Black & White

The winter solstice reminds me of the beauty and striking simplicity of black and white. Not that there’s much snow here.  Our west coast winter is green and moist.

However!  In a few days I’m flying into the Okanagan Valley.  We’ll drop down above hills and valleys, farms and ranches, orchards, vineyards, and the vast frozen white lake.

It’s really wintertime there, and the approach to the Kelowna airport is fantastic:  a monochromatic dream rich in pattern and texture.

I’ve been using a monochromatic palette throughout my studio life.  It’s a contemporary idiom for many artists,  and I’m drawn to it as well.  It’s been an enduring part of my studio work, especially in printmaking.

The pieces that follow were done over the years using different materials and methods.  I work with value and texture, especially in painting.

Let’s take a walk through these monochromatic pieces.

Graphite on mylar 2008  ‘Bamako’
Mixed media on canvas 2014 ‘The Forgotten Works” (after Richard Brautigan)
1/10 Collograph 2004 ‘Morpheous 1’
1/1/30 Etching & monoprint 2017  ‘Inside Passage 2’
Acrylic on canvas 2011 ‘Outland’
Acrylic on paper 2016 ‘Finder’
1/5 Emboss monoprint 2012 ‘Sewing Lessons 4’
1/10 Serigraph 2013 ‘Self Portrait’

It’s the end of another year.  Life in the studio these past twelve months has been surprising, complex, and productive.

My ongoing print portfolio project, Encaje Red, is hibernating.   That’s pretty typical for creative projects that have been over planned.   And it’s been a good lesson for me.  I haven’t abandoned the project yet.

As a result of that large project setback,  I’ve been experimenting with materials and approaches in printmaking.  The upside is a smaller portfolio roughly based on the same theme.   It’s emerged as a result of the larger projects SNAFU’s.

A major accomplishment the past year was the large and technically challenging print installation Meta Incognita:  The Unknown Limits. I showed this piece at the Ground Zero Printmakers annual group show ‘Take your Bearings’ at the 50/50 Gallery in Victoria.  You can find more on this in one of my  previous post.

I’m recharging my creative battery over the next month.  I plan to spend lots of time outside, in the snow, and in the sand.  I’m also taking in some big art in big fat art museums and galleries.  Hope to share that with you soon!

Wishing you a love, peace, and joy in creativity in the coming year.

Laurie @ Mackie Editions 

 

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