Saturday, July 28, 2012

The More You Sweat in Printmaking....

I crafted another monotype on Friday,  utilizing some of the mental software that Gary Kelley gave to the MFA students at Hartford the week prior. To see his wonderful monotypes, click here.

I think I'll title it,  "The More You Sweat in Peace..."
It's inspired by a Mojave Viper training event I was once involved in-- the Direct Assault Course-- after which we were all sitting around, sweating and resting.  

What is a "Monotype" you might be wondering?
 A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print in which the artist makes an image by manipulating ink or paint on a printing plate, and then transferring the image to paper by either rubbing the paper with a wooden spoon or running it through a press. The unique challenge with a monotype is that one never knows how the print will turn out, and cannot repeat the image once the paper is applied to the plate. It's all or nothing. The unique value of the process is that, if it is successful, it produces a one-of-a-kind image that has a looseness that regular printing has difficulty achieving.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Moving Along on the Trail to Higher Learning

Hello, all--

Thought I should give you a  SitRep on the goings on here.

I've been away lately, working on my masters degree, through the Low Residency MFA in Illustration at the University of Hartford.  It's a high-intensity program geared to the working professional, which allows him to pursue an MFA while still maintaining a career. For details, click here. I've got only a few sessions left, and one year from now, I'll be a "master" in the art of illustration. The Professors are world class illustrators, most of whom are legends in the biz.

Here are some photos from recent session, held in Hartford, Connecticut:



Chris (C.F.) Payne talks to us during "crit" in Advanced Illustration 2 class (my work is on the wall, far left-- the caricature of Chesty Puller and the monotypes of  WWI African American soldier...)

The monotype they liked--


Also a sculpture update--

I've made a bit of headway on the Mule and His Marine sculpture and here is the latest photo: