Printmaking process and effect
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please click on the images or artists' names below to see more prints, their printmaking process, photographs and biographies of the artists BRUNO BOBAK |
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LOVERS
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SOW
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What are Limited Edition Prints or Original Multiples? Limited Edition Prints or Original Multiples are original works of art. They are different from paintings or drawings, because of the way they are made. Where a painting is unique because the artist has actually put the paintbrush on the surface in front of you, a limited edition print or original multiple is a printed impression of a conceived image made on another surface called a plate (which can be metal, stone, screen, block, plexi or another medium). Each print in the edition is considered an original. There are many ways to make the impression (which you will see in this exhibition) but in general, ink or paint is transferred from the plate to a porous surface (usually paper or textile.) Because the plate can be reused, multiple impressions can be made. The artist decides how many prints will be made within the edition. This number is based on several considerations including the artist’s expectations from the plate. Since a plate is delicate, there are only so many prints that can be made before the plate degenerates and the results become unpredictable. The artist works diligently to ensure that all prints in the edition are the same high quality. Direct comparison of impressions from the same edition will reveal small, almost imperceptible differences that render each print a unique work of art. In the case of V.E. (or variable edition) prints, the artist may actually purposely vary the strength of the colour and contrast between prints. Once the entire edition is printed, the artist will usually score across or punch a hole through the plate, ending that edition. This is known as striking the plate and ensures that no future prints will be made and that the edition is indeed ‘limited’. Once the edition is completed, the artist then removes the plate from circulation. Some artists frame the plate with the last print in the series as a momento – as long as no further printings are possible. The artist will make a few Artists Proofs to ensure that the plate looks as intended. The printmaker (who is often, though not always the artist) will also pull a "Bon a Tirer". This print is used as the standard for the edition meaning that all the prints will be measured against this one. The number of Artist’s Proofs is usually around 10% of the total edition. Instead of a fraction as in the above example the print is marked A.P. (for ‘Artist’s Proof’, or sometimes M.P. for ‘Master Proof’, E.A. for ‘Epreuve Artist(e)’ or other such variant.) The number of proofs is not included in the total number in the edition. What about reproductions? Prints have become a misunderstood and mistrusted art form recently due to the confusion over reproductions and original prints. A reproduction, although often called a print, is actually quite different. It is a copy of a work of art conceived by the artist in another medium such as an oil painting or watercolour that has been mechanically photo-reproduced. It can be signed and numbered, as original prints are, but invariably with a much larger number (250 - 1000 or more) in the edition. Numbering and signing a reproduction does not change its essence; it is still a reproduction of a painting and not an original print. |
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THE FLORA NICKERSON IN THE LABRADOR SEA (1982) To watch a beautiful video by Tony Ianzelo & Andy Thomson from the National Film Board
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WAVE AT DAWNING (1997)
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NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM ARTIST STATEMENT (Nature Abhors a Vacuum) The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is credited with being the first person to coin the phrase “Nature Abhors a Vacuum”. It means that if a space or niche becomes empty, something will move in to fill the gap. I am just having a little fun by taking an alternate interpretation on the word vacuum, with the wolf clearly showing his contempt.
THE POLITICIAN Silkscreen Printing originally appeared in China about 1,000 years ago. It became widely used in North America for industrial purposes. In the 1930’s artists adopted the process and renamed it serigraph printing to distinguish the creation of a work of art on paper from silkscreen’s industrial use. |
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MANHATTEN
ARBRES |
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THE LAST FLIGHT (1976)
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FOR GEORGE AND CHRIS |
FOR TOM AND ESTER |
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SUMMER (2009) |
SPRING BEES (2012) |
SPRING (2012) |
FREDERICTON EVENING (2012)
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WHAT IS DRY POINT? WHAT IS INTAGLIO?
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CHERRY LOOPS, 2003 |
SOUR APPLE TWIST, 2003 |
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WATT'S POINT, BURNT CAPE The limestone barrens of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland support an incredible number of small, intricate flowers, some so rare that they are only found in these locations. What intrigues me is the diversity of flora in these harsh, windswept environments and their survival instincts, their adaptations that they make in order to survive. They are examples of the truly creative: adversity overcoming hardship. The three books I have created contain woodblock images of flowers that were spotted on three walks--July 2, 2007; July 10, 2007 and July 21, 2002--in four locations: Burnt Cape, Watt’s Point, the Port au Port Peninsula and Cape Norman. Some of the flowers are rare and some fairly common–it is a random sampling. I use the accordion book format to recreate the experience of lying on the ground and making these wonderful miniature discoveries. By the same token both the accordion book format and my concern with nature and site emanate from the tradition of Japanese woodblock and such ukiyo-e masters as Utamaro, Hokusai and Hiroshige. Charlotte Jones
ORANGE HAWKWEED |
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UNSENT LETTER #1: ELBAITE
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UNSENT LETTER #7: RUBY |
UNSENT LETTER #3: TANZANITE |
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Colours of love: Unsent Letters Charlotte Jones, 2011 |
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SOURCE, 1994
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TESSERAE: STILL LIFE FRAGMENTS VII, 1997 |
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GREEK CHURCH, MANITOBA (2011)
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UNTITLED |
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HOUSE NEXT DOOR
BIRDS IN WINTER 1
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COLTS
PONY |
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JUMPING JACKS |
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THE OLD TRAIN STATION (2011)
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST (2011)
TRIO (2004)
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A STRING OF BOATS
THE VIEW FROM MY DECK
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UNTITLED (2002)
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UNTITLED (2002) |
WINTER COVE/COAST SUITE (1981)
SILENT TWO |
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POINSETTIA
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WINTER SUNSET
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STILL LIFE WITH GARLIC (1999) |
THE YELLOW ROSE (1999)
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LUMA, LABRADOR MYTHOLOGY SERIES (1981)
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SPIDER FLOWERS
ORKNEY TROMBONES
CONSUELO NAOMI |
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CROSSES WE BEAR (1990)
HER WORKS BRING HER PRAISE (1990) |
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ANNA SYPEREK showing us the last stage of printing the etching "Buddy's Point"
BUDDY'S POINT (2011) |
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TWILIGHT (2010)
ANGHIARI, TUSCANY (2009)
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YELLOW FIELD (undated)
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MIDWINTER
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CELEBRATION! |
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TONGUE SHOAL LIGHTHOUSE - BURNING (2007)
Thank you to volunteer-based
CHCT-TV, one of seven independent community television stations licensed in Canada to broadcast public access programming,
WHITSTABLE STORM (2005)
ARAB DHOW - RED SEA STORM (2008)
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CHRISTENING (2011) |
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FALLING I (2011)
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FALLING II (2011) |
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ST. ESTEVE, FRANCE (2010) WHAT IS MONOTYPE? Monotype, strictly speaking, is a printing technique. But, unlike any of the intaglio methods, the monotype plate has no permanent marks and therefore there is only ever one version of each image (in intaglio there can be many – 50 or more depending on various factors). The artist paints an image directly onto the plate (in Francis' case, a zinc plate). Using an oil-based printer's ink that dries slowly, the artist can make smudges, blur colours, emphasize elements and work with the colour on the surface. The plate is then put through a press and printed on paper. This process is very close to painting with the extra step creating a mirror image of the painting on the plate. Artists, who might otherwise paint directly onto paper or canvas, choose this technique since the mirror effect and the slight uncertainty of the printing method introduce an element of chance and play into the artwork's creation. There are many errors and accidents, thus each successful monotype is the survivor of a gauntlet of artistic challenge and rigour. The great monotype artist is one who can control and predict the accident and engage with its possibilities. The resulting image is different from any other media – there is a flattening of space and a refulgent ghostliness that can turn perfectly banal scenes into surreal experiments in light. Monotypes capture fleeting fragility with bold colours and they tolerate, even need , deep consideration– they are not for those seeking instant gratification from their art. A good monotype will develop slowly under your gaze, each new look at the work will reveal something new as silently as sunlight slipping through the trees.
QUIMPER VASE (2010)
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REFLECTION (2011)
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THREE TREES (2011) |
