Project 1: Absurdism

This project was a very cool introduction to printmaking. I had done something similar in my RCC course( our introductory course at Rollins) with a digital transfer, but never something to this scale.

Our class actually partnered up with a similar class from a different school, Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Through the video chat app, Marco Polo, we exchanged our processes and our techniques, eventually at the end of the year we shared our prints with each other. And all of them turned out really awesome. Now I have a collection of art from many talented artists.

The overall theme of this project was absurdist thought, using random, and strange imagery to spark interest or meaning. We were given vector images to choose from to make screen prints. And there were some really weird ones, but I had settled on a silhouette of a woman with circles orbiting her, as well as a screw.  At first I chose them because the circles around her matched well with the screw, it gave it a sense of movement that was interesting. But it was only until I layered them that it was given meaning.

Below I am going to explain my entire process, it is very lengthy and a bit boring, but if you are interesting in knowing how these things work, continue reading.

                                                                      MonoPrinting
My process began with mixing ink, which did take a majority of my time. I didn't want my colors to be dark, but I didn't want them to be pastel. So I decided on the 3 primary colors, Red, Yellow, and Blue. But I also wanted the colors to look like they belong together, not 3 separate colors, so, I wound up mixing a little bit of each color in each red, yellow, and blue. This way the colors would become more muted and they blended more seamlessly. I would then take these inks to use for a first monoprint.
    My goal was to get 3 vertical stripes of color on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, so I had to evenly apply each color separately with small brayers. I had attempted before hand to use a squeegee, and one fell motion I could apply it all at once, but this used way too much ink and was unreliable. I could not replicate this method for over 20 prints. So I resulted to the method of rolling color on to the plate separately. Once all the ink was on, I placed my plate on the press with my paper on top. I cranked the machine until the piece went through and out came my first layer. Rinse, Repeat for 20 more prints, and once all of them were dry it would be time to screen print.

                                                               Screen Printing
It would take a day or so for the oil-based ink on my monoprints to dry, so I prepared to screen print. First I would need to prepare the screen by covering it in emulsion. You have to make sure not to coat it too thin or too thick, so it takes a bit of practice getting it just right. Then you set it in the dryer rack. While the emulsion dries, you can create the stencils that are needed for exposure. Stencils are black and white images like the ones above, when exposed on the screen, the areas in black will be imprinted and paint can pass through the shape. I made 3 stencils: the woman you see above, the screw as seen above, and the screw inverted( switched the white and black areas). Once those have been printed out, we have to ensure that light can pass through the copy paper completely. So you lather the stencils in baby oil, which makes the paper transparent like tracing paper. With all this done, you can either wait a day or so, or a couple of hours, just until the emulsion dries.
     Once the emulsion is dry, it is time to expose. So you get your stencils place them face up on the glass of the exposure machine, lining them up with where they should be on the screen. Then you place the screen on top, flat side down. Close and lock the machine and press "Start". in about a minute or so the screen will be ready to be taken out. Then you take the screen to the sink to rise off the extra emulsion and reveal the imprints completely. The screen needs to dry for a while before use.
    After that lengthy process, it is finally time to print. Secure one side of the screen, face down, with rotating clamps so that you can lift the screen up. I lined up the now dry monoprints how I needed and dropped some screen printing ink on the screen. With the screen lifted up slightly, use a squeegee to semi- lightly push paint over the the imprint. This fills or "floods" the lighter areas with paint. Then I put the screen down, and pull the paint back the other way, applying ample pressure. This pushes the paint out of the screen and on to the paper. Once again, rinse, repeat, and clean the screen after your done. I ended up doing 3 layers of screen printing one for each stencil. And my final piece is below.

                                                                  Screw
Artist Statement:

In the monotype and screen print, Screw, I combined two unrelated visual elements, a woman and a screw, to allude to sexuality and an individual’s perception of their sexuality. She is being or has been “screwed”. The composition is arranged in a primary color tryptic, representing the wide array of sexual experiences. Although the imagery is straightforward, the ambiguity lies in the fact that the figure is a silhouette. One cannot tell if this a good thing or a bad thing. Does she wear her sexuality, or is it an unwanted tattoo that can’t be erased? You do not see a facial expression, so it is left to the viewer to decide.