Printmakers

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Lorraine Kushynski created this lovely personal monotype in our printmaking class using a photo of her daughters.

Joan Hodgkiss is a Suffolk-based printmaker and artist. Her etchings are largely derived from imagery of coastal landscapes, still life and natural history. Using traditional techniques Joan creates contemporary etchings. Subtle differences in the hand-colouring and hand-printing process make each print unique. These limited editions, signed prints give one a chance to own original art or make an ideal fine art gift. All of Joan’s current artwork is showcased in the gallery section. This website also contains details on etching techniques and background information on the artist herself.

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Etching is an intaglio technique dating back to the sixteenth century in which acids are used to produce an incised art image on a metal printing plate. First a copper or zinc plate is covered in acid-resistant wax known as a ground. The artist draws through this ground, exposing the meal. The plate is then immersed in acid, which eats into the plate. Varying the exposure can create different intensities of line. Ink is then applied to the plate and the excess removed. Finally prints are made by passing the plate and paper through a press with great pressure to transfer the ink from the sunken lines. Artists such as Rembrandt, Renoir, Picasso, Degas, Toulouse Lautrec, and Whistler have all produced etchings.

All of Joan's prints are original in that each one is a hand-coloured and hand-printed impression of an original design. Joan generally produces 150 such impressions, called an edition, from each of her designs. Each is unique and each is signed and numbered. Thus the 13th print of an edition of 150 will be numbered 13/150 at the bottom left hand side of the image.

Prints produced in this way should not be confused with mass produced art prints or giclees, which, although often signed by the artist and sold as a limited edition are all identical copies and should never be sold as original prints. Genuine etchings will always have an indentation in the paper left by the edges of the plate.

Irving Amen, born 1918 in New York City is known as a master printmaker. He has produced thousands of woodcuts, etchings, lithographs and silk-screen prints. He also creates using oil and acrylic as well as some sculpture. Irving Amen had a studio in New York City for many years but moved to Boca Raton, Florida in the 1990s, where he is still producing his art. He is represented in many major art galleries and museums of the world including the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

Many of Amen's works have a Jewish theme. One masterpiece is his set of twelve windows at Congregation Agudas Achim in Columbus, Ohio depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Much of Amen's work depicts women and children and music themes. Chess, Venice and Don Quixote are the subjects of other works. Amen also taught classes in sculpture and printmaking at such schools as the Pratt Institute (1961) and at University of Notre Dame (1962). In 1974, Amen illustrated the classic, Gilgamesh, for the Limited Editions Club with nine 3-color woodcuts and 7 part-page black and white woodcuts and linocuts. 

Aspiring Artist Finds Refuge in Mixed Media

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I was approached by a freelance writer for a feature story on EmptyEasel.com, but when I checked her out, I discovered that she was a mixed media artist, too… and though she has a very different style, I thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A with her, myself.

  

Alyice Edrich has always been a creative soul, dabbling in various crafts and trying to find her way in the art world hasn't always been easy. She would see so many wonderful, talented artists… artists she is simply in awe of, and she would wonder, "What could I possibly offer the world compared to these masters?"

 

Her self-doubt caused her to keep her desireher craving to createa secret. Sure, she'd create a few trinkets here and there over the years, and she loved to sit down with her children (when they were smaller) and craft together, but the idea of attempting to make something that would sell, let alone something she would willingly share with the world, that was another story entirely.

 

But after moving to South Dakota, the long winters and the quiet of the land took their hold on her and she developed a serious case of depression. Without a creative outlet (as they were now renting and her children were "too grown" to create with her) the depression simply lingered. It got so bad, that her husband feared for her… that's when he told her that she had to start creating again.

 

"We may be renting, but you can still create," he told her. "And the children may not want to craft with you anymore, but there's no reason you can't do it by yourself."

 

Of course, "by herself" wasn't something she wanted to hear. She felt too alone, too isolated, as it was. But she decided to listen to her husband and give it a try and what she discovered was that creating something with her hands again made her feel alive again, concentrating on the task at hand made the isolation disappear, and the final outcome—whether it was good or bad—made her smile.

 

The more she began creating with her hands, the more she wanted to share what she created with others, but not knowing anyone in the local area made it hard to share, let alone get constructive feedback, so she turned the 'net where she met a woman who told her to start an art blog, and start posting her art online.

 

"Even if you're the only person who reads your blog," the woman told her, "the act of sharing your art will free you, challenge you, and encourage you. It will give the confidence you need to keep on creating."

 

It's now been four years since Alyice started that journey and she's so grateful for her husband's insistence that she pick up a paintbrush… mainly because it opened up a whole new world to her and allowed her to meet some amazing artists, and partly because the act of creating something heals her soul in a way writing, cooking, or other tasks can't.

 

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Today, Alyice creates what she likes to call contemporary folk art, or mixed media art. "It's rudimentary compared to the artists I admire," says Alyice, "but it makes me happy."

 

Alyice will try anything once, but what she's found is that she really enjoys taking old bottles, tin cans, molding paste, and acrylic paints and creating art jars. For her, they are functional art at its best and a great way to de-stress, calm anxiety, and simply "be in the moment". And it's a great way to enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching her favorite, mind-numbing sitcoms.

 

You can learn more about Alyice and her art at alyiceedrich.blogspot.com or alyiceedrich.net

Aspects of Mixed Media

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Nature by Dori in our mixed media painting class.  The concept of mixed media has been utilized for hundreds of years. There are two aspects to mixed media. One has to do with advertising and the multiple ways of presenting information. This can be using methods such as radio, television or billboards together. The other has to do with art. This second mixed media, or assemblage, concerns works of art that are put together using different media for a composition such as collage, photography or painting made from whatever the artist chooses to use.

A mixed media collage implies two separate art techniques. First there is the art of collage, which is defined by the free online dictionary as an artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and color. Mixed media adds to the overall concept of working with one or more types of painting in addition to the process of attaching collage elements. Elements can include photographs, colored paper, ticket stubs, magazine articles and advertisements. Even with all this visual information, a mixed media collage can still effectively convey a strong image and message.

A real fun, and obvious, form of mixed media art is assemblage. Assemblage is a form of art that is three dimensional and composed of putting together objects that are found. Assemblage really takes mixed media art to a new level. Instead of using the traditional mixed media objects, it branches out to include anything that an artist uses to create their piece of art. It can range from common, everyday items to unusual things that you wonder where the artist even managed to find them. This form of mixed media art is fun for anyone to try, from young to old, you yourself or with a group.

In a world today where "going green" and recycling is highly promoted, and even encouraged and taught in the schools, using items in art that no longer can be used in a traditional manner has become very popular. It is another form of recycling. Some artists have become very popular and talented in this field of art. Regardless of your preference of artistic styles, it is not unusual for there to be a mix of different media. Check out the mixed media art the next time you are in an art gallery, some will be obvious, but look closely at the different canvases, some will unexpectedly be mixed media art.

Even though the term multimedia art is applied to mixed media it is not the same. Multimedia art incorporates the use of differing areas like music, dance or interactions with the person viewing the display. Mixed media provides the artist with diversity both with the use of material and with what is represented by the work. The visitor to the gallery or museum can interact with an installation or simply view. Mixed media art using fiber combines fiber along with paint, dye, thread and ink among the media. The United Nations has declared 2009 the year of natural fiber, encouraging the use of fiber in art.

Discover The Types Of Painting Classes in Los Angeles

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Do you want to enroll yourself in painting classes Los Angeles? Have you been secretly having the very idea of learning how to paint? If you love the artistry of painting and wish you could learn to paint well, then you’re well on your way. The first step of any venture begins with having the passion to do something. The next step is to act on that desire. If you really like to learn about painting, there are individuals who are willing to help you to achieve your dream. Can be as easy to do is a bit of research by using the internet as your guide.  Find an art school or perhaps college art class near your home. Painting classes in Los Angeles has to be inexpensive.  Begin shopping around for the finest establishment which fits your budget.  In the meantime, here are a few types of painting classes that you might be interested in.

Watercolor painting is an excellent way for beginner artists to start in the realm of painting. You don’t need too much equipment and also watercolor paints are generally a lot less expensive than oils. The process of making a watercolor painting also is relatively quick, which is part of the appeal for new artists who want to see outcomes quickly. While painting with watercolors is pretty easy, there are several guidelines to keep in mind which will help your artwork stand out. Make a few test paintings just before to work on something much more substantial. Watercolor paint is extremely finicky and it takes a while to find out how to get your desired color intensity. Practice holding the brush in different ways and manipulating it to get different brush strokes. When you think you have the hang of it you may want to try your very first official painting.

Oil pastels are actually art tools that look like crayons, but they’re oil-based instead of wax-based. They permit you to blend colors more freely, but they also do not dry or fix entirely to paper; so they can be more hard to protect. Nevertheless, you can make use of pastels to make very colorful artwork. All you need to do is understand the techniques. Take an oil pastel drawing course in your art school or local community university. These types of courses can provide you with the most complete instruction on oil pastel method. The courses must teach you mixing and scraping techniques at least. Once you learn exactly how to work with oil pastels, you can practice every technique on your own.

Portrait painting is a struggle for any artist, especially a beginning artist. When learning how to do portraits, an artist must train himself to paint what exactly he sees and to do that by looking at his subject objectively. The best way to learn how to paint a portrait is by painting a portrait, then painting another and another until you turn into a skilled portrait artist.

Now that you’ve been informed in three types of painting classes Los Angeles, it’s up to you to decide which type of painting classes you believe will interest you.  Don’t forget, you are not limited to three Los Angeles painting classes stated above; you can actually select various other painting classes.

Discover Different Types Painting Classes Los Angeles

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Do you want to enroll yourself in painting classes Los Angeles? Have you been secretly harboring the idea of learning how to paint? If you enjoy the artistry of painting and wish that you could learn how to paint well, then you are well on your way. The first step of any venture starts with having the desire to do something. The next step is to act on that desire. If you really want to learn about painting, there are people who are ready and willing to help you fulfill your dream. All you have to do is a little research by using the internet as your guide.  Find an art school or college art class in your local area. Paint classes Los Angeles should be inexpensive.  Start shopping around for the best establishment that fits your budget.  In the meantime, listed below are different types of painting classes that you might be interested in.

Watercolor painting is a great way for amateur artists to get started in the world of painting. You don't need an excessive amount of equipment and watercolor paints are generally a lot less expensive than oils. The process of making a watercolor painting can also is relatively quick, which is part of the appeal for new artists who want to see results quickly. While painting with watercolors is relatively easy, there are some guidelines to keep in mind that will help your artwork come to life. Make a few test paintings before getting to work on something more substantial. Watercolor paint is very finicky and it takes a while to figure out how to get your desired color intensity. Practice holding the brush in different ways and manipulating it to get different brush strokes. When you think you have the hang of it you may want to try your first official painting.

Oil pastels are art tools that look like crayons, but they are oil-based instead of wax-based. They allow you to blend colors more freely, but they also don't dry or fix completely to paper; so they can be more difficult to protect. Even so, you can use pastels to make very colorful art. All you need to do is learn the techniques. Take an oil pastel drawing course through your art school or local community college. These courses can give you the most complete instruction on oil pastel technique. The courses should teach you blending and scraping techniques at least. Once you know how to work with oil pastels, you can practice each technique on your own.

Portrait painting is a difficult task for any artist, especially a beginning artist. When learning how to do portraits, an artist must train himself to paint exactly what he sees and to do that by looking at his subject objectively. The best way to learn to how to paint a portrait is by painting a portrait, then painting another and another until you become a skilled portrait artist.

Now, that you’ve been educated in three different types of painting classes Los Angeles.  It is up to decide, which type of painting classes you feel will interest you.  Remember, you are not limited to three classes stated above you can select other painting class.

Inspired by Hannelore Baron

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Hannelore Baron was an artist whose work has become known for the highly personal, book-sized, abstract collages and box constructions that she began exhibiting in the late 1960s. Born in Saarbrücken, Germany, on June 8, 1926, she and her family fled persecution in Nazi Germany in 1938 and relocated to the Riverdale, Bronx area of New York City. Without a formal art education, her interest grew and was nourished through a variety of art classes at adult education and community centers.

At age 40, in the mid 1960s, Baron combined her knowledge of a variety of art making techniques (watercolor, drawing and printmaking) and began making her first collages. Baron embarked on an uncharted voyage into collage as a method of containing her search for human connection. Her mysterious and intriguing works of ink, paper and fabric are eloquent testimonials to the common heritage of humanity. Plunging deep into an expression of the common roots by means of personal suffering, she developed a cohesive language through the weaving of texture, shape and symbol. Her transcendent communication expresses the reassurance of the continuum of nature’s cycles reflected by the injection of new life to old fabrics.

Hannelore Baron works reveal the path by which an artist’s self-discovery transcends into universal expression. Working in the form of two-dimensional collage and box assemblage, Baron explored the archeology of the soul. In the early 1970s, Baron established a studio and devoted her time and energy completely to her artwork. Although her compositions are completely abstract, she considered them to be both personal and political statements. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s her work garnered critical acclaim, along with gallery and museum exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Her work is marked by the gravity, discretion and understated wit of a survivor. She had a special feeling for paper, for the weight of communication it can bear and the weight of history that settles so easily on its edges and surfaces. She described herself a pacifist and wanted her quietly intense work to convince others of the need to listen. She used letters as symbols of memory and birds as symbols of vulnerability and the need for song. She had numerous solo shows in New York and was a participant in ''Jewish Themes - Contemporary Artists II'' at the Jewish Museum. Although the diminutive collages and doll-size assemblages by Hannelore Baron clearly belong to the 20th Century, it's impossible to link them to a specific decade. Hannelore Baron died of cancer at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center on April 28, 1987. She was 61 years old.

In 1995, her work was the subject of a one-person exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 2001 her work was the subject of a traveling exhibition curated by Ingrid Schaffner and organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Her works can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, and Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Real strangers to time's steady progression, these haunting works are timeless in a profoundly untraditional sense. 

Treat Yourself Using Mixed Media Art

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 Jennie created mixed media on wood panel in our painting class.

It's a type of therapy that is commonly used among the psychologically ill, physically ill, and abuse victims. Art therapists work by combining concepts that are generally employed in psychology as well as art to be able to help patients cope with the traumatic events which they manage, as well as the triggers which they face in everyday life. There are a variety of different advantages of art therapy.

Art therapy has proven to help you develop your social skills using art work. It involves letting you express yourself with different kinds of art materials like, clay and paints. Art care has proved to help you create visual representations of your emotions. Numerous benefits can be produced from art therapy. It could increase your self-awareness and help you develop your social skills. Art treatment could assist you to acquire problem solving strategies and creative thinking.

There are many folks with severe physical disorders who reap the benefits of art therapy. People who find themselves paralyzed, for example, may make use of art therapy. Cancer patients are also known to make use of art therapy to relieve stress and, ultimately, feel much better regarding themselves. Prior experience or skills in art-creating aren't required to take part in art therapy, which is about self-exploration and recovery through finding out how to find the metaphorical, visual as well as verbal interactions contained in your artwork.

A lot of people are under the impression that you will need to see an art therapist in order to benefit from this kind of therapy. Art therapy is something you can do on your personal time. Any time that you're feeling very stressed and want to release some of your body's stress or frustration out, why not take out a sheet of paper and some colored pencils? All that you need to do is draw the first thing that one thinks of. It is likely that you might learn a bit about yourself by doing this. You will also probably feel a lot of peace and a sense of accomplishment.

Mixed Media Artists can show you how to heal yourself. The benefits of art therapy activities have shown to help folks learn how to express their feelings. Art therapy can allow you to come to terms with your feelings by determining and working through rage, bitterness along with other feelings. This is particularly helpful during or after a traumatic incident or illness. In this way it could restore or refresh your spirit. It is possible to use art-making as a means of self-discovery. You can de-stress and re-engage with life experiences in a creative and revitalizing way. It isn't about making good art. Using imaginative expression and an array of art materials, observing and experiencing the art, it's possible to be guided through its creation and reviewing in a secure and non-judgmental atmosphere.

 

Printmaking Artists

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David Smith-Harrison was born in Salt Lake City, Utah where he has spent the greater part of his life. In 1977 he was awarded a Utah State Sterling Scholarship, before going on to be educated at the South Glamorgan Institute, Cardiff, Wales in 1983 and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City in 1984.

His highly original printmaking, which blends traces of Renaissance style architecture with vividly rendered natural objects, relies on his fascination for drawing. “Drawing is of central importance to me,” he says, “it is a tool for developing my powers of observation and memory.”

The delicate process of printmaking carries a greater element of surprise. Smith-Harrison enjoys this slightly unpredictable delivery of his ideas. He says “I am attracted to the infinite possibilities of impressing ink onto paper and I find the unique textural characteristics of prints to be stimulating, seductive, and full of subtlety and nuance.” It is a time-consuming technique inherited from the great engravers of the Renaissance, a period which particularly fascinates Smith-Harrison. He stresses that his interest in past artistic tradition is as important to him as his interaction with current life.

Smith-Harrison’s high artistic standing has ensured wide exhibition of his work. He has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions across California. His work was also exhibited at the Evergreen Graphic Art Association, Taipei Cultural Centre, Taiwan in 1993.

In addition, Smith-Harrison has participated in many juried exhibitions. Among these are the Ashland University Printmaking Invitational Exhibition, Ohio, at which he displayed work in 1999; National Printmaking, College of New Jersey, Trenton in 1997, Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennal 95, Japan; 65th National Print Exhibition, Society of American Graphic Artists, Federal Plaza, New York in 1993 and US-UK Print Connection, Barbican Centre in London in 1989.

William Stolpin was born and raised in Flint. He went to Garfield elementary, Emerson Junior High and old Northern High School, where he is currently a Distinguished Alumni with his picture on the wall at the new High School. He graduated from Northern in 1960, and went directly to GMI. He graduated with my BME in 1965. While he was in Junior High, he was making linoleum block Christmas cards. One card in particular had 7 blocks and about 15 colors. He realized, at that time, that he had a knack for printmaking, and have been making images ever since.

Collage Artists - Mixed Media Paintings

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C.W. Slade, Solitudes of Dream, 24 x 24, mixed media on wood

C.W. Slade creates an enigmatic world of color, brilliant yet translucent, and form, nonrepresentational yet suggestive.  She utilizes the act of creation as a means of exploring life's mysteries, painting a philosophy of balance and completeness, truth and discovery.  Slade’s eloquent compositions present ideas, emotions, or thoughts through an intuitive process.  Her paintings have the power to enlighten the audience by offering an accessible and complex vision of the world.

Beneath the surface of each painting are evocative suggestions of color, form and language that reflect the artist's process.  Her paintings allow the viewer freedom to participate in this process by offering clues, messages, and fragments of meaning.  Recognizable images are gracefully ingratiated within the abstract composition thus creating a bridge into the painting’s territory.  The audience's experience of each piece is further influenced by color, the emotional and transformative value each tone brings to the entire canvas.

Slade applies numerous coats of pigment upon the surface of each piece to achieve the rich and luminous composition, which incorporates complex elements of collage and the resultant topography of countless layers of mixed media.  Images and colors are applied to the base, covered by additional veils of medium, only to be partially revealed again by the scraping back and removal of the immediate facade.  Her process is akin to the weaving of fabric, as each deposit of detail and color, whether hidden or apparent,
is a significant component of the whole.  Hints of symbolic imagery, words and forms encourage the viewer to search the vast terrain of Slade's brush; the final product is a textured map, a balance between the physical and mystical realm, that guides the viewer on a meditative journey through C.W. Slade's enchanting universe.

C.W. Slade's mixed media paintings have gained recognition in the art world and her works are collected internationally. You can find her work in several publications and online.

Collage artist utilizes the strategy painting and mixes two or more mediums and other found items together in a work of art. Collage artist describes his/her work as a strategy concerned with the use of 2 or more artistic media. For instance, a work on canvas which fuses paint, ink, and collage could appropriately be labeled or you can utilize a few kind of art supply, like paint and ink, paint and pastels, pastels and ink, and the like. Throughout the entire art background of mixed media artists, you will find numerous expert and well-known painters who have considered the mixed media art and astonished the industry of the arts. Listed here are a few of the impressive mixed media artists.

Cathy Horner mixes classic papers, photographs, discovered objects, as well as handmade papers with layers of paint and varnish to make her original collages on canvas, full of whimsy and a smart sense of humor. Horner's subject matter consists of a cool assortment of domestic scenes, individuals, robots, fairies, and anthropomorphic figures - all imaginatively carried out with the sort of humor that simply leaves the viewer with a grin. She brilliantly blends images, textures, and color, and her devotion to details can be seen in her own distinctive kind of presentation, as even the backs of her canvases were properly covered with vintage text and images.

Liu Shih-tung is a Taiwanese mixed media artist, born in 1970 in central Taiwan’s Miaoli County. He has been a practicing artist ever since 1985 the moment he went into the recently established senior high school art major classes and has been doing work mainly with collage since the early 2000s. From July to August this year, Liu undertook a residency at 18th Street Art Center in Los Angeles, California. Liu Shih-tung continues to be quitting installation and performance art since the early 2000s, and is right now moved by folk tradition, specifically collage making. He makes use of images cut from printed objects, a primary source of which are fashion periodicals, and recombines selected images along with paint on flat canvas.

Ray Yoshida, whose mysteriously humorous, semi-abstract paintings and collages and 40 years of teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago influenced generations of prominent artists. Mr. Yoshida’s 1st mature work was a series of collages consisting of tiny images and pieces of pictures clipped from comics organized in neat, gridded order on pieces of paper. They look as if they were produced by a methodical but possibly deranged researcher for some unknown scholarly or scientific purpose. During the 70's Mr. Yoshida turned to painting, but he returned to the comic image collages during the early 1990s.