"Pigment" Reception July 2nd
A reception for the “Pigment” exhibition will be held on July 2nd, 2021.
A reception for the summer exhibits at the Adams County Arts Council, including the 30 clay monoprints in my “Pigment” exhibit, is being held on Friday, July 2nd, 2021. Hours for the reception are 5:00 - 7:30 PM.
The clay monoprint medium was developed by Pennsylvania artist Mitch Lyons, who combined techniques of both pottery and printmaking to create one-of-a-kind prints utilizing clay slip rather than paints or ink. The clay board (matrix) used to design the prints will be on display during the reception. Questions for the artist are encouraged.
The Adams County Arts Council is located at 125 South Washington Street, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There is no charge to attend the exhibit or reception.
Visual Realia Clay Monoprint Exhibit Open Now
A solo exhibit of my clay monoprint works is now open in the Adams County Arts Council (ACAC) gallery through July 2021.
Summer hours for the ACAC are typically Monday through Friday, 8:30-4:30, with varied Saturday and evening hours when events or classes are held. The Arts Council is very active with classes, so there may be times when a class uses the gallery; feel free to ask at the front desk if viewing is possible.
The official reception for the summer exhibits will be held on the evening of Friday, July 2nd, from 5:00 - 7:30 PM. I'd love to have you attend!
The Adams County Arts Council is located at 125 South Washington Street, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
(I'll also be selling unframed monoprints at a pop-up art market outside of York's fantastic I-ron-ic coffee house on June 12th.)
Upcoming Visual Realia Events
I am pleased to note an upcoming exhibit of my clay monoprint works in the Gallery of Gettysburg's Adams County Arts Council. The show will open on June 4th and will run through June and July. (The Arts Council holds a reception for its artists on First Fridays, so plan on a great Gettysburg evening on July 2nd.)
I'll also be selling unframed monoprints at a pop-up art market outside of York's awesome I-ron-ic coffee house on June 12th.
More info on both coming soon.
From One Monoprint to the Next
“Machinations I and II” by Andrew Smith of the Visual Realia Studio.
As noted elsewhere, one of the clay monoprint process's unique traditions is that after a print is pulled, the next print design doesn’t start anew but is rather placed on top of previous prints. As such, many print elements carry over to the next, or even for several generations of prints. In some cases, a shape or block of color will reappear several prints down the line.
In the image of Machination I and II above, you’ll see both obvious changes and more subtle shifts. After the print on the left was made, additional elements were added, and previous elements changed as some colored clay was moved to the print. We’ll take a closer look at those changes.
After pulling the print on the left, several areas of new elements were added to the matrix, the clay slab that the artist designs prints on: a diagonal rectangle broken into three segments, a set of three expanding circles, a diagonal blue line and circle, and a blue horizontal line.
After adding those elements, the print on the right, Machinations II, was pulled.
Those are obvious changes, but if one looks closely, they’ll also see more subtle shifts.
When a print is pulled, some of the colored clay transfers from the matrix (clay slab) to the artwork. The amount of clay that transfers, however, is not entirely controlled by the artist.
In many cases, some of the clay from the newest elements transfers, but some clay remains. Those elements, or at least a portion of them, are then available to transfer onto future prints. In the examples above, you’ll see areas of the leftmost print that remained and reappeared in the second print on the right.
There are also times when not only the newest clay transfers but also some of the clay underneath. This results in areas where design elements from several prints back reappear. A clay matrix is a diary of an artist’s past works, and they will randomly share these print memories into new works.
In area 1 above, you’ll find a grid of squares in Machinations I. Almost all of the clay form that grid transferred to the print, so Machination II shows only a faint memory of that design element.
An older print had a blue arc near the left side, which was later covered with off-white clay. On the left print, you only faintly see the component. That white clay transferred to Machination I, so the underlying blue arc reemerges in Machinations II in area 2.
Likewise, area 3. An older black shape is largely hidden in the first print but is allowed to “speak” more clearly in the second print.
As you can see, the result of any clay monoprint is a combination of the artist’s design and the random revealing of previous print components. An artist’s past works are never wholly lost, and new prints will inevitably influence future works.
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
Photowalk Maps
From 2008 to 2013, I organized several regional photowalks, primarily two-mile loops through scenic parts of some of our area's towns. As the weather starts warming, you can grab my participant maps when you want to get some exercise and fresh air.
https://www.visualrealia.com/vr-photowalks
You can download maps for Gettysburg, Columbia, Lancaster, New Oxford, York, and Harrisburg. Find a friend and use that cellphone camera!