I was surprised to be ID'ed as a Golden West College student in the 3/9 edition of "The Western Sun," by writer Jamie Corpuz, but delighted to see a repro of my work. Apparently a new printmaking medium has also been invented...the linograph, where Bavarian limestone meets cork, burlap & linseed oil? It just goes to illustrate the continuing confusion about what defines printmaking - not exactly aided by the prevalence of what amounts to posters marketed as "limited edition prints." Aargh & dadburn that just makes my blood roil & makes me want to cuss like both a pirate & a 49er. Glicée? Just another highbrow marketing word for poster. No respect. As lithographer Cynthia Osborne always says: "We are the Rodney Dangerfields of the art world."
OK, now I'll step off my soapbox & grudgingly admit that the wide spectrum of so many various techniques & methodologies in my beloved field of endeavor can also establish a certain amount of head scratching. I'll also cop to the fact that (gasp) we printmakers also either include digitally printed images in our work (something John Greco has called the "tradigital") or jettison the "traditional" part of that newly-minted trope & opt for the purely digital. However, generally speaking, not in "editions" of 700 or greater.
Visiting this show, which exclusively exhibited printmaker’s artwork, was the first encounter I had with the Golden West campus. It was also the first encounter I have had with an opening night for professional and accomplished artists. I brought along my fiancée, my 19-year-old sister, and her 5 month old daughter. All of us really enjoyed the experience. It was busy, crowded, and there was a gentle hum of conversation. Even though there was a buffet of cheese and snacks outside the gallery, everyone was inside the small gallery space. This is the first difference I noticed between this show and the student shows I have visited. Visitors didn’t simply roam the gallery once and then spend the rest of the night by the free food. Instead visitors circumambulated the gallery with reflection, organically wandering from one area to another or formed small clusters of excited conversation. The show had a good variety of style despite being solely printmaking in nature. There were prints that were abstract, or landscape based. Some were fields of color and others were a frenzy of line. Others incorporated several mediums or found objects, and many varied in size. If I had to decide on a personal favorite, it would come down to a playful print depicting figures walking in rain. The color was beautiful with a purple-based grey, small controlled pops of yellow and orange. I couldn’t stop looking at how the artist addressed the raindrops hitting the wet ground. The pattern or ripples and reflected color hit an aesthetic chord for me. Others in the gallery stood out for me as well, whether it was for amazing skill, stunning color, or provoking concept. The entire experience was very enjoyable for me and I look foreword to others like it.
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