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by Marja-Leena

Institute Printmaking Studio

printstudio.jpg

the printmaking studio at Capilano College** with Wayne Eastcott, printmaking faculty, and Bonnie Jordan, technical assistant, at the largest printing press

This has been a very hectic week for me as I return to the printmaking studio after the summer hiatus. Printmaking requires a fair amount of specialized equipment, investment and space. So, I sign up as a member of the Art Institute at Capilano College**, North Vancouver, BC. I have mentioned this before in earlier articles, but some of you may be interested to know more about this great place where I do my printmaking.

The Institute, specializing in printmaking and sculpture, each with dedicated studios, is equivalent to a graduate level fine arts program, comparable to artist-in-residencies. It is meant for artists with previous extensive education and experience, who will serve as mentors for the students in the Studio Art program. Some of us return with continuing projects and there are always some new artists, so we make an interesting mix that is wonderful for the interchange of new ideas, critiques, exposure to new techniques, support and opportunities to exhibit together.

The well-equipped printmaking studio has several printing presses for intaglio and relief, including a very large 56″ x 97″ one (in above photo), possibly the largest in western Canada. Equipment includes a nuARC exposure unit and large vacuum table, and for digital printmaking there is a 42″ large format archival inkjet printer and computer lab. There are etching and silk-screen facilities and a spray booth, all with an extensive ventilation system.

It’s pretty hard to have all this in my small home studio!

** Since this post was written, it has become Capilano University.
***Sadly, as of June 2013, this 30 year old program has been cut so links to it no longer work and have been removed.

September 10, 2004 in Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Printmaking by Marja-Leena 1 Comment »

by Marja-Leena

New Forms Festival

September is almost here and I am looking at some of the upcoming fall events in Vancouver. This one sounds very interesting:

New Forms Festival 2004, a celebration of International Media Arts.
The New Forms Festival is an annual festival forum highlighting emerging forms at the junction of art, culture and technology. This year’s theme is ‘TECHNOGRAPHY’ – a hybrid word denoting the inscriptions of culture in technology. NFF04: TECHNOGRAPHY will examine the relationship of culture and technology: how culture writes technology and how technology writes culture. It will bring together practitioners and theorists from across grassroots, gallery and academic contexts and provide platforms for conversations among the diverse voices of contemporary digital regionalism.”

It will be held in Vancouver, B. C. from October 14, 2004 until October 28, 2004. There is lots of interesting reading about the events on their website. In conjunction with the festival, several exhibitions are also being organized.

One of these is “DIGITALIS 3.5: ETHNO-TECHNO: An Exhibition of Digital Print”:

The “theme Ethno-Techno refers to the convergence of ethnology and technology, or the expression of ethnicity or ethnicities in the form of digital print. Artists are encouraged to play in their own ethnicity or in the ethnicity of other cultures. Subject matter can be related to racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background. Images submitted must have been manipulated in some way by the computer.”

Organized by the Digitalis Digital Art Society, this international exhibition of original digital prints will be on public display at the Electra building, 989 Nelson Street, and the Roundhouse Community Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, B. C. from October 14, 2004 until October 28, 2004.

I was invited to submit some work for the jurying and am pleased to have one of my recent digital prints selected for this show. In fact, in the spring I wrote about one exhibition put together by Digitalis. Perhaps this is how I came to be invited to apply. It should be a very interesting and educational event!

August 30, 2004 in Art Exhibitions, Digital printmaking by Marja-Leena Comments Off on New Forms Festival

by Marja-Leena

Wayne Eastcott & Michiko Suzuki

A fascinating collaboration between two internationally well-known printmakers has been happening in the printmaking studios at Capilano University, North Vancouver. Japanese artist, Michiko Suzuki of Tokyo, Japan became the University’s first artist-in-residence in the fall of 2003 and also began a collaboration with Wayne Eastcott, printmaking faculty of Studio Art.

As a member of the Art Institute (Printmaking) at Capilano University**, I was fortunate to observe Michiko’s interesting demonstrations and seminars on her use of Japanese papers (washi) and her unique technique of toner etching. Most exciting was watching Wayne & Michiko’s development of their collaborative works.

This ongoing series of print media works is called INTERCONNECTION. Some of the earliest of these were presented in an exhibition held in Capilano University’s Studio Art Gallery in December 2003. Read their exhibition statement (pdf) describing how their project developed, and what is “yobitsugi.”

Michiko has been here again this summer so both have been working hard to complete their project. They have allowed me to reproduce some of their work here (their copyright).

Eastcott_Suzuki_image1.jpg
Interconnection 2 – Yobitsugi 1 2003
inkjet, silkscreen, etching, chine collé & metallic pigment
78 x 113.5 cm.

Eastcott_Suzuki_image2.jpg
Interconnection 2 – Yobitsugi 2 2003
inkjet, silkscreen, etching, chine collé & metallic pigment
78 x 113.5 cm.

Eastcott_Suzuki_image3.jpg
Interconnection 3 (Recall 1) 2004
inkjet, silkscreen & metallic pigment
80 x 108 cm.

wayne_michiko.jpg
Michiko and Wayne in the printmaking studio at Capilano University

More about Wayne Eastcott including images of earlier works:
– Represented by Elliot Louis Gallery*, Vancouver
– **UPDATE: now represented by Bellevue Gallery in West Vancouver
– Grand Forks Art Gallery exhibition*
– Capilano University faculty web gallery*
– More images via Google Images

More about Michiko Suzuki, including some images:
– a review
– TrueNorth SNAP International Print Biennial 2002 2nd prize
– Lessedra (Bulgaria) World Art Print Annual 2004 participant
– Bimpe III Triennial First Prize
– Gallery 219 in Tokyo, Japan, will be showing Michiko’s personal work Oct.5-Oct. 20, 2004

* UPDATE January 2012: Some links have been updated or removed if expired.
Edited January 16th, 2013 to show larger images.
** UPDATE summer 2013: This program is no longer offered at Capilano University so link is gone

August 23, 2004 in Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena 1 Comment »

by Marja-Leena

Thoughts on PATHS

Notes from my sketchbook, January 27th, 2000:
— the places one walks, the surface under one’s feet
— the journeys one makes, physically and mentally and artistically
— the explorations into unknown territory… as in walking on new ground, new places…learning new ways of working ie. computer technology and how to apply it to the printmaking studio…new media …web art…
— where do these “paths” lead to?… “heaven”, some other “state”…..?
— connections to previous work, such as use of images of Hornby’s rocks also relate to “Paths” theme

The Paths series of prints (1998 – 2000) began with experiments in totally new techniques for me and the studio: digitizing images and using photopolymer emulsion*.

*Technical notes on photopolymer intaglio:
See Tools. Simply put, a photo sensitive polymer emulsion is applied to a metal plate (I usually use copper), the inkjet film positive is placed on top, and exposed to a very bright light. The first emulsion that I used was ImagOn, which is thick and takes on etching-like depressions on the film that hold the printing ink, so no etching is necessary. I prefer etching, so later started using a thinner emulsion Z-Acryl that allowed for this. Of course, the printing process then follows in creating an edition of prints.

Read more about printmaking at What is a print? and more on prints.

May 12, 2004 in Concepts, Digital printmaking, Paths, Printworks by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Thoughts on PATHS

by Marja-Leena

Nexus: Vyg & Willendorf

Nexus_VygandWillendorf.jpg

Nexus: Vyg & Willendorf
inkjet print on Hahnemuhle watercolour paper
61 x 80 cm. (24″ x 31.5″)

The three skiers are images of Finno-Ugric rock carvings from the Vyg River, near the White Sea in the Karelia region of northwestern Russia, based on a photograph by Loit Joekalda of Tallinn, Estonia and used with his permission.

The female figures are my drawings of the Paleolithic Venus de Willendorf figure found in Austria, a recurring image in many of my works.

More pictures of Venus can be seen here.

Edited Jan.13, 2013 with larger image.

May 5, 2004 in Digital printmaking, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Nexus, Printworks, Rock Art & Archaeology by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Nexus: Vyg & Willendorf

by Marja-Leena

Award-winning Estonian printmakers

In some recent correspondence with friends Virge and Loit Joekalda in Tallinn, Estonia, I learned that Virge has won her country’s prestigious Eduard Wiiralti Young Artist’s Award for 2004. They sent a large format PDF catalogue of the Awards, which is so inspiring that it has made me want others to see it. A few examples can be seen here. One of Virge’s drypoint prints is on the bottom of the page.

The link to download the catalogue (PDF) is on the middle of the page. Though it’s quite large, it is worth a read and a look at the various award winners’ works. The English introduction begins on page six, including an explanation of the triennial award competition, and some descriptions of some of the works and their creators. Here is what is written about Virge’s work:

To a large extent, the title ‘Organograafika’ (organic graphics) could be applied to Virge Joekalda, whose energetic, as if flowing, simultaneously emotional and powerful forms reflect the dynamics of nature. Virge Joekalda has preferred dry-point technique for years; for the accomplishments in this field, she won a prize at the World Print Festival in Ljubljana in 1998. However, once again it should be pointed out that not her previous achievements but the works ‘Minu aed VI (My Garden) and Metsik aed I and II (Wild Garden) (2003) with their elegant laconism, successful colour resolution and direct expressivity gave her the Young Artist Award. Look for her gorgeous prints on pages 29 to 31.

Interestingly, the first award winner in 1998 for Senior Artist was Vive Tolli, whom we met at an art opening in Tallinn in 2002 and learned that she was Virge’s teacher! See her work on pages 18 & 19.

Digital printmaking is on the leading edge in print competitions around the world, so it was not surprising to find that the Young Artists’ Award in 2001 went to Ulle Marks and Jyri Kass for their “Jalg I-III (Trace)”, who “used a sensitive language of the human body. […] The same works were granted the Gyor Prize at the VI International Drawing and Graphic Arts Triennial in Gyor, Hungary, in 2001. Their cooperative works were also awarded at the Krakow Print Triennial in 2000, and at the Tallinn Triennial in 2001.” See pages 24 & 25.
And, congratulations again, Virge!

May 4, 2004 in Digital printmaking, Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Award-winning Estonian printmakers

by Marja-Leena

photography and art

Coincidences posted an interesting article about “Big Prints, the Art-Making Impulse, and Time-Motion Panoramas” that has prompted me to add some comments on his blog and here.

The extra large digitally printed photographs that we now see in galleries have become possible with the growth of very large, high quality archival inkjet printers at a more reasonable price (though still not cheap) compared to the original giclee printers of a few years ago. It has really opened up immense possibilities for artists as well as photographers.

As mostly a photo-based printmaker, I find I am more interested in the photographers that have a unique way of “making” their images, whether it’s with an unusual camera technique or with PhotoShop or something else. While I don’t question the artistic vision of many realistic photographers, my own personal aesthetic, perhaps now a little old-fashioned, is to see the hand of the artist at work in some way, using the camera as a tool amongst many others.

Hmm, this has led me back to some recent discussions about “true” vs. manipulated photography.

Thanks to Coincidences for mentioning my blog regarding conversations about the art-making impulse.

ADDENDUM April 25.04:
Talking about Big Prints, Caryn Coleman wrote a great commentary in The Art Weblog about whether big prints are better….recommended reading!

April 18, 2004 in Being an Artist, Digital printmaking, Photography, Tools and technology by Marja-Leena Comments Off on photography and art

by Marja-Leena

Hockney again

Over at studio notebook*, on April 5/04 Carolyn wrote about her reaction to David Hockney’s book Secret Knowledge.

The book is about Hockney’s research into how the Old Masters utilized optics as a tool to create their works. “The thesis I am putting forward here is that from the early fifteenth century many Western artists used optics – by which I mean mirrors and lenses (or a combination of the two) – to create living projections…to my knowledge, no one has suggested that optics were used as widely or as early as I am arguing here.”

Hockney experimented with these processes himself (“The camera lucida is not easy to use” he explains).[…] Over and over he states the use of these tools by no means diminishes the talents of the masters that painted them.

Still his theories have some critics out of their minds. [..] Chuck Close agrees with Hockney though and says of course an artist would take advantage of the available technology. [to] “Close, who paints from photographs of faces, it was self-evident that any artist would use every tool possible to make the job easier even if art historians don’t want to believe it.[…] some people are amazed that their artist heroes have cheated.”

“Good food for thought” indeed. It’s not a new subject though it’s still hotly debated, especially now with the advent of digital technology in photography and other art media. In fact, recently Hockney was in the news complaining about the “death of photography”, which, to me, rather contradicts the statements in his book.

* studio notebook no longer exists, sadly, so link is removed

April 6, 2004 in Digital printmaking, Other artists, Tools and technology by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Hockney again

by Marja-Leena

A New Digital Art Center

This is good news for digital artists. At art.blogging.la Caryn writes “Bring on the Technology”:
“I like digital artists, those who are utilizing digital tools as the sole medium to create their artwork. It has stirred up valuable conversations as to how comfortable people are with this form of making work, authenticity issues, and talent questioning (so help me if I hear the “I could do that” one more time…). And though it’s all lumped under “digital” this type of medium is actually quite diverse […]
Because I think that digital art is valuable, I’m so pleased that Los Angeles will now have the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. Their mission is “Mission: Los Angeles Center For Digital Art is dedicated to the propagation of all forms of digital art, supporting local, international, emerging and established artists.”

April 6, 2004 in Digital printmaking, Tools and technology by Marja-Leena Comments Off on A New Digital Art Center

by Marja-Leena

Tools

Viewers and readers are often interested in knowing what tools artists use in creating their artworks. Today’s technology has been embraced by many artists, as artists always have done over many centuries in their search for new ways of working.

For many years I worked in various techniques of printmaking including drypoint, collagraph, linocuts, woodcuts and etching. In 1998, I began my first digital explorations with a Power Mac 6500 computer, Umax Astra 1200S scanner, an Epson inkjet printer and Adobe PhotoShop 4. Up until then, the darkroom was where I prepared film for photo-etching plates. Now, I could scan in my photographs and manipulate them as I wished, only limited by my knowledge of the software, then print out inkjet film transparencies. Even the new photo-sensitive film, ImagOn and later, Z-Acryl photopolymer emulsions used on the etching plates came from the computer industry.

Since then I have upgraded to an Apple G4 Cube with OS X (Panther), PhotoShop 7, and a wider-format (13″) HP Deskjet 1220 printer. For very large prints, I print at the Art Institute (Printmaking) at Capilano College* where they have a large format HP 5000 PS-UV printer. The printer inks and papers available today are archival, so the technology now truly supports artists’ needs.

I still like to combine etchings with digital prints for the textural, heavily embossed handmade feel. Many of the digital art papers and the waterproof inks allow for the soaking that is necessary for printing etchings.

The immense possibilities in digital image capturing, transformation and the potential for accidental aesthetics are very exciting!

*UPDATE: now University

March 30, 2004 in Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Printmaking, Tools and technology by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Tools

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