Curiousity and art-making

Research has been a theme of late. I stumbled upon something a week or two ago that discussed the use of polyester plates for lithography, wherein one might produce an image directly onto the polyester “plate” or use a laser printer or photocopier to impose an image. I found this intriguing as a possibility for creating multiples from my drawings– and I am a great fan of multiples. They are a most sensible way to make art accessible and affordable in a way that the artist need not be grossly underpaid. And, with respect to buyers and aspiring collectors, a hand-pulled lithograph is a unique piece in that no two print exactly alike, and in which the hand of the artist was present, thereby creating a more substantial and tactile edition than, for example, a series of giclee / inkjet prints (though they, too, have their place).

All this  naturally led me into learning more about other printmaking techniques. While I studied at Pratt, I was interested in other methods, but only worked with screen printing, as it made the most sense alongside my design studies (great way to create comps), and sadly, there were only so many electives one could take each semester. So here I am all these years later– in yet another of so many moments in which I am grateful for the great swath of freely shared knowledge that is the internet!  I’ve found a couple of fantastic resources regarding the art of drypoint– including methods wherein plexiglass or even cardboard can be used as plates! I’m utterly intrigued, and was happy to learn that the Gowanus Studio Space now offers day-to-day studio rental, where I can avail myself of a press when I’m ready to begin printing.

In other news, I’m in the midst three books at the moment…
• A Voyage to Pagany, by William Carlos Williams (beautifully written, lyrical and which I am nearly finished with, but then got sidetracked by…)
• Caesar: The Gallic War, translated from Caesar’s commentaries by HJ Edwards. This is one I picked up at Arcadia Books in New Orleans. It’s a diminutive board-and-cloth bound, and each page is presented in its original Latin, with the facing page in English, and has gorgeous pull-out maps and plans of siegeworks and artillery. When I returned home I wound up calling the proprietor and ordering the second of this collection he had, on  The Civil Wars.
• Art Without Compromise*, by Wendy Richmond, which caught my eye while browsing in a bookstore a week or so ago. (The asterisk in the title has yet to be explained, and will be disappointed if it turns out to be a random design element…)