California Dreamin'

 This photo, taken in 1994, was the inspiration for the painting below. It was taken at Venice Beach the year before I moved to Los Angeles. Though my time there was brief, it was filled with great memories and artistic growth.

This work is 30x40" and it is acrylics on canvas.

Monotype Prints, 3of 3

This work (above) is a monoprint on paper. The image, The Ambassador Bridge, was drawn onto to plexiglass using a cotton swab and sprinkles of raw sugar around the edges.

The following works include a mix of oil based paints (mixed by hand), raw sugar and various found objects like netting and rope:

These works are a suite, using the same plate, colors and soft ground materials:

The Suite Life

Monotype prints are individual and signed 1/1 because each print is distinct. However, when one has a series of monotypes that are similar in style are referred to as a suite. The prints below were printed on Monday, July 18, 2011 and will be displayed and sold as a set or "suite".

The following 3 prints are single prints to be displayed & sold individually. All prints begin with mixing paint, rolling it onto plexiglass and running it through the printing press onto to heavy paper. This creates the background color. In some of these, the roller/brayer is streaked for flair. The second and third time that the paper was sent through the press, the found objects (painted & shaped) were added.

For this work, seasalt was added on top of the purple to create the white spots. Later 3 different layers were run with various colors and selected items safe enough to go through a print machine.

More to follow!

Monotype, 1 of 3 posts

 My first monotype experience was outstanding! The method that I used first was a water based technique using paint on plexiglass. I used the a familiar photo of mine of Dodge fountain in Detroit. I placed it under the plexi and traced my image using a sharpie pen. I then painted my image, prepared my paper-running it through the printing press using a technique called "calendaring". I placed the plexi and paper through the printing press and held my breath...

 Well the image bled like watercolors but I liked the colors. My next step is to add a map of Detroit on top of the same print using the gum transfer technique.
Each print is a single 1 of 1 in a series.  Also, I added raw sugar to the area where the water flows to create a splashing effect.

On the the next image...another familiar image from Florence that I have used in my work before. The plexiglass is thin enough that my hand shows up behind the plate. I painted the plexiglass and added sugar to the area where the bushes are on the left.

For each image the plexiglass must be re-painted but that means that every work is original and unique like a painting.

This is the place that I used before I sent it through the printing press.

I love this process! More to come!