billy Wenner's block before being inked. Staining a block red before drawing helps with tracking your carving.

Mr. Wenner with his inked block.

Printmakers resting on Thursday. It was hot and windy. 

At the Printers' Party on Friday. 

Included in this photo is UW-Manitowoc Chancellor Cathy Sandeen who made her own print!

The UW Manitowoc campus sits right on Lake Michigan. 

Really Big Dandelions

Continued work on my block for ReallyBIGPRINTS!! The block on the right shown below is by two great SNC art students.  It's crunch time for all of us.

Costumes to Save Your Life at Jabberwock Gallery

I'm delighted to get to show my Costumes to Save Your Life at the nascent Jabberwock Gallery in Algoma, WI. If you're in the area, please plan to join us for the opening Friday, July 1st, 5-9 PM. Here's the gallery address for your navigation: 219 Steele St. Algoma, WI 54201

Below are some of the initial sketches and prints that led to the final work. Versions of some of these and other prints will be for sale at the gallery. You can read more about the project and its genesis here.

Wanderlust

This past year I got to participate in a unique portfolio exchange. A quick word on portfolio exchanges as they are common in fine art printmaking and a neat way of curating and collecting work, but relatively unknown (as far as I can tell) in the rest of the world.

A portfolio exchange is usually organized by one or two people around a particular theme. The organizer may write a short paragraph or essay about the theme to inspire the participating artists. The organizer also sets the dimensions of the print, any other parameters like technique or paper, and the number of prints in the edition, usually one for each artist plus one or two for touring shows and archives. Each artist in the exchange makes a print in response to the theme, prints the number of prints specified, and sends in her prints to the organizer to be collated. Each participating printmaker gets a full set of prints. It's a great way to connect with other artists, creates a cohesive body of work that's relatively easily shipped and displayed, and can be a good way to collect prints you might not otherwise encounter.

You can see a portion of my print in the E above. 

What made this portfolio exchange unique was that while each artist created original imagery, all the prints were produced by Tamarind master printer Candice Corgan. The full portfolio will be on display soon at the Small Engine Gallery with an opening reception Friday, May 6th. In addition to looking forward to seeing the full portfolio, I am curious to see how my image, made of litho crayon on frosted mylar with transparent collaged elements, translated to print.

Thanks to Candice for this opportunity. If you're in the ABQ region, stop by and see the show.

Work in Progress

I've been slowly chipping away at this drawing of a dandelion for ReallyBIGPRINTS!! this summer. Next I'll add in the gradated lines of the sky. Then: sand my wood, raise the grain, sand again, transfer the image, seal it, and carve, carve, carve. All in time to print in July.

Plywood by Post

I now live in a place that is somewhat lacking in visual arts culture. It exists and some of it is excellent, but it's harder to find and geographically scattered relative to my previous homes. As an extrovert and artist this means I have to work harder to make and maintain the connections that feed my spirit and sustain my work. This need for creative connection is compounded by the recent birth of my son. Though he is a delight, caring for him makes getting to galleries and museums, to say nothing of events after 8 PM, more of a challenge.

All of this led me to stew on how I could cultivate and experience the kind of creative community I seek. Number One on the list: be better about showing up for what's going on in my area. There's the wonderful John Michael Kohler Art Center, the Lakeshore Artists Guild, and the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum to name a few. Number Two on my list is Plywood by Post (#plywoodbypost for the digital savvy), a recently launched collaborative drawing project in which participants will draw on and pass along by mail small pieces of birch plywood. The boards went out earlier this month to 14 artists all over the country-- listed and linked at the end of this post-- and I'm excited to see what happens. 

Wood going out in the world thanks to the USPS. 

I modeled the project after Global Drawing Circles, a project by Thinking Through Drawing, an "interdisciplinary education and research network." In those circles each artist started and then worked in a a sketchbook which we passed on monthly. I don't know if it was the chemistry of my group or the large amount of real estate afforded by a whole book, but my drawing circle did not draw on or into the previous drawings. My expectation here is that the limited space of the plywood will force us to respond to what others have done. These are the participating artists: Alex Cline, Brian Hitselberger, Bud Ries, Chatham Monk, Don Krumpos, Genevieve Lowe, Holly Briggs, Justin Rice, Katie Ries, Rachel Clark, Rachel Schattman, Sara Marie Miller, Susie Ries, Tanyssa Behnke, and Veronica Siehl. (Update! Just added to this mix: Steph Untz.)

I look forward to seeing the project unfold and to the artistic communion of shared drawings (and occasional emails about the project). Need to get my board started soon. 

Birch plywood, 11.75" x 9"

Wisconsin Biennial

Alex Hopkins, The Fifer, Archival pigment print, 2015

The Wisconsin Biennial is coming up. I'm honored to have a piece in it and to be in such good company as Alex Hopkins of Green Bay (above). The exhibition is sponsored by Wisconsin Visual Artists (WVA), the oldest artist organization in the state, and will be put on at the Museum of Wisconsin Arts in West Bend, WI.

The exhibition features work by around fifty WI artists and will be up February 6th - March 27th. If you can, please join me for the opening reception on Saturday, February 6th from 2 - 5 PM. More information about the show is available here.