Green Door International Print Exchange

Today I completed my edition of ten for the 2020 Green Door IPE. https://www.internationalprintexchange.org/

I've participated in this exchange for a few years now and enjoy playing around with such a small format; paper size is a mere 5.5" square and the image no more than 3.9". I decided that in this time of pandemic gloom and doom, I would focus on a positive image - my forsythia bush.

After playing around with various colors, I decided to keep it simple and fairly monochromatic. Since this shrub is know for it sunny color, I went with bright yellow Akua intaglio ink on Awagami's Washi paper. The paper was a pale creamy color with fine fibers running throughout, so printing with the bright color was simple and effective.

Sprigs

Emerald Print Exchange

A dozen prints signed and labeled for this year's Emerald Print Exchange. https://www.whitprint.com/emerald-print-exchange

Restraint is a 5"x7" photopolymer intaglio bleed print. I chose the bleed print format because, in itself, that is a form of restraint on the image. Using a subtle tint of color also complimented the idea of restraint.

The title was chosen for obvious reasons, since that is the purpose of a girdle. But I couldn't help but be aware, that in these strange times in which we are living in, there is definitely a sense of restraint on all levels of life. May it not be like that for long.

Another rainy day here in Connecticut. I take advantage of gray days here at TreeTop Press because less sun coming in the windows means it's a little easier to work with photopolymer plates.

Going through my shelves finding small sizes of plates and hoping some of the older ones are still viable. (I would hate to venture a guess as to how old these orange Solarplates are.) Big difference compared to the newer gold plate.

Turns out the plates worked! I created a positive from a photo I took of some overgrown beach grass and snow fence and was pleased with the image. After proofing I decided that I preferred the starkness of the black and white print.

I printed an edition of 15 on Arnham cream paper for this years 9INHANDPRESS international print exchange. Image size 5"x 5" on 8"x 10" paper. Check out the requirements if you're looking for something to keep you busy during this social distancing. https://www.9inhandpress.com/print-exchange-2020.html

Forsaken

Double meaning

Completed my first piece for the upcoming show at the Mark Twain house, which is scheduled for 2022/2023.

"Caustic" is a monoprint collage. My inspiration was a quote about anger which resonated on a personal level.  Everyone gets angry. But, there are some angers that are so deep seated one has to make an effort not to let them eat away at you. Even though you keep them hidden, there are times when they occupy ones thoughts more than intended.

In progress close-up of "Caustic"

Starting with a shadow image of myself, a series of photos were downloaded and manipulated in PhotoShop. The Solarplate I made was printed on both Arnham paper and rice paper. At this point I wasn't sure which direction this would go but decided to cut out the figure and use assorted Awagami Japanese papers to fill the void, allowing me to build up a mixture of colors, layers and textures. See the completed piece here https://mknightleary.blogspot.com/.

When I began working on this the Corona Virus pandemic hadn't hit it's peak in this country, but not the case as I was finishing it up. Sadly, the image took on a whole new meaning as more and more people were being diagnosed with Covid 19. Instead of anger I keep thinking about a virus attacking the body.

When I recently found this image on line, the resemblance to my print was definitely unsettling. Time to explore the possibilities of a second monoprint.