Ithaca Exhibition Highlights New and Innovative Printmaking
Coming to The Ink Shop at 330 East State Street in Ithaca is a display by 10 artists who take the field of printmaking way beyond traditional etching and lithography.
Called “Process and Purpose” the exhibition opens on February 3 and runs through March 31. Curator Alan Singer will talk about the evolution of this art form on February 23, from 6 to 7 p.m.
Of the 10 artists on view, some have had international recognition while others are more regional in their scope. Many of them teach their techniques. Participants include a collaborative duo: Lenore Thomas and Justin Strom, as well as individual printmakers Charlie Campbell, Bernice Cross, Friedhard Kiekeben, Keith Howard, Catherine Kernan, Ron Netsky, Nick Ruth, curator Alan Singer and Dan Welden.
The Ink Shop is a cooperative venture by artists – specifically printmakers – whose goal is to get the word out about how nifty new technology is changing the face of their corner of the art world. “Process and Purpose” gets to the heart of new thinking, when artists want to make prints. For the 10 artists in this exhibition, invention and innovation are just as important as color and composition.
Artists invent new techniques to express something that couldn’t have been done otherwise, and one of the exhibitors, Keith Howard, is the chief exponent of “green” nontoxic printmaking for artists all around the world. Keith has given lectures and demonstrations of his methods of making images that stress the use of materials which will not harm the artist or the environment.
Visitors can see the products of an evolution in a branch of fine art dedicated to producing multiples on paper – but this is no Xerox or inkjet print. For example, Dan Welden employs solar power to create plates that he uses to make editions of images sold to collectors worldwide. Dan is always on the go, bringing his Solarplates with him and sharing his expertise and enthusiasm for creating new art with a twist. A Solarplate is a lightweight panel that is sensitive to sunlight and it is used to make a positive impression on paper, thus creating the print.
All art is created through a process of perception and ideation, then translated through the physical manipulation of an artist’s materials.
In the case of the printmakers on display at The Ink Shop, not only do we see the results of their art hanging on a wall, but we also get to understand how those images were brought into existence. Each artist has contributed to a statement of purpose: Why does their art look the way it does, and how did they resolve their initial ideas? You can be the judge of their success.
Call 607-277-3884 for more information.
Alan Singer “ Red Rock Story” 2009 , a transfer monoprint
Charlie Campbell “Benjamin” , 2011, print on wood panel
Catherine Kernan “ Tracings #9”, 2011 relief print
Dan Welden “ Night Invitation”, 2010 intaglio, relief, litho
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