The Final Printed Images

My two prints were part of a group of almost fifty different editions, done by artists and students.  One of the two images held more ink than the other, and appeared a little heavy to me in feeling.  The other seemed just right.  I returned to the studio with the prints and the plate, and colorized my images. To do this, I used watercolor paints, and applied some of the watercolor to go over the darker print and lighten the image.  When they were completed, one of them went on a group display on campus.  Afterwards, I took the images to my framer, Roger Gregory, and we decided that we wanted  to show the interesting patterns left in the paper as a result of the paver rolling over the pavement.  I then decided to finnish the original plate, which I painted in oils to bring out all of the fun little details I had added to the original plate.  I was finished with this project!

One of the two printed images

The 3 Fates Original Plate

Printing Time

It was now time to print the plate that I had created.  This was going to be a real challenge, as all of the ridges and spots left by the placement of the buttons and sequins would end up slowing down the application of ink to the plate.  It took several applications of oil based ink to reach all of the nooks and crannies of the plate (like an English muffin).  I then took the inked plate out to the Visual Art Center’s driveway, where Professor Owen had the driveway asphalt paver lined up with markings he had taped on the pavement.  We lined up five plates at a time, then placed a long sheet of archival printing paper over the surface of the plates, followed by a heavy felt printing blanket.  Then the fun began.  Professor Owen made a slow pass with the paver over the plates,  the blanket was removed, and the paper was then lifted by the students and moved off to the side to dry.  The plates were removed and replaced by five freshly inked new ones, and the process was repeated until all the students had at least one, and some had two sets of prints.  This was an all day event!

Let the paving begin!

Plates being prepped for driveway paver

The prints after they have been printed by the driveway paver

The Steamroller Project

In March of this year, Assistant Professor of Art at Florida Gulf Coast University, Andy Owen, ran a 4 day program titled The Steamroller Project.  The program utilizes printing plates that are made by students and artists that are printed by  inking the plates, placing acid-free  paper over the plates, and then pressing the inked plates into the paper by having a driveway paver rolling over the top of them.  I thought this sounded like an interesting challenge, so I decided to join in the fun.  I was given a 2′ x 3′ masonite board to use as my base  plate. I then took the heads of the three Seminole ladies that appeared in my “Hava Tampa” piece, and re-created them, using cardboard, plastic and modeling paste.  My grandmother had left behind in her antique hutch, which I had inherited, a bag of old buttons of every size and color.  Most of the buttons were cut from old shells, and some had fabric coatings.

Plate of the Three Fates before ink is applied

I used these buttons to recreate the coin medallions on the ladies clothing, enhanced by rows of glued sequins.  I dipped linen gauze into white  gesso, and draped it in place to add a fabric touch to the sleeves of the clothing.  I used modeling paste to style the facial features, hands and hair. I added some dried bamboo fronds to break up the composition.  The finished plate is now ready for inking.

Starting the first project

When I looked at the portrait of the Seminole Indians with their friend, I had to visualize how the final result was going to appear, what did I want to achieve with this image, and how was I going to get there? I wanted to create an almost large as life image. First, I decided that I would paint the wax and dye on Rayon. Rayon is a man-made fabric that accepts dying very well and shows color much more brilliantly than cotton, and sometimes, silk. Once this was decided, I thought it would look best as a wall hanging, that could be hung from a rod screwed into the wall. I washed the fabric in Synthrapol, a liquid that removes the sizing from the fabric, and allows the dye to adhere more easily . I then worked on my drawing that I would place on the fabric-I draw a small image that I then have blown up to the size I want on a blueprint copier at a local office service store. The new image is then laid down on my work table in my studio and taped down so that it won’t slide. The fabric that is washed and ironed flat, is then laid over the drawing and traced with a charcoal pencil so that the lines from the drawing show up on the fabric much like a drawing is done for a stained glass window. This process can take several hours, as this image did, due to the complexity of the many patterns in the clothing, and rendering each of the six figures. I try to do the drawing in one sitting so that I have a sense of continuity in my images. Then the fun begins…