I sometimes like to do a deep dive into my flat files for forgotten work. They are bulging with it by now, so I guess it can be characterized as a sort of Swedish Flat File Cleaning. I’ll find old studies, test proofs or retired monotypes that I will offer for sale after years of absence from the fray. A fresh look at a previous vision. I find a history of my work, failures and unacknowledged masterworks ( to me) in strata of cotton rag.
MoPrint offers opportunities to see this work, in the form of the Open Portfolio show at the Botanic Gardens. This year, it’s March 28, 10-4. There’s no time consuming prep or framing expense, I ( and many other artists) simply open up the portfolio and sell loose prints. So bargains can definitely be found. I sell many prints at a large discount, or at the original asking price. It’s a win-win. Bargain art, prints on walls instead of in a drawer, and a little less work for some unfortunate soul who comes after me.
Sometimes, I’ll find an old unfinished print that intrigues me enough to warrant another trip to the studio. This happened last year with a spirited but unrefined monotype of an island ( that actually exists, in the middle of Sloan’s Lake) that I did in black and white around 2010. It couldn’t hurt to add some color, I thought. I did a blend roll for the sky and water, right over the heavy black ink, which results in some strange tones. I left the edges fairly deconstructed, and the thing has the aspect of a study or sketch, though it’s as large as many finished prints.
The colors wind up muted but still garish, a pretty good description of what happens in the sky at dusk, so while I’m not sure it’s a great print, it still seems compelling, and I submitted it for the Colorado Print Educators Show at Space Gallery, opening March 13. You can see it there and judge for yourself. I’ll be there too, so come on down and see the diverse works of the print instructors from around the state.
#artshows #denverart #artstudentsleaguedenver #asldprintmakers #monotypes #botanicgardens #spacegallery
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