Welcome, Hyperallergic Readers
Visual Realia welcomes Hyperallergic readers!
Screenshot of Hyperalleric’s main page, February 15, 2024
The Visual Realia website welcomes visitors from Hyperallergic and thanks Lakshmi Rivera Amin for including us in the February 15th “A View From the Easel” column.
Questions about clay monoprints? Feel free to peruse the website or email me.
Thanks for visiting!
Andy Smith
Matrix Maintenance
Clay dries quickly — an obstacle the clay monoprint artist can not ignore.
Like any clay, the matrix that works are created on will gradually dry when exposed to air over time. In dry rooms, the matrix may start to have small cracks while working on a project. The problem compounds over time, with cracks increasing in both number and size. Because of this issue, clay monoprint artists need to take care of the matrix that they use.
Shown above is my primary clay matrix after pulling a print. The wooden frame is visible around the clay slab. Left sitting in a typical room, the clay would very quickly begin to dry, cracks would form, and eventually, the slab would shrink and pull away from the sides/frame.
When I am finished working with the matrix, I spray the clay surface with water and then cover the matrix with thin towels.
Depending upon how dry the slab and room are and how long one expects to be away, the towels are sprayed with water or placed onto the matrix already slightly wet. (Soaking wet, however, could muddy the surface clay.)
Finally, a plastic sheet is placed over the towels and matrix, and the edges are tucked under the wooden frame.
(For my smaller student boards, which are used less often, they are then slid into a large trash bag with the drawstring then pulled tight. They still need to be pulled out occasionally to add more moisture. This necessity has led me to gradually keep fewer student boards on hand — one reason I no longer lead larger workshops.)
A clay monoprint artist’s matrix gets lonely and must be visited often! If not, it will express disappointment with a new batch of cracks. On the other hand, give it regular attention, and you’ll find it sticking with you for years!
The Matrix — The Diary of a Clay Monoprint Artist
The clay slab that a clay monoprint artist designs on gradually becomes a diary of their work.
The clay monoprint artist designs their work on a slab of clay known as the matrix, shown here.
I'm a visual artist creating clay monoprints — a unique art form where prints are made but using colored clay rather than ink or paints. The clay designs are "pulled" (transferred) to the material with a very thin layer of clay adhering.
The workspace is a clay slab (the matrix) upon which the artwork is designed using clay slips — clay with water added to create a workable thickness generally slightly thicker than house paint. Finally, pigment is added to make the color the artist is looking for.
The clay monoprint artist can paint the design directly onto the matrix, or as an alternative, onto blank newsprint paper. Then, after drying slightly, the newsprint is placed upside on the matrix, and pressure is applied to transfer it to the matrix. You can learn more in a previous article available here.
When the artist is happy with the print, the material for the artwork (Pellon, Reemay, etc.) is placed on the matrix, and pressure is utilized to transfer some of the clay slip to create the artwork. After "pulling" (transferring) a print, some of the clay slip and its design stay behind on the matrix.
Rather than starting anew, the following work is designed on top of the previous; when prints are pulled, old design elements (or small pieces) will randomly appear on the print pulled. Thus, while artists greatly influence clay monoprints, they never have complete control. This is why a large portion of these works are abstract in nature.
Each new print leaves a very thin layer of each design on the clay matrix, creating a diary of the artists' works — that will share literal memories moving forward.
Shown are several common tools of the clay monoprint artist.
Items shown:
1) Clay slip with yellow pigment added.
2) Dried clay chips can be used on the matrix for small detail.
3) Painter's tape used for creating on-the-spot stencils.
4) Pastry roller used to apply pressure when pulling a print.
Look for future clay monoprints here:
https://www.visualrealia.com
https://www.instagram.com/visualrealia
https://www.facebook.com/VisualRealiaStudio
All material, written and visual, is protected by copyright. © 2023 Andrew T. Smith