IAC Printmaking/Ceramic Student Show Summer 2009

This is my alcove at the student show. It pulls from the previous post. And this:


See all the Polaroids behind the organ? In the house I lived in my last year of college, we had The Polaroid Room. The first time anybody came into the house, we took a Polaroid of them, had them write whatever they wanted to on it, then let them put it wherever they wanted in that room.

Over the course of three Fridays (20-24 hours combined) I printed 101 Polaroid size monotypes. Seventy-seven of them are hanging in the alcove. They were printed using one to three process colors (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow). There is a small single-color series within that uses a mix burnt sienna and copper bronze. Also, there are a few etching thrown in. I am a little conflicted about using etchings at this size. When I think Polaroid, I think quick, one of a kind. While the image for an etching can be quick, the process is not. Plus, who makes an etching to print only once? Not me.

I really like monotype because it is quick, and while it requires thinking at the time of printing, it requires little planning, unless you're going to use fabric stencils, like I did. Then, you'll need to know enough ahead of time to buy fabric. This process suited me well this summer. I've been out of printmaking for two years, and I had an almost manic need to produce a lot of work. However, I'm also suffering from a penetrating boredom, so thinking of stuff to really work on has been slow to start.

A bit about the hanging. If I can avoid it, I try not to frame. It's part laziness, part contrariness,
and part novelty. In this case, it was also necessity. Imagine framing seventy-seven tiny prints. Also, the idea really comes from The Polaroid Room, so it made sense to randomly scatter them through the alcove. However, a wave started to develop with the darkest prints, so I sacked the random, and built around the wave.

I appreciate thoughts on improvements.