CPC Small Print Show: Kyra Termini

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Born and raised in Chicago, Kyra Termini studied printmaking, fiber, and art history at the Kansas City Art Institute in MO. She worked as a print assistant for the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, designed and printed broadsides for poets, and created artwork for an album. As a member of the Deadline Projects Artist Group, she participated in different shows with the group until her move to St. Louis, MO, where she currently teaches screen printing at the Evil Print Printshop. Although she works predominantly with etching and aquatint, she also does screen printing and woodcuts.

Kyra Termini. Definition of a Drop Spindle.
Kansas City at the H&R Block Space. 2005.
This was from my senior thesis show.

"For me function and beauty have always gone hand in hand. The beauty is in the making of the object, the shirt on your back, the plate you eat from, even the mode of conveyance in which you choose to travel. In modern society we have neglected the beauty aspect by mass producing objects and allowing the general public to be blissfully ignorant from production to waste. As the wide-ranging physical impact of this ignorance continues to show up in our daily lives, I aim to demonstrate the simple beauty of everyday objects and the impact that the change form ignorance can achieve."

Kyra Termini. Equus Ferus, Wild Horse.
Series Extinct In The Wild. 2008.
Monotype on woodblock.

Kyra's exhibitions include: Marwen Holiday Sale, At Marwen Alumni Gallery, Chicago, 2008; Art Of Democracy at the CPC,Chicago, 2008; Squircle, Happy Dog Gallery for DP Deadline Projects, Chicago, 2008; Alumni Group Exhibition at Marwen Gallery 21, Chicago, 2006 to 2008; Beyond Boundaries, a traveling postcard exhibition at the CPC, various locations in the US, 2008; Life, Happy Dog Gallery for DP, Chicago, 2008; Big Bold Black & White Print Show, CPC, Chicago, 2007; This Is For You, Happy Dog Gallery for DP, Chicago, 2007; 2546 W. Chicago, Curated by Nicholas Kashian, Chicago, 2006; House Party, YCA Young Chicago Authors, Chicago, 2006; Open Sesa-Splat, Splat Flats in Wicker Park on Division Street, Chicago, 2006; Lumbart,Splat Flats, Chicago, 2006; Spun, presented for Opt In, Revisioning America at the Music Garage, Kansas City, MO, 2005; Post/Pre-Consumer Yarn Wrangling, Leedy-Voulkos Gallery in the Crossroads Art District, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

Kyra Termini. Epalzeorhynchos Bicolor,
Red Tailed Shark. Series Extinct In The Wild.
2008. Monotype on woodblock.

For more information on Kyra and her art, go to her blog at http://www.kyratermini.blogspot.com and the group Deadline Projects at http://www.deadlineprojects.com/.

CPC Small Print Show: Layne Jackson

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Layne Jackson runs a full-service design studio, providing fine arts, illustration and teaching workshops to businesses. Born in Texas and educated in Toronto and Ontario in Canada, and the University of Texas at Austin, Layne worked as an art director for a magazine in France and a newspaper in Texas, and as a designer of collateral materials for a computer firm. Her teaching includes mural projects with over 1000 school children and art classes for hundreds of adults. She currently provides creativity workshops for businesses by bringing in art directors and artists to hold workshops for "right brain thinking."

Layne Jackson. Boy with sister in wheelbarrow.
2008. Screen print.

Layne Jackson. Ten seconds of silence.
2008. Screen print.

"I have newly come to printmaking as a way of increasing the possibilities of my narrative work. I have several hundred pen drawings and am using them to create silk-screen statements. A new project 10 Seconds of Silence came about due to a lack of quiet in the world, and the realization that the snapshots that I've collected and worked with for twenty years were created in about '10 seconds of silence,' the time it took to pose and snap the shot."

Her recent exhibitions include: New Work on Paper, solo exhibition, Latin School of Chicago, Chicago, 2007; The Artists’ Project/Artropolis, Chicago Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 2008; Barbie meets G.I. Joe, Koehnline Museum, Oakton College, Chicago, 2007; Ox-Bow Benefit Invitational, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2007; Children’s Memorial Hospital Benefit, Chicago, 2006; Ox-Bow Benefit, SAIC, Chicago, 2006; Bill of Rights, MUSIC GARAGE, Chicago, 2006; NOVA Art Fair, Chicago Artist Museum, Chicago, 2006; Chicago Art Foundation Invitational, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 2006.

Layne has a storefront gallery at 1941 W Division Street, opened Sundays 1-6 p.m., by chance or by appointment. For more information on Layne and her art, go to
http://www.laynejackson.com.

CPC Small Print Show: Sarah Kaiser

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Born in Northern Kentucky and having lived in many different states while growing up, Sarah Kaiser currently lives and works in Chicago. She has a BFA in painting and printmaking from Colorado State University, and an MA in art history and an MFA in painting from the University of Chicago. Her art includes screen printing and etching, and she sometimes combines techniques to enhance colors and textures -- printing on collaged elements (chine-collé) or painting or drawing on prints.

Sarah Kaiser. Emergency Series, #8. 2008.
Oil painted silkscreen, 8" x 11".

"Emergency Series is from an Emergency Procedures pamphlet I took from the seat pocket of an airplane last year. This screen print illustrates my interest in banal and detached figures; particularly, such images are mass produced with the intent of pacifying the public, and creating the illusion of security. In real life, a person in this situation would never appear so serene, but it was an opportunity to play with the post 9-11 fears of flying as well as the power of images to pacify the public. "

Sarah Kaiser. Phrasal Verb Chickens. 2008.
Etching with chine-collé, 6" x 8".

"The image Phrasal Verb Chickens was inspired by teaching ESL. Before I taught art, I taught English. When I taught a lesson on Phrasal Verbs, which are two-or three-word verb phrases, the students thought that 'chicken out' was funny. They told me other idioms in Spanish, such as a Mono con cuchillo (Monkey with a Knife). In Spanish, this means a person with a credit card. The lesson got really interesting when we approached all of the 'get' verbs -- get off, get out, get on, get up, etc. One of the students knew the alternative get off' meaning that pertains to masturbation...so I had to explain the concept to the rest of the students. Needless to say, it was a bit awkward to do so."

Sarah's work is on display at Framingmode Gallery in Chicago and at the American Academy of Art, where she teaches. Her recent exhibitions include: Art From the Edge: an AIDS Benefit, New York, December, 2008; Group Show, Framingmode Gallery, Chicago, 2008; Chicago Art Open, The Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 2008; Emerging Artist Exhibit, Morpho Gallery, Chicago, 2008; Faster, Cheaper, Bolder, Silkscreen works on objects, fabric and paper, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, 2008; Tie One On, A Benefit Auction to Support Art Education at Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, 2008; Subject/Object, American Academy of Art, Chicago, 2007; Corporate Gallery Artist Exhibit, Northwest Cultural Council, Rolling Meadows, IL, 2007; The Child in You, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2007; Moving On, Mon Amour, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2007.

For more information on Sarah and her art, go to http://sarah-kaiser.com/.

CPC Small Print Show: Anatole Upart

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Anatole Upart, born in Minsk, Belarus, is a printmaker, painter, designer, and illustrator residing in Chicago. He started art school from an early age in Minsk and then emigrated to the US to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study printmaking. In addition to painting and printmaking, for the past eight years, he has focused on lamp and furniture design. His works are in private collections in the US, Belarus, Israel, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Germany. He reveals that his artistic influences have been "misplaced objects around me and by observing the ones I love."

Anatole Upart. On The Sidewalk. 2008.
Etching, aquatint, 6" x 9".

"I do etching, woodcut and occasionally lithography. The techniques are pretty traditional and conservative: chine-collé, line etching, aquatint, monotype, wood engraving, and chiaroscuro woodcut. I prefer a closer work with plates (copper or wood), drawing directly on them, and slowly building the image through differently timed etches, continuously proofing to see the progress. I am interested in avoiding a style for the sake of a method -- a direct observation, a form of witnessing reality."

Anatole Upart. Her Robe.
2008. Etching, 9" x 4".

In addition to CPC shows, Anatole's exhibitions include: Impressions: Contemporary Illinois Printmakers and Just Say No! Chicago Artists Against The War, The Chicago Athenaeum, Schaumburg, IL, 2003; Artists on the Belarusian Independence Day, St. George Belarusian Church, Chicago, 2002; SPECTRUM: Contemporary Art of Chicago, The Chicago Athenaeum at Schaumburg, IL; Anatole Upart and Eva Panek, paintings and prints, 1418 N. North Park, Chicago, 2001; Land Beneath White Wings: Belarusian Artists in Chicago, The Chicago Athenaeum at Schaumburg, IL, 2001; Decade of Printmaking, Bellow Lowndes Fine Art, Chicago, 2000.

Anatole Upart. April's Shoes. 2008. Etching, 6" x 9".

For more information on Anatole and his art, go to http://smugglersource.blogspot.com/. He can be contacted at anatole@gmail.com.

CPC Small Print Show: Christine Gendre-Bergère

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Christine Gendre-Bergère was born and raised in Orleans, France, and moved to Paris to study, work, and raise a family. A largely self-taught artist, she has worked in intaglio printmaking and illustrating, notably in the communications field. She engraves on copper plates and uses different techniques, including etching, drypoint, mezzotint, and aquatint. When printmaking, Christine reveals that she explores the possibilities of the juxtaposition of several plates -- a game with transparency, movement, and evolution.

Christine Gendre-Bergère.
Self-portrait with an apron--1958-2008. 2008.
Edition: 10. Etching, 2 colors, paper, 15" x 15".

"If I delightfully use the most traditional intaglio techniques (dry point, mezzotint and aquatint), it is to better explore the mundane, the refusal of the orderly and disorderly status quo and the lightness of day-to-day existence.

"I draw my inspiration from two main sources: literature and everyday life. I edited an artist's book based on a novel by Samuel Beckett, Molloy, for which I created a series of etchings. My other interest is everyday life and social norms, with humor and a touch of noir, in the tradition of early printmakers such as Goya and Daumier. For example, L'avenir est Radieux, (The Future is Bright) is an alphabet book of vowels, using 'A for Aviaire'(Avian flu), 'O for Ozone,' and so forth. The true tale of Cinderella (text and print) offers an impertinent and feminist reading of the Perrault tale.

"In 2008, I worked on Hiroshima's theme Black rains, a series of prints at the frontier of war and peace, literature and movies."

Christine Gendre-Bergère.
I'm acting in a film. 2008.
Edition: 6. Etching, 2 colors,
paper, 15" x 22".

Christine is represented by the following galleries in France:
La Hune-Brenner (my main galery)
3 rue Ravignan
75018 PARIS
Métro : Abbesses
tél. 33 (0) 1 43 25 54 06

Galerie Michèle Broutta
31 rue des Bergers
750015 PARIS
Métro : Javel
tél. 33 (0) 1 45 77 93 71

L'espace du dedans
28 rue de Gand
59000 LILLE
tél. 33 (0) 3 20 14 38 89

Her recent exhibitions in France include: Recent prints, Centre de santé Jean Moulin, Champigny, 2008; Nevertheless - recent prints, Mairie d’Orsay -La Bouvêche, 2008; Pluies noires - suite gravée, Galerie La Hune-Brenner,
2008; Images gravées, images roulées, Hommage à Samuel Beckett, Librairie Le Merle Moqueur, Paris, 2006.

Christine Gendre-Bergère. The cat of Apollinaire.
2008. Edition: 10. Etching, paper, 11.8" x 15.7".

For more information on Christine and her art, visit the following:
Christine's website www.cgb-gravure.com
Art Point France, gallery on the web www.artpointfrance.org/bergere/index.htm

CPC Small Print Show: Karinna Gomez

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Born and raised in California, Karinna Gomez is currently working towards earning a BA in Art Theory and Practice and Psychology at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. In addition to her classes, she works as a curatorial and conservation aide at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art in Evanston. Exposed to printmaking at an early age, she combines etchings and ballpoint pen drawings. She makes line etchings and then veils aquatint over her drawings, and often burnishes away areas of the aquatint. She reveals that the way she creates her etchings is similar to her approach to creating her own imagery -- both are invested in the hidden things of darkness.

Karinna Gomez. Nest Field. 2008.
Etching and aquatint, 4" x 3".

Karinna Gomez. Sleepy Grizzly. 2008.
Etching and aquatint, 9" x 8".

"My mother is also a printmaker (and sculptor), and I grew up around her etchings. I think that not only did her work instill a love for etchings but also and a need to learn to make them myself. Her imagery is slightly magical, and this I believe has also influenced the way that I make images. Beyond this foundational influence, my imagery comes as a stream of consciousness in my drawings, which I create in book form. I then make my etchings directly from my drawings, utilizing the nuances of etching to inform the imagery that began with a ballpoint pen.

"In my printmaking, I’m concerned with night and its imaginative and psychological depiction, and am compelled by the peculiar, fearful, and yet strangely comforting feelings generated by either being in or longing for dark environments. The drawings and etchings that I make show animals and sleepy humans in dark landscapes, and most recently, houses burrowed underground. Though their imagery is the same, my drawings and etchings communicate different qualities of darkness through their renderings. The dense and yet delicate crosshatching of the drawings appears soft, alluding to perception in the dark. In my etchings, I use aquatint to veil detailed line etching, blanketing the imagery with a kind of darkness. Together the drawings and etchings respond to human relationships with darkness through a recollection of imaginary occupancies within it."

Karinna Gomez. Looking for a Bed. 2008.
Etching and aquatint, 9" x 8".

Karinna Gomez. Buried House. 2008.
Etching and aquatint, 5" x 4".

Her exhibitions include: Night Vision: Printing Darkness, Colonel Eugene E. Myers Gallery, Grand Forks, ND, 2008, and Brown Wrapper's 2nd National Juried Portfolio Competition for Undergraduate Students; Annual Undergraduate Art Theory & Practice Art Show, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 2005, 2006, 2007; Ceremony of Tea, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA, 2005; Barnes & Noble, solo exhibition, Stockton, CA, 2005.

Karinna has a profile on MySpaceArt.com and can be reached at email karinnaruthgomez@gmail.com.

CPC Small Print Show: Cynthia King

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Born in Jamaica, Queens (New York City), Cynthia King grew up in upstate New York and now resides in Chicago. Cynthia has studied at Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow, Saugatuck, MI; University of Chicago; and State University of New York, Buffalo. A former systems analyst, she specializes in lithography and Xerox transfer printmaking and combines a variety of techniques -- cutouts, stencils, and chine-collé, with drypoint or etching. Her current robot series is based on Darkdevil County, a computer adventure game, for which she has done extensive hand animation and background drawing as well as computer programming.

Cynthia King. Security Robot,
Darkdevil County Series. 2008.
Xerox transfer, 7" x 10".

Cynthia King. Darkdevil Hospital #1,
Darkdevil County Series. 2008.
Xerox transfer, 8" x 8".

"I've had a blog, http://www.freshpaint.blogspot.com, for nearly 5 years. It started out as a personal art blog, but I got caught up in the Barack Obama senate campaign and blogged about politics very heavily during his primary and election. I'm also active in the computer games community at Adventure Games Studio, and am developing the Darkdevil County game. My previous paid job was as a systems analyst, so I am combining all of my interests in creating the game. I'm very much into robots right now, which is reflected in my prints."

Cynthia King. Robot #13,
Darkdevil County Series. 2008.
Xerox transfer, 6" x 4".

Cynthia often shows her work at Spudnik Press and at the print shop at the Evanston Art Center in the basement of the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, where she is the studio monitor and runs the open studio on Fridays.

Her recent exhibitions include: Upcoming exhibition, Morpho Gallery, December, 2008; Beyond Boundaries, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, postcards and traveling show; NSAL Printworks, 2008; School of the Art Institute Ox-Bow Benefit, 2008; Evanston Art Center 1st Winter Print Show, 2008; The Man Show, Mars Gallery,Chicago, 2007; Peace Tower, Chicago Cultural Center, 2007; Spudnik Press, Chicago, 2007; Luckystar Studio, Chicago, 2007; School of the Art Institute Ox-Bow Winter Benefit Auction, 2007; Green Lantern, Mineral Point, MI, 2006; Past – Tense, 6th Annual Postcard Exchange Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2006; Morpho Gallery, Chicago, 2006; Sacred Art, Chicago, 2006; Friends of the Wilmette Public Library 25th Juried Art Show, 2006; John Galt Gallery, Chicago, 2006; Evanston Art Center Spring Benefit Art Auction, 2006; Human Pixel Project, 3 Columns, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 2006.

For more information on Cynthia and her art, go to http://www.freshpaint.blogspot.com and http://twitter.com/freshpaint.

CPC Small Print Show: Preview November 22

This blog is part of a series about the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

Deborah Maris Lader. Photo: Amy Rudberg

Today, I went to the CPC Small Print Show preview, which Deborah Maris Lader (owner of CPC) said is a working session for us and an open invitation to the public to view the art before the show's grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 6th. While Deborah set up a rack for t-shirts, I worked on putting labels on additional postcards about the show. Soon people starting coming in to browse and shop, and I talked to some of them about the show.

2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

Cathy Jacobi, a sculptor who has a studio at CPC, creates sculptures using anatomy as a basis for understanding forms. She is also a partner at Ted Studios, a design communication firm. Among her favorite prints in the show: Duffy O'Connor's Duckie Celebration, George Bodmer's One Afternoon Lydia Moves Downtown, and Eva Christensen's Bunny Journey.

Cathy Jacobi. 2008 CPC Small Print Show.
Photo: Amy Rudberg

Duffy O'Connor. Duckie Celebration.
2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

Eva Christensen. Bunny Journey.
2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

Cynthia King, one of the artists in the show, said her favorite prints in the show include those created by Megan Jensen-Sterling, Evan Silver and Deb Lader, Kristen Lindseth, Ray Maseman, Yue Chen, and Bianca Juarez.

Cynthia King. 2008 CPC Small Print Show.
Photo: Amy Rudberg

(left to right) Megan Jensen-Sterling's Delicate Conjunction,collography / embossing; Evan Silver and Deb Lader's Emo Squirrel in Emoland, screenprint and lithography. "I love their combination of techniques."



Photo: Amy Rudberg


Kristin Lindseth's Mirador de Jaen, intalgio. "I like the combination of aquatint and the nice deep bite line and appreciate the technical ability to create the color gradations."



Photo: Amy Rudberg


Bianca Juarez's Four Monkeys, etching. "It's a monkey puzzle that is delightful and well printed. It's simple and sweet."



Photo: Amy Rudberg

George Bodmer, another artist in the show, said his favorites include Christine Gendre-Bergere, Bert Menco, Alex Chitty, Ray Maseman, and Megan Sterling.

George Bodmer. 2008 CPC Small Print Show.
Photo: Amy Rudberg

Ray Maseman. Whirligig. Multi-plate etching.
2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

Alex Chitty. Idol Hands. Etching on cloth.
2008 CPC Small Print Show. Photo: Amy Rudberg

The next preview of the show will be Saturday, Nov. 29th, noon to 5 p.m.

CPC Small Print Show: Heather Page

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Heather Page, a professional printmaker, teaches printmaking and design at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois. She earned a BFA in printmaking and painting from the University of Michigan School of Art, and an MFA in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Heather Page. XI/twelve, Twelve series. 2008.
Monoprint on paper, 11.63" x 11.25".

Heather Page. Untitled.
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY. 2008.
Silkscreen on paper, 10.5" x 10.5".

"My work examines the correspondences between patterns of growth, decay, and erosion in synthetic and organic elements of our surroundings. I deconstruct images of elements such as tiles, sidewalks, lichens, and bark by fragmenting their patterns and employing unnatural scales, materials, and colors. I then reconfigure the elements in order to highlight their structural similarities and irregular syncopations. Each piece is a mix of print, painting, gilding, drawing, and digital media, selected for their textural qualities and cultural connotations. My intent is to direct attention to the complexity and the constant change of the environment, and to the way we interact with it through our reordering of its space and shape."

Heather Page. Untitled. 2008.
Silkscreen on paper, 6" x 6"

Her upcoming and recent exhibitions include: Nature in Translation, Works by Nikkole Huss and Heather Page,Tall Grass Arts Association, Park Forest, IL, 2009; Joseph Frasca Memorial Exhibition, Around the Coyote Gallery, Chicago, 2008; The Printed Image, Mulvane Art Museum and Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka, KS, 2008; Habitual Ritual, Fine Arts Center Gallery, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, 2008; Beyond Boundaries, various locations in the US, 2008; Regional College and University Art Faculty Exhibition, Governors State University Gallery, University Park, IL, 2008; 6x6x2008, Rochester Contemporary, Rochester, NY, 2008.

Heather Page. II/twelve, Twelve series. 2008.
Monoprint on paper, 11.50" x 10.50".

CPC Small Print Show: Eric A. Johnson

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Eric Johnson. Vision 2. 2007.
Reduction relief print, 22 1/4" x 13 1/4".

Raised on a farm in eastern North Dakota, Eric A. Johnson earned a BS degree in art from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and an MFA in printmaking from the University of North Dakota. He currently teaches at NDSU, has taught printmaking at Minnesota State University Moorhead, and recently served on the planning committee for the 2008 Mid America Print Council Conference. Since 2005, he has interned with P.E.A.R.S. (printmaking education and research studio) at NDSU, and has assisted master printer Kent Kapplinger with the studio, classes, and shop duties. For the past 7 years, Eric has worked on his prints and exhibited both regionally and nationally. Influenced by nature, emotions, and society, Eric focuses on reduction relief prints using a PVC board called Sintra.

Eric Johnson. Tree #2. 2005.
Reduction relief print, 24" x 18".

"I devote my creative energy to the linocut process. I use the reductive method, carving a layered tapestry of interwoven lines that manifest as expressive trees glowing and vibrating in their brilliantly hued fantasy landscapes."

Eric's 2008 exhibitions include: Kent Kapplinger & Eric Johnson: Printmakers New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN; The Art of Propaganda , Juried Exhibition, UpFront Gallery, Fargo, ND; Printmaker’s Glossary, Spirit Room Gallery, Fargo, ND; Spirit of Place, Juried Exhibition, New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN; 16th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN; The 49th Midwestern - An Invitational Exhibition of Fine Art, The Rourke Art Gallery Museum, Moorhead, MN; The Big Art Show - FMVA Group Exhibition, Heritage Hjemcomst Interpretive Center, Moorhead, MN; Urban Folk, Capstone Gallery at FrameUps, Minneapolis, MN; Eric A. Johnson & Guillermo Gaurdia, 3rd Street Gallery, Grand Forks, ND; 37th Annual Area Invitational Art Show, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Fergus Falls, MN; The Great Winter Crow Show, Spirit Room Gallery, Fargo, ND; Polka Dots & Crooked Trees, Atwood Memorial Center Gallery, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN; ArtView - Still: Prints by Eric A. Johnson, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND.

Eric Johnson. Moon Over Monday. 2008.
Reduction relief print, 31" x 20 1/4".

For more information on Eric and his art, go to http://www.eajarts.com, http://www.gallery514.com, and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-A-Johnson/.

CPC Small Print Show: Alex Chitty

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Alex Chitty. Winterkleed. 2008.
Etching, spit bite, white ground, and collage.

Majoring in biology, art and education in college, Alex Chitty worked professionally as a marine biologist and botanist until 2006. Going back to school to earn an MFA in Printmedia, she claims she is "nerdy" about printmaking and focuses on the techniques of intaglio etching, woodblock, and screenprinting. Given her background, her work generally involves some aspect of science or natural history. In addition to creating her own prints, she teaches printmaking at Moraine Valley Community College, draws, does art installations, refinishes furniture, and plays in a rock band.

Alex Chitty. Nest. 2008.
Etching and aquatint.

Alex Chitty. Interstate 80. 2008.
Photo etching.

"In an ongoing inquiry into our varied and increasingly ridiculous relationship with nature and each other, I work to simultaneously represent, contest, and invert the world around us.

"Doggedly arranging bits and pieces in a clawing attempt to decipher the whole I appropriate fragments from a collective awareness and restructure them into drawings, installations and objects that challenge our interpretive faculties.

"I pack a lot in but land just short of giving up enough information to crack the case."

Alex Chitty. Deer Hoof. 2008.
Multiplate color etching.

Her recent and upcoming exhibitions include: Art of Democracy, traveling show, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago, ongoing; Group show, Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, 2009; Umwelt, solo exhibition, ATC Gallery, Chicago; Nippon Steel USA 2008, Nippon Steel, Chicago; Book Art Exchange Exhibition, Kyung-In Museum of Fine Art, Seoul, Korea, 2008; OOMPH, solo exhibition, Dusty Groove America, Chicago, 2007; Bizarre and One of One, Spudnik Press, Chicago, 2007; Bird x Bird, Northrup King Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, 2007; Proof, Gallery X, SAIC, Chicago, 2007; Collusions, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, 2007; Wide and Wooly, Zea Mays Printmaking, Florence, MA, 2006.

Alex Chitty. Chicago Winter. 2008.
Etching with watercolor.

For more information on Alex and her art, go to http://alexchitty.com/

CPC Small Print Show: Yue Chen

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Yue Chen. Fire. 2008. Silk aquatint.

Yue Chen was born and grew up in China, where she learned the art of calligraphy from her grandmother. With a background in ceramics, she established the ZhanChi Drawing and Painting Training Program in Beijing, and worked as a sculpture designer for a decorative sculpture design corporation in Beijing. She came to the US to earn an MFA in drawing from Kansas State University. As a painter, sculptor, ceramacist, designer, and printmaker, she applies painterly Chinese calligraphic brush strokes in her figurative work. Her printmaking includes the art of silk aquatint, also known as silk mezzotint.

"Silk aquatint has the richness of mezzotint, the spontaneity of action painting, the sheer washes of water color or the vivacious surface of a palette knife impasto and the durability of a steel faced etching plate all without acid." -- Master printer Kathy Caraccio, New York University

Yue Chen. Fight. 2008. Silk aquatint.

"I have learned four things that I think really benefit my work on many levels through years of experiments of art. First, I am skilled at Chinese brushwork, which acts a corner stone of my abstract work. Second, I have exceptionally strong skills in representational drawing. This is especially the case with figure drawings, since there is a focus on realism in China. This particular experience gives me efficient understanding of representational figuration. Thirdly, I am well trained in three-dimensional art. I obtained my MA in ceramics; I have become sensitive to the volumes of spaces, which strongly affects the form of my 2D art. Fourthly, the experience of learning and teaching art in the United States has driven me into the world of contemporary art. This has lightened up my creativity.

"These four factors greatly influence my current work where I use the calligraphy of lines, in association with varied shapes and textures, to suggest the ambiguity of figures and spaces moving in and out.

"I never set up boundaries of experimenting diverse media on my work. I use acrylic, oil paints, inks and even printmaking techniques. I also use traditional drawing media such as charcoals, chalks, crayons and graphite. The variety of media enriches my personal art language on a technical level. In addition, my experience of learning and teaching 3D art dragged me out of the pure ‘two dimensional concept’ of art on paper; it opened a unique window to some unexpected results of individual art form.

"Each set of my work follows a theme, such as Figures in Spaces, Where is Me, Rules and Me, and my most current series — The World in Cats’ Sight. However, I am not trying to persuade audiences into believing and visualizing ‘my story’ literally. Instead, my work tries to provoke its own imagination.

"This is the way I speak to my work and also the way I hope my work speaks to the world."

Yue Chen. Cats, series 2. 2008. Silk aquatint.

Yue's exhibitions include: Neither Here Nor There, solo thesis exhibition, Kansas State University, 2008; Phoenix, sculpture, ShuoZhou, Shan Xi Province, China; The light, ceramic wall project, Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing; Untitled, ceramic wall project, Peking Hotel, Beijing; University faculty and graduate student exhibition, Best Work Award, Tsinghua University, Beijing.

For more information on Yue and her art, go to http://www.yuechenart.com/.

CPC Small Print Show: Kim Laurel

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Kim Laurel, painter, printmaker, and collage and mixed-media artist, has been a member of Chicago Printmakers Collaborative since Deborah Maris Lader opened its doors 19 years ago. Born in Cleveland, OH, Kim has lived in Chicago since 1982. Studying at Oberlin College, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland State University, and Illinois State University, she has exhibited in the US, Canada, and England.

Kim Laurel. Sight. 2005. Mixed media.

Kim Laurel. National Litter. 2005. Mixed media.

"My recent work investigates symbolic forms and shapes. Icons and totems have sociological significance. Primal experiences, nature, and personal identity, for example, so basic to our understanding of existence, are symbolized in this totem world. Cultural icons explore the associations of figurative images and objects.

"The materials and techniques represented in these current works include: rice paper, thread, acrylic paint, gouache, gold leaf, screen printed papers, photo polymer plate and collagraph printed elements assembled onto Rives BFK paper.

"Utilizing printmaking and collage as an extension of drawing and painting, I have found that in the realm of two dimensional expression that mixed media collage is the most authentic and subjective tool to express my voice."

Kim Laurel. Water Polo. 2008. Mixed media.

Kim Laurel. One. 2008. Mixed media.

Kim's upcoming and recent exhibitions include: Collaborative Vision: The Poetic Dialog Project, curated by Beth Shadur, Chicago Cultural Center, 2009; One Planet - One Experiment, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago; Whiskers and Tails Exhibit, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights; Studios Revealed, Art in My Back Yard Gallery, Chicago; Chicago Art Open, Merchandise Mart, Chicago; Evanston Art Walk 2008, Anatomically Correct Gallery and City of Evanston; A Celebration of the Ancestors: Day of the Dead and Samhain, The Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago; Art Synthesis 2008, Chicago Public Library; Re-Assignments Exhibition, A.R.C. Gallery, Chicago, 2007; 4 SUM: Works by 4 Chicago Artists, Las Manos Gallery, Chicago, 2007.

For more information on Kim and her art, go to http://www.kimlaurel.com.