Sunday, October 17, 2010

Deborah Donelson is back!

We are excited to announce that Donelson's works on paper are once again available at New Grounds. Check out our fresh inventory of her hand-colored gravures.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Jorge Tristani’s “Paradise” and Mizraim Cardenas “Morelos: Estampas de la Independencia”

This month’s reception was another huge success. With not just one, but two solo shows hanging, a few hundred visitors, and several sales, who could ask for more? Mizraim Cardenas sent us a portfolio of twenty engravings which commemorate Mexico’s 200th anniversary of their independence. New Grounds feels honored to show his exceptional and detailed work.


Mizraim Cardenas- Engravings


Jorge had a good turnout with many friends and family to join in the celebration of his second solo show at New Grounds!




Jorge and Sarah Anderson


Jorge gave a demonstration on a gravure process in which he printed a positive and negative version of the same image on top of each other. The result is a very painterly image quite different from printing just a single plate image.
First, the photographic image is adjusted in Photoshop so that it can be properly exposed to the light sensitive polymer plates used for this process. Then, a transparency is printed on an inkjet printer. He had to print two separate transparencies to create this image; one a positive and one a negative.




The transparency is then exposed to the light sensitive polymer-coated steel plate in a light unit. The polymer hardens and holds the ink that is wiped on the plate much like an etching. For this particular two plate process, the negative plate is printed in a lighter color so that it fills in the negative areas on commonly left white when the positive plate is printed. The positive plate is printed last and in a darker color.



Jorge’s mom even came out to see the demonstration and his show.





Once the ink is rolled or applied on the plate a tarlatan (a heavily sized cheesecloth) is used to wipe the plate to remove any excess ink. Newsprint is used to wipe any plate tone that may be left on the plate. The edges are then cleaned off with a q-tip as shown here.




It is best to have both plates inked and ready to go before running through the press. Here is Jorge inking up the second plate.



Now Jorge is registering or lining up his plate in the right place on the press bed. It is important that the plates are cut to the exact size so they line up perfectly on the sheet of paper.



Printing…



Now Jorge is registering the second plate on top of the first image that he just printed.



Printing…



And here is the final image



We just want to say thank you to everyone who came to the opening and to all those who volunteered!

Michael Rudahl was the photographer for the evening- Thank you!