Nature has imagery that repeats again and again. For
instance, each leaf on a Maple tree is alike, but again, each leaf has
qualities of individuality. Much like nature, my work is involved in repetition
of images. Working with my original photographs, I like to show a sense of
place and culture of a given location. I simplify the images, manipulate them
and create original hand pulled prints.
I love mixing photography and drawing to create new imagery while evoking
the aura of a certain place.
Printmaking affords the artist with the ability to explore images
and the minute subtleties that arise with each print. As a print rolls off the
press or from under a screen, the untrained eye sees each print alike, but to
the trained printmaker, each print has unique details. I have learned to accept
that each individual print has a life of its’ own with its own subtleties. Sometimes
I apply color by hand which extends the unique layer that the printing process
begins. The wiping of a plate may alter the tonality of the ink. The paper may have inconsistencies. A screen may be accidentally displaced by a
micron. Blended ink may suddenly separate unexpectedly.
It is the journey through the process and the execution of
the details that interest me. Standing over a table of 30 prints, each alike,
yet different, evokes a feeling of connection to the ethereal. I can compare
the emotion to what I feel when viewing leaves on a tree, shells of the Rangia
clam on a beach
of Lake Pontchatrain, or
flowers on an Azalea bush. All are alike, but each has its’ own space in the
world. My wish is that the final products are like viewing a decorated cake:
all of the mixing, baking, and heat of the oven is forgotten and what is left
is sweet mystique.
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