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!

Matteson’s landscapes hum

Walking Rain Fugue
Monotype

Matteson’s abstract landscapes are vibrant, dramatic, and invite the viewer to observe the interaction of light, color, shape, pattern, and motion. In his landscapes, objects have been masterfully reduced to their essential qualities, yet his dramatic palette often evokes the tense moment of an approaching storm, simmering heat, or the steam rising from the drenched earth.




Matteson was kind enough to demonstrate the etching process during his reception. Etching is part of the intaglio family of printmaking techniques. They all have in common that the design is below the plate surface.




To begin with, the blank copper plate is coated with an acid resistant material called hard ground. At New Grounds, we use Z-Acryl hard ground which does not require any harmful solvents to be removed from the plate. Instead, it is water-soluble when wet, and comes off with a mild soda ash solution when dry. A design is now drawn on the coated plate (not shown here) which exposes the copper underneath. It is made permanent by immersing the plate in ferric chloride – it literally etches the drawn lines into the plate.


The plate is now ready to be printed. To do so, ink (at New Grounds we use water soluble Akua intaglio inks) is carded over the entire plate with strips of mat board.


Once the plate is covered completely in ink, the excess is removed first by using strips of mat board and then a very stiff cheese cloth called “tarlatan.”






The inked plate is now placed on the press bed, and it is covered with a sheet of printing paper. At New Grounds, we prefer Hahnemuhle paper because it is extremely absorbent.


Plate and paper are then covered with printing blankets which cushion the impact of the roller as the plate and paper are moved through the etching press. Note that the only purpose of the press is to apply very high pressure to the plate. We use Takach presses at New Grounds.



The finished print! Actually, a client who saw the demo purchased the print outright – how great is that!

If you missed the reception, Jacob Tarazon Matteson’s show “Landscape Voices” runs through September 25. It’s a fabulous show filled with surprises.
www.newgroundsgallery.com

Thanks to all our volunteers!

Tanya looking for music


Nick was our fabulous greeter for the evening!

Leonora Durrett's demonstration and opening reception!

A monotype is a one of a kind image. Leonora begins to create her monotype by brushing and brayering ink onto a poly-carbonate plate which has a drawing on the back side so she knows where to apply ink based on her first drop of color. A brayer is a small roller that allows the artist to apply an even coat of ink to the plate.




Once the plate is evenly inked she takes a paper towel to remove ink from the plate in various places. This is called “working reductively.” Note that the monotype plate does not contain any permanent information. The image is created completely out of ink. Leonora is working additively in this demonstration by adding layers of ink at different times.



Leonora hands the plate to Gallery and Workshop Assistant, Tanya, to run through the press. Leonora has already printed one color so Tanya is lining up the plate with the image already on the paper.









Leonora returns to clean the plate of any ink residue left on the plate and proceeds add yellow to the plate and more blue ink in the sky, using a brayer and brushes.





Tanya runs the plate through the press one more time adding the third layer of color.






And this is the final image!



And the aftermath!




Leonora has been with New Grounds for 14 years now and has progressed in her art-making abilities during this time. We are forever grateful for her dedication to printmaking and to New Grounds. We love your sparkly red Converses too!




Leonora was excited that we had our building painted purple just in time for her opening too!






We had a good turnout and even had a special guest! Santiago Perez, painter, came to visit the gallery. Jeff Simpson was more than ecstatic to meet him and even get a picture with him!



Thank you Bruce Childs and Jeff Simpson for photographing the event!



Thanks to all the volunteers and here are some pictures from the evening.

Leonora Durrett and Deborah Weaver


Mike Rudahl


Tanya, Gallery and Workshop Assistant and Regina Held, Director

See you all soon!

The etching workshop experience by Justin

Hey, I just got done with etching boot camp all last week. Ray, you drilled us hard, but now I'm ready for battle against copper. This was an interesting class to take for me because there were many concepts of nontoxic etching that were almost the same as the traditional techniques I'd already learned. The only fear I had about nontoxic compared to traditional was that certain techniques would've been left out. Thankfully they were all options with nontoxic just achieved in different ways. Spitbite, Soft ground, Chine colle, Sugar lift, and others are all options just a little different. Before this class I avoided Aquatint with my life but not I hold it dear to my heart. Ray, thanks for your entertaining banter and insight on the world; i enjoyed it.