Harness the Wind is a series of three related screen prints which reference the way plants use wind to disperse seeds. The various silhouetted shapes showcase the different parts of a Continus coggygria shrub, commonly known as smokebush or smoketree . This fabulous plant shows off its smoky appearance all summer long before its tiny seeds, held on plumy panicles, float through the air at summer’s end in search of a new home separate from the original plant. 

The stencils for the silhouetted shapes began with pressure printing and direct scanning of the plant’s leaves and panicles. The resulting imagery was then used to create layouts in photoshop before being printed onto clear acetate, the 1st step in the photo emulsion process.  This digital component is a new addition to my screen printing process. It was a challenging and rewarding excursion away from the comfort of my usual approach to making prints. 

The prints in this collection can be purchased by visiting my website’s shop page here.

Sea Forms Series I began by scissor cutting a variety of colored paper shapes which were then organized into one dynamic composition. Flat, 2 dimensional shapes which will read as either an abstract shape or as a silhouette, are well suited to the creation of bold, graphic designs. Once created, the scissor cut shapes can be moved into an endless variety of combinations until a final design is selected. 

A stenciled screen is then created for each color in the print.*

Screenprinted monoprints Unlike the traditional editioned print in which each print is exactly the same, I decided to experiment by varying the images within the edition. For example: I added or eliminated dots, changed the value of colors from a darker turquoise to a lighter one and so on. I also cropped each print differently to create a related series of screenprinted “monoprints”. 

Sunflowers Series The layout for this work was created in photoshop using my own conte crayon drawings of sunflowers as a starting point. 

To view the prints in this collection which are available for purchase visit my website’s shop page here.

Passage

Screenprint - Night into day and summer into fall, Passage was influenced, in part, by the simple colors and flat forms of folk art and the joyful cut paper collages of Henri Matisse.

Quiet City

Screenprint - I created the subtle shifts in chroma and opacity featured throughout Quiet City by using many transparent color overlays. The gradual transitions in color from cool to muted bright to bright are compatible with the gentle, contemplative mood which I sought to create for this print.

When finished, the image suggested the soft, pulsing lights which might be seen in the windows of a city building on a quiet evening.

Pursuit

Almost

Meet Me At The Crossroads

The study for Meet Me at the Crossroads began as an exercise in pure design. I chose to use only basic geometric forms and colors similar to those I had seen in folk quilts I admired.

As I played with the study for this design, the shapes began to suggest things and places in the real world. At that point, I chose a palette of browns, greens and deep blues, to bolster landscape references to mountain, land and night sky. The bolder yellows at the composition’s center can either be experienced as simple bright shapes, or be read as stars in the night sky or a home's interior lights. 

* Regarding the word Crossroads in the print’s title: “A fork in the road (or even a forked branch) can allude to this crucially important symbol of passage and communication between worlds.” Source: Flash of the Spirit by Robert Farris Thompson. 

Red Crescent and Orange Fish

The prints in this collection can be purchased by visiting my website’s shop page here.

Nike screenprinted watercolor monotype

The screened watercolor monotype process begins by painting or drawing an image onto a clean silk screen with water-soluble materials such as watercolors or water soluble crayons. Clear transparent base is flooded across the screen several times to rewet the dried pigments. The screen is lowered and a squeegee is used to force the watercolor from the screen and onto a sheet of paper placed beneath.* 

The result will always be different from the image created on the screen. It’s that element of surprise which I find so exciting.

* The prints in this collection were created using waterbased materials. For more info on how to use watercolors to create screenprinted monotypes sign up for my blog where this process will be explored in an upcoming photo and text tutorial.

To view the prints in this collection which are available for purchase visit my website’s shop page here.

My figurative monotypes begin with conte crayon drawings on paper done from a live model. The drawing is placed underneath a clear plastic printmaking plate which is large enough to encompass the drawing. Using the drawing underneath the plate as a guide, the plate is inked using both brayers and stiff brushes.

Printing monotypes without a press an inked plate can be be run through a heavy duty etching press or the ink can be transferred using a tool called a pin press.* Both works here were made using a pin press.

* The prints in this collection were created with waterbased Akua inks, brayers and a pin press. For more info on how to create monotypes using this type of transfer technique, sign up for my blog where this process will be explored in an upcoming photo and text tutorial.

To view prints in this collection which are available for purchase visit my website’s shop page here.

Shift is a limited edition, 17 color screenprinted image which was designed and hand pulled by the artist. Shift depicts a forest interior rendered in a high key palette of pinks, corals, violets, soft greens and yellows. The image is composed of four separate prints shown here in a “window view” mat which has four openings.

Shift is a large piece which will measure 51”x 40” when matted with a 3 1/2 inch border and will have 2 inches of “window frame” space between each section. The edition size for this print is 12.

The prints in this collection are available and can be purchased by visiting my website’s shop page here.

Little Blue Arc, 8 color oil based screenprint

Reach, 7 color oil based screenprint

Prints in these editions have sold out. To see similar work which is currently for sale visit my website’s shop page here.