Visual Realia

View Original

Towns in Clay

Renaissance Town II, ©2023 Andrew T. Smith. Clay monoprint, acrylic, copper mica, and calcium carbonate.

As part of the "unentitled" exhibit, I worked along with both artists Ophelia Chambliss and Debbie Toluba to create multimedia works that utilized my clay monoprints along with their acrylic skills.

I've been using acrylics in my own works more often, as well. After pulling the clay monoprint, I've added clay slip and acrylic paint; the coverage of the two is quite different, as is the texture, adding some subtle but interesting variety.

I've always liked buildings and towns expressed with a simple, post-impressionistic feel, and I’ve been working with that concept in mind with these works.


In Renaissance Town I, shown below, the town was built around elements remaining on the clay slab (matrix) from previous prints, such as the green triangle, bottom center. The buildings are merely suggested in structure.

After pulling that print, additional work and details were added to the remaining imagery on the matrix, and calcium carbonate was utilized for the white stars. After pulling Renaissance Town II, shown at the top of the page, some acrylic paint was added, such as window detail. The buildings, while abstract, are more fully realized than in the first print.

View from the Plaza: Renaissance Town I, ©2023 Andrew T. Smith, Clay Monoprint & Calcium Carbonate

Finally, more concrete structural figures are used in Urban Moon, with acrylic paint used for the loose building edges and windows. The moon is comprised of the print, clay slip, and acrylic paint.

Urban Moon, ©2023 Andrew T. Smith, Clay Monoprint, Slip, Acrylic, & Mica.

Interested in seeing more of my prints online? Follow my personal or Visual Realia Facebook pages.