Thursday, October 7, 2010
Visual Arts Marcia Wood PULLs her artists in different directions
Posted by Deanna Sirlin on Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 9:00 AM
- Courtesy Marcia Wood Gallery
- "Arcadian Troubles" by Timothy McDowell
“Printmaking camp” is what artist Joanne Mattera called the experience on her blog. This past summer, Atlanta gallerist Marcia Wood invited six of her most seasoned painters she shows to participate in a weeklong printmaking workshop last June at Connecticut College under the guidance of master printer Timothy McDowell. Each created an intaglio print as part of a limited edition portfolio titled PULL, on view at the Marcia Wood Gallery through Nov. 6 along with paintings by the artists in the neighboring annex space.
The project came out of a conversation between Wood and McDowell about how artists could remain viable in a recessionary economy. Wood pursued the idea because she came to see it “as an exciting project to do with artists that would be stimulating creatively and a way to open doors to new ideas and connections for the artists as well as the gallery.”
Wood and her artists stayed in dorms, ate in the college cafeteria, and worked long days in the printmaking studios. As a kind of head counselor, McDowell assisted the other artists with both the technical aspects of printmaking and in translating their painterly vocabulary into ink on paper. The result is an edition of 30 portfolios, each containing one print from each artist, presented in hand-made archival clam-shell boxes. PULL, the title of this group show in a box, refers to the process of pulling the paper through a press, but also came to represent the intense effort of the artists and their gallerist to create and print the portfolio in one short week.
In addition to McDowell and Mattera, Kim Anno, Kate Javens, Don Pollack, and Katherine Taylor participated in the portfolio. The artists’ prints reflect their individual styles: McDowell worked with Anno to translate into etching what in her paintings is a free flowing abstract form. Javens’ ram’s head needed dark Prussian blue horns that had to be printed separately. Pollack’s landscape looks old and aged with lines that are both abstract and adorned with a musical notation. An accidental marking on the paper yielded the antique look he wanted.
Materra began with a square composition, a format she’s used often in her brightly hued encaustic paintings. McDowell suggested she turn the square 45 degrees to create a more dynamic composition. This delighted the artist and she’s now working on a new series of paintings titled Diamond Life. Taylor’s print evokes the smog-filled California landscape, complete with an overturned car and a palm tree. McDowell’s own print combines a cornucopia of line-drawn images of flora and fauna.
Wood selected these artists despite their lack of printmaking experience because, as she says, “I knew beyond a doubt these artists to be already extremely eloquent within their own artistic practices and so would enjoy working in a new language to widen their experience as artists. I also knew these artists to be people who would be open and enthusiastic about collaborating with Tim and each other, and work hard to create an exciting and meaningful body of work for the portfolio.” Even so, the results exceeded her expectations. She describes The PULL project as “a profound experience,” adding, “I had not expected to be so personally moved and inspired by these artists and the palpable creativity and talent flowing through such highly charged days.”
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im searching the internet looking for all encaustic/wax artist, so please go to our website at eainm.com and see what we are all about, and spread the word on art and wax. thanks douglas mehrens
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