| ||||||||||
|
 |
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 Belen artist passionate about printmakingTomé When Wendy Holloway took a silkscreen printing class at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus she did not know it was going to be the spark for a new artistic passion. Holloway had been expressing her artistic self through drawing, painting and charcoal. But, in printmaking, she found her passion. Holloway will be displaying work that has evolved since taking that first printmaking class in a one-woman show, Sept. 28 to Oct. 21 at the UNM-VC fine art gallery. An opening reception for the artist will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28.
Printmaking has evolved through the centuries from its first development as stone rubbing and woodcuts by the Chinese after paper was invented at about 105 A.D. It is that contact to the Oriental past that fascinates Holloway, whose work reflects an Asian theme. "While taking intaglio printmaking, I found a Japanese book of kabuki theater prints that has influenced me," Holloway said of the collection of Ukiyo-e prints that flourished in the 1790s depicting the theaters famous actors in highly melodramatic, emphasizing exaggerated facial lines and beautiful costumes. Another popular Ukiyo-e subject was the genre scene in which artists concentrated on the beauty of young women, depicting them with grace and poetic charm. Holloway has brought that style into her Geisha Girl prints. "But I have blended things of the Southwest in my work such as the Zia symbol and mesas. One of my pieces I even changed the face to be mine." Through the centuries, printmaking has been used to express words and pictures on paper. The basic techniques used by Holloway for her art pieces are similar to those used by the News-Bulletin to prepare plates for its printing press. Printmaking is not just about drawing the image, but also involves various techniques to transfer that image from the print block or plate to paper. "Right now, I'm intrigued by intaglio printing," Holloway said. "It is a long process where nitric acid is used to etch the image on a zinc plate. One drawing can have various layers of techniques, such as aquatint and sugar lift, applied to give it different appearances." Prior to placing the plate in the acid bath, the artist has applied a resin and scratched out the image so the acid will eat the cleared area of metal. What would seem like a simple task of placing the plate in an acid bath can also affect the final piece of work because the length of time the plate is left in the acid bath can impact the degree of etching and size of the lines. With intaglio printing, the ink is applied to the recessed areas of the printing plate by wiping, dabbing or a combination of both. The paper receives the ink from the incised marks and not from the top surface of the plate, although thin films of ink may be left on the surface to produce a variety of tonal effects. For intaglio printing, the paper is dampened so that, under printing pressure, it will be squeezed into all the inked recesses of the plate and around it. One of the distinguishing characteristics of this type of printing is that the dried ink impression stands up from the paper in very slight relief, perceptible by touching with the fingers or by close inspection. "In all intaglio prints, except mezzotint, the design is produced from ink in lines or areas below the surface of the plate. The smooth surface is wiped of ink before printing," Holloway said. "Considerable pressure is used in the press to force the ink out of the lines and area and, to an extent, to force the paper into them, so the final printed image will appear to be slightly raised above the surface of the unlinked paper." Holloway has also discovered that the ink color and paper affects the impact of the final piece of work. "Different moods may be obtained with the color of the ink that is used," Holloway said, "And the type of paper can determine how the ink is absorbed and displayed." The artist has also used aquatint to give an effect to her work. Aquatint is a technique of acid-biting areas of tone rather than lines. A ground is used that is not completely impervious to acid, and a pebbly or granular texture is produced on the metal plate The artist's work has evolved as her knowledge in printmaking has developed. "The show will be an evolution of work," she said. "Hopefully I will have a piece from the lithography class I am currently taking." Besides her intaglio prints, Holloway will also display works of relief printing from her linoleum- and wood-block classes. In this style, the uncarved area or the unprepared surface creates the impression. With the application of the ink with a roller, brayer or other tool, the cut areas do not usually print, since they are recessed and are rarely inked. In lithography the design is drawn or painted on the polished, or grained, flat surface of a stone, usually Bavarian limestone, with a greasy crayon or ink. The design is chemically fixed on the stone with a weak solution of acid or gum Arabic. In printing, the stone is flooded with water which is absorbed everywhere except where repelled by the greasy ink. Oil-based printer's ink is then rolled onto the stone, which is repelled in turn by the water-soaked areas and accepted only by the drawn design. A piece of paper is laid on the stone and it is run through the press with light pressure, the final print showing neither a raised nor embossed quality but lying entirely on the surface of the paper. Since transferring from UNM-VC to the main campus, Holloway is working to complete her bachelor's in fine art with a degree in art. She plans to continue her education by pursuing a master's degree. "I would like to teach printmaking in the future," she said.
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||||
