Printmaking again...

Detail: Collaborative print with Alexis Nutini

This post is an addendum to the one I posted last week. I had more thoughts about this collaboration that I wanted to share, so here goes: I'm in the midst of a print collaboration with master printer, Alexis Nutini, that is being generously funded by the Brandywine Workshop. What's happening here is we're moving into the second and middle layer. I'm trying all sorts of combinations of blocks and colors and offsetting the blocks on this layer to create some spatial interest. The third and final layer will play off of the first two. i'm hoping to capture some of the tension between layers that happens in my paintings and works on paper-the blurring of layers in some places and more distinct passages in others. 

It's been interesting working in a collaborative way after not doing so for most of my creative life. The one exception being a painting/drawing collaboration that I did with my friend, Joni Woods back in the 90s, which was an amazing experience. The current one with Alexis is turning out to be really good, as well. 

The biggest issue I've had to deal with is letting go of the spontaneity of how I usually work in favor of making instructions for Alexis to carry out in the printing. This isn't a bad thing, just way different than I'm used to operating. What I'm finding is that I'm needing to step back and be more intentional about what kinds of choices I'm making in the work. I'm taking longer to think about the possible outcomes before committing to which blocks to have Alexis use and where they are placed. Even so, there's still a ton of room for unforeseen and interesting unintended aesthetic incidents to occur: surprises in how some of the inks interact with each other, sudden changes in opaqueness and transparency depending on where your eye lands, as well as shifts in spatial rendering. 

Looking ahead, there will be a third layer to work with and this will be where everything comes together or falls apart, depending on the choices made. There's going to be some that I'll want the layers to overlap in such a way as to be indistinguishable overall and others with more 'breathing room'. We'll see what happens.

Matter. at Gray Contemporary

Honored to have Transmission VI on view in Matter. at Gray Contemporary (Houston, TX) until 8.01.20. 
Image:
Tim McFarlane
Transmission VI
acrylic on panel
8” x 6”
2016
(photo courtesy of Gray Contemporary)

Gray Contemporary

Matter.
6.27.20 - 8.1.20
Theresa Anderson, Mary Bucci McCoy, Amber Cobb, Deborah Dancy, Mel DeWees, Neil Fortune, Tommy Gregory, Sarah Elise Hall, Monique Lacy, Ernesto Marenco, Mary Bucci McCoy, Tim McFarlane, André Ramos-Woodard, Dave Swensen

*All gallery percentages of sales within this exhibition will be donated to Black Lives Matter Global Network.

A long history of neglected attention to another type of pandemic arose by the demonstrations of many brave young activists and concerned citizens in this country to the abuse and systematic racism that has plagued the American Black community. Through Black Lives Matter this inspirational movement has now spread worldwide.
Our current exhibition Matter is comprised of artists from different racial backgrounds joined together by the color black to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement along with all the protests worldwide. The works within this exhibition were not made specifically for this exhibition, but rather by their day to day studio practice. As this exhibition is less about individual perspectives and more about the unity of us individual artist’s coming together as one to support and stand against any form of racism or oppression. In show of support Gray Contemporary will donate all Gallery percentages of sale within this exhibition to Black Lives Matter Global Network. 

Comme

Wait, but also work

On Sunday, 7.05.20, I finally started a long-awaited print collaboration with master printer, Alexis Nutini of Philadelphia. We've been talking about working together on something since before I moved out of the 1241 Carpenter Street studio building, where I had a studio for a couple of years and where Alexis still maintains his. The idea is to produce a variable edition of block prints that will be released sometime this coming fall. 

I've learned that sometimes, there's definitely a right time, place and space for a lot of things. Not everything, because sometimes you have to take advantage of a situation or loose the opportunity. At other times, you have to let something sit and things marinate before the universe helps to open a door for you. In this case, as in a lot like this, there was a confluence of actions that conspired to make this collab happen. I met Allan Edmunds, the founder of the Brandywine Workshop and Archives, while working at Artist & Craftsman Supply last year. At the same time, Alexis happened to have been working on making prints as part of a program at Brandywine. Alexis and I started up with talk of a collaboration and in the meantime, I had the chance to talk with Allan again, trying to learn more about Brandywine. 

Fast forward to this year. Alexis talks to me about a possible print project that would be funded and supported by the Brandywine that would culminate with a two-person exhibition with myself and sculptor, Miguel Horn. Outside funding falls through for that project, but Alexis and myself move ahead with plans to make a variable edition of prints from my glyph forms, which is being supported by Brandywine. This is just one example of how things can take very circuitous routes to realization. Patience and perseverance wins the day, always.