Betty Woodman has come to the studio almost every Spring since we began our collaborations in 1985. We have made monotypes, monoprints, woodcuts and lithographs. Some of them with collage and combinations of processes. Betty returned in April to make new monotype collages. First working on background sheets and then vessel shapes that were cut out and collaged onto the backgrounds. Four groups of monotypes were completed. They include, Terra Cotta Vases & Flowers, Dining Room and Shutters & Vases.In these prints Woodman places images of her vessels into room like settings. Here are some examples.
Joseph Velasquez and Drew Iwaniw visited us last week with their mobile print studio....Drive By Press. Great to have them stop by and show us their ingenious system for fitting a complete print studio into the back of their van. They showed the quick set up...rolling their press out and ready to print in a matter of minutes. We got to see what they've been up to and show them work going on in our studio.
They are doing a inspired job of "spreading the ink". They have traveled 100's of thousands of miles around the country setting up at universities, colleges and public schools. They make printmaking accessible to young people through their hands-on demonstrations. I've been so impressed by what they are doing that I've almost packed my bag and run off with them.
We have had recent visitors to the studio, including four elk that fought each other, exhausted themselves, ate our birdseed and rested right outside our windows. Don Ed Hardy, HungLiu and EnriqueChagoya came for the Logan Conversation at the MCA Denver on Feb 24th. This program was in conjunction with our exhibition which will be on view through the 28th of June. The conversation was lively, funny and offered insights into our collaborations and the making of the prints.
Hardy stayed on to work on a new lithograph and group of monotypes. The lithograph is Free Range & Howboy. We'll be printing the edition this week.
"The Legend of Bud Shark and his Indelible Ink" opened at the MCA Denver on Feb 6th. This group exhibition was curated by Cydney Payton and features 83 prints by ten artists with whom we have had significant collaborations over a number of years. The represented artists are John Buck, Enrique Chagoya, Bernard Cohen, Red Grooms, Don Ed Hardy, Jane Hammond, Robert Kushner, Hung Liu, Hollis Sigler, and Betty Woodman. Payton's soaring installation is dynamic and exciting. I hope that you'll have an opportunity to see it. The exhibition will be on view through June 28th.
We've just completed part of the edition of John Buck's new woodcut The Luminary. Here is some video of the printing and hand coloring processes. Printing the key block by hand burnishing.
Only a few days into the New Year and 2008 is fading quickly into the background. Here's a quick look in the rear view mirror at some of last year’s highlights; projects, travels and work in the studio.
January: Jane Hammond "Spells and Incantations" printing and gold leafing completed.
Headed to Hawaii for a vacation.
February: San Francisco:
-Saw the beautiful new De Young Museum and the HC Westermann exhibition at Stanford.
-To the opening of the "Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia" survey exhibition at the BerkeleyMuseum which included many prints that we published.
-Renee Bott of Paulson Press had a wonderful dinner for us at her home in Berkeley with Pam Paulson and lots of friends.
Returned to the studio to work with my assistant Roseanne to refine the cutting and assembly of the Hammond "mummy".
March:
Tom Burckhardt arrives to begin work on a group of new prints. Photo of him working outside in the snow, drawing blank canvases borrowed from Barbara's studio.
Begin Burckhardt editions.
Assembly of Hammond mummy continues.
April:
Betty Woodman arrives.
Cut blocks and proof woodblock “Picking Plum Blossoms", her first print to incorporate figurative images.
Participated in Art Chicago, our 22nd year of doing an art fair in Chicago!
May:
Print Woodman edition.
To Spokane for opening of John Buck: Iconography exhibition at Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.Exhibition includes many of the 40 plus editions we have published and will travel through 2011. Next stop, Fort Wayne Museum.
Roberto Juarez arrives to begin our first project together.
Betty Woodman has come to the studio almost every Spring since we began our collaborations in 1985. We have made monotypes, monoprints, woodcuts and lithographs. Some of them with collage and combinations of processes.
