Printmaking: a complete guide to materials & processes

Description

The impetus for this book began with an exploratory visit to In gathering the information for this book, we relied on our NorthCarolinafromLeeRipleyGreenfield,ofLaurenceKing manycolleaguesinthediscipline.Itcontinuestobeasource Publishing. She was seeking a potential author for a book of pride and appreciation to recognize the amazing commu- on printmaking and, unbeknownst to us, Lee had parallel nity of printmakers out there who willingly and graciously conversationswithbothofus.Well,theprintworldisnothuge, share theirtipsand techniques. The spiritofgenerosity is andacademiaisevensmaller.Addtothatthefactthatwelive unparalleledandwearesofortunatetobeapartofit.Mostof in the same area and had other professional connections; the technical demonstrations were shot in the print lab at the it was not long before we discovered our corresponding University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In addition to pro- conversations with Lee. While we were both intrigued, the viding facilities, we are grateful for additional funding from taskofwritingabookoncontemporaryprintmakingpractices theUNCArtDepartmentandtheUniversityofNorthCarolina was daunting. We quickly agreed that itmight be a good idea at Chapel Hill that supported many aspects of the work. to take this on as a collaborative effort. Many times during With this second edition, we have continued to look at the two years of production for the first edition of this book, the practice of printmaking as one where technique and we affirmed the serendipity of that initial impulse. Our own ideation are inextricably linked. We have expanded some of backgrounds and professional connections in printmaking the chapters to clarify, add, and update technical informa- as well as our own talents and areas of expertise have tion. A new, tenth chapter further explores the relationship complemented each other quite nicely. The book is far better of thinking and making by considering the affordances of for our collaboration than itwould ever have been ifdone by printmaking as a source of creative inspiration. We have also either ofus alone. endeavored to provide more information on safer and more The intention of the book is to provide a survey of con- sustainable practices. Since nontoxic alternatives are a rapidly temporary printmaking practice. While the emphasis is on growing and ever-evolving landscape, we have tried to present technical information, we believe that technique serves a products and practices that are accessible worldwide, but we broader goal of art-making. Accordingly, we strove to frame have undoubtedly left out some very worthy procedures and technical discussion within the broader context of artistic products. practice that includes conceptual issues of concern to artists working in print media. Some of these ideas are specific to print and some are ideas relevant to any art-making enterprise. To that end, we made an effort to show the best of contempo- rary printmaking, covering a range of aesthetic approaches from abstract to representational, narrative comic-book style to the ethereal. We have included works from artists who work independently as well as images made in collaboration with master printers in contract ateliers. Artworks represented exist within the mainstream art world, but also exist outside of the gallery or studio in non-traditional contexts. This diversity of approach confirms the idea that printmaking is adynamic and ever-changing field. One of the benefits of the process is that we have met hundreds of fantastic artists who we had not known before. Artists included herein represent a multitude of diversities and international origins. The technical information in this book includes both time- honored practices and contemporary innovations. We give special attention to safe practices, addressing the important concern for health and safety. The many step-by-step illustra- tions provide an enhanced visual reference for the beginning printmaker. When photographic information was insufficient, our brilliant illustrator, Brittain Peck, created exquisite dia- grams forincreased clarity. The production of the book with Laurence King has been a very rewarding experience. For both the first and second editions we have had the pleasure of working with extraor- dinary people. We are deeply grateful to Anne Townley and Zoe Antoniou, editors for the first edition, for their keen eye, spot-on advice, and supportive guidance during our introduc- tion to the publishing world. For the second edition we owe thanks to several people: editorial manager Kara Hattersley- Smith for getting the ball rolling, picture manager Julia Ruxton and picture researcher Peter Kent for facilitating the permis- sions process with all of the new images. Enormous thanks to senior editor John Parton, who deserves special recognition for his considerable patience as we missed a few deadlines on the way to this second edition. We so appreciate your graciousness. The book is a pleasure to read because of the superb graphic design. Andrew Lindesay designed the origi- nal edition and Manisha Patel juggled many variables as she recalibrated everything for the second. We are, of course, most profoundly indebted to our families for their forbearance as we have spent countless hours at the computer. We owe you big time.