Jingle Ball 2021
Top image: Adams County Arts Council
Adams County Arts Council's Jingle Ball
Saturday, December 4th, 6-11 PM
The Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors’ Center
I’ll have only one hour at the Adams County Arts Council’s annual fundraising gala, the Jingle Ball, to design, paint, pull, seal, and frame a print that will go up for auction to benefit the non-profit. Should be challenging — and fun!
The bottom portion of the image above shows the clay matrix that I’ll be designing on prior to the gala. Some of these elements may impact the finished print.
Clay Monoprint Workshop — November 2021
Andrew Smith is offering a one-session clay monoprint workshop at the Adams County Arts Council in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, November 10th, from 1-4 PM. Participants will use printmaking techniques with colored clay slips to create vibrant monoprints. Basic techniques will be introduced, followed by an open studio format where artists can explore and create their own works. Everyone will leave with two completed prints.
Questions may be directed to Andy at ostman4200@comcast.net. Registration information is available at:
https://www.adamsarts.org/portfolio-item/printmaking-with-clay/
Clay Slip for the Clay Monoprint Artist
The clay monoprint artist must make their own clay slips for their works.
While most painters at this point in time purchase their paints, clay monoprint artists must make their own clay slips, with as many varieties needed as the colors they choose to use in their works.
An immersion or “stick” blender is a worthwhile tool for creating the clay monoprint slips.
#6 tile Kaolin (or China) clay is mixed with water to make the clay slips, roughly to a consistency a little thicker than household paint. (The use of a marshmallow fluff container is optional!)
The artist then mixes in a pigment for each color they wish to use. In the Visual Realia studio, liquid universal pigments are my most common choice, but other materials such as iron oxides are another choice. The amount of pigment added will influence the boldness of the slip.
Want to learn more about clay monoprints? Check out these links:
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2017/10/15/art-of-the-clay-monoprint
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2019/12/21/evolution-of-a-clay-monoprint-matrix
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2021/3/7/from-one-monoprint-to-the-next
And a video here:
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2020/5/8/clay-monoprint-technique-demo-video
Interested in learning in person? Contact me for some options.
Universal pigments are a great choice for clay monoprint artists, and come in a wide range of colors.
Anatomy of a Clay Monoprint
“Machinations” with Notations — Clay Monoprint by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia
For those new to the medium, the artist creates a design using colored clay (slip) on a clay slab, known as the matrix. Material is then placed on some or all of the slab, and the print is transferred to the material.
After the print is made, some of the clay design remains on the matrix. An interesting aspect of the medium is that the next print is designed over top of the previous rather than starting over. This results in a bit of randomness as portions of previous designs appear along with the new design.
For the Machinations print, I used all of the slab/matrix for the print — the first time in a while, so elements of different, smaller prints are combined. In fact, most of the elements in this print are remnants of previous designs. I did, however, add the 3x4 set of blocks in the first noted area and the dark teal line in the center at area 3.
Area 1 - You'll see three rows of three squares, using red, yellow, and orange. Above this set is another row of three dark teak clay.
In the image, you'll see a black rectangle "above" the blocks. This shape was actually from a previous print, with the new small squares placed on top. When the new print was made (pulled), the clay from the squares transferred, but so did the black rectangle underneath, reversing the order on the pulled print. (There's that randomness!)
Area 2 - If you look closely, you'll see a line of a few black dots. Not only wasn't this in the new design, but it was from several prints ago and hasn't appeared in a print since November! Sometimes these "memories" from previous designs create happy accidents. (Your clay slab is a diary of your work.)
Area 3 - The dark teal line was added last, and I almost made the print without it. A last-minute look at the matrix led me to feel the object was necessary. Interestingly, Caetlyn mentioned in the previous look at this print that she thought this line was necessary. I'm glad I added it!
Area 4 - Persistence. I've been doing geometric art lately and wanted to minimize this unusual black shape, so I painted a layer of plain off-white clay over it. It did soften it a bit, but it still raised its voice!
The clay monoprint artist never has complete control; sometimes, the clay speaks for itself.
“Machinations” — Clay Monoprint on Pellon by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia
Instagram for the Artist
Instagram has several unique aspects that make its use very helpful in sharing our art. I presented an informal look at Instagram for the Hanover Area Arts Guild.
While this won’t cover the discussion, the handout may prove useful for artists new to the platform.
Download the handout by clicking here.
Questions about using Instagram as an artist? Feel free to email.
New to Instagram? Click on the link above for a four page packet.
Shape, Color, and Line
"Shape, Color, and Line," a clay monoprint by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia.
“Shape, Color, and Line” by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia.
"Shape, Color, and Line"
Clay Monoprint, Oil Paint, and Clay Slip
18" x 20"
I am interested in Kandinsky's 1928 work, "On the Points," viewable at:
https://www.wikiart.org/en/wassily-kandinsky/on-the-points-1928
His work, now found in Paris, focuses on shape, color, and line, all consistently important to the artist. My work here explores some of the same elements, obviously modified for the different mediums.
The primary two clay slips utilized in the work shown here were colored by Venetian Red and Pthalo Blue pigments. (Those colors are impacted here by the color of the clay itself, as well as the ratio of the pigment to the clay. This photograph was also taken before the print has completed dried, during which the colors will change somewhat.)
Phthalocyanine Blue is a crystalline, synthetic pigment first created in the late 1920s, and sold commercial beginning in the mid-thirties under the trade name, Monastral. At the turn of the century, it was the most produced pigment.
It would be reasonable to think of rust when viewing Venetian Red. The pigment was initially made from almost pure iron oxide, specifically matching the iron oxides shades found in Venice. However, today's pigments will often use synthetic red iron oxide.
The pigment was quite popular in Italian Rennaissance paintings, and English armies utilized Venetian red dyes for their uniforms through much of the 1800s, giving us the term Redcoats. The pigment is quite durable, with 16,000-year-old similarly-colored cave paintings in France still vibrant. Fortunately, iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust, so we have an excellent source for red pigments readily available. Or is that red-ily?