Monotype

STAGE FOUR/ METASTATIC

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I am pleased to announce that my monotype STAGE FOUR/ METASTATIC will be on view from February 28, 2020 until April 11, 2020 at the Abington Art Center as part of the American Color Print Society’s Members Spring Exhibition. There will be an opening reception from 2 until 4 on Saturday, February 29^th at the Abington Art Center, 515 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046

About 3 ½ years ago I was diagnosed with Stage Four, or metastatic prostate cancer. While there is no cure or any prospect of one, there are medications (side effects included) which may slow the progression of the cancer for a while. I would like to believe that, on a personal level, I have done, and am doing, everything possible to deal with it in a thoughtful, rational manner: a will has been drawn, powers of attorney executed and a place in a continuing care retirement home secured, and that I am making the best use of my time. Until STAGE FOUR/ METASTATIC, however, I had not addressed it as an artist. STAGE FOUR/ METASTATIC is a hard plate monotype which, with its red-orange/black palette is probably a more accurate emotional representation than a medical or scientific one. Since I have no idea what a lesion actually looks like, nor any particular desire to learn, I am going to rely on emotion, abstraction, and artistic license. Matted and Framed to 14” x 24”.

GROWING OLD TOGETHER in Passage Show

I am pleased to announce that juror Gwen Chanzit has chosen my monotype print GROWING OLD TOGETHER to be part of the “Passage” show sponsored by the Colorado Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art. Out of 550 entries submitted nationwide to this broadly themed and open media call for entries, only 54 pieces were chosen. The show will be held at the Niza Knoll Gallery on Santa Fe Street in the Historic Art District of Denver, Colorado from Wednesday, November 13, 2019 until Saturday, December 21, 2019. There will be an opening reception on Friday, December 15, 2019.

Abstracting Emotions in MRAC

I am pleased to announce that juror Joseph Borrelli has selected my hand inked and hand pulled monotypes ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS#3 and ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #5 to be part of the Manayunk/Roxborough Art Center’s Annual Juried Show. Both of these pieces are printed on handmade paper I made using scrap watercolor, printing, and business papers together with abaca pulp. They were then mounted on different sheets of handmade paper I made using abaca, cotton linter, and salvaged natural fibers such as asparagus stalks, corn husks, and old blue jeans. The Show will run from Sunday, July 21, 2019 through Sunday Series , July 28, 2019 at MRAC’s gallery located at 419 Green Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19128. There will be an opening reception from noon until 3pm on the 21^st.

Abstracting Emotions #7

ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #7 is the seventh in my “Abstracting Emotions” Series which uses two different types of my handmade paper. The printing, a hand inked and hand pulled dark field monotype, was done on paper made from scrap watercolor, BFK, and business correspondence paper which were shredded, boiled together, sheeted and Plexiglas dried to create a white/off white relatively monochromatic and smooth printing paper. The print was then mounted on a different sheet of my handmade paper which was made from corn husks and abaca in order to create a patterned and textured counterpoint to the print. (16” x 16”) (2019) ($250.00)

Abstracting Emotions #6

ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #6 is the sixth in my “Abstracting Emotions” Series which uses two different types of my handmade paper. The printing, a hand inked and hand pulled monotype, was done on paper made from scrap watercolor, BFK, and business correspondence paper which were shredded, boiled together, sheeted and Plexiglas dried to create a white/off white relatively monochromatic and smooth printing paper. The print was then mounted on a different sheet of my handmade paper which was made from kozo and black dyed kozo in order to create a patterned and textured counterpoint to the print. (16” x 16”) (2019) ($250.00)

Abstracting Emotions #5

ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #5 is the fifth in my “Abstracting Emotions” Series which uses two different types of my handmade paper. The printing, a hand inked and hand pulled monotype, was done on paper made from scrap watercolor, BFK, and business correspondence paper which were shredded, boiled together, sheeted and Plexiglas dried to create a white/off white relatively monochromatic and smooth printing paper. The print was then mounted on a different sheet of my handmade paper which was made from an old pair of blue jeans. (16” x 16”) (2019) ($250.00)

Abstracting Emotions #4

ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #4 is the fourth in my “Abstracting Emotions” Series which uses two different types of my handmade paper. The printing, a hand inked and hand pulled dark field monotype, was done on paper made from scrap watercolor, BFK, and business correspondence paper which were shredded, boiled together, sheeted and Plexiglas dried to create a white/off white relatively monochromatic and smooth printing paper. The print was then mounted on a different sheet of my handmade paper which was made from abaca, cotton linter and dryer lint in order to create a patterned and textured counterpoint to the print. (16” x 16”) (2019) ($250.00)

ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #3

ABSTRACTING EMOTIONS #3 is the third in my “Abstracting Emotions” Series which uses two different types of my handmade paper. The printing, a hand inked and hand pulled monotype, was done on paper made from scrap watercolor, BFK, and business correspondence paper which are shredded, boiled together, sheeted and Plexiglas dried to create a white/off white relatively monochromatic and smooth printing paper. The print was then mounted on a different sheet of my handmade paper which was made from corn husks, and pineapple leaves, together with abaca in order to create a patterned and textured counterpoint to the print.(16” x 16”) (2019) ($250.00)

Midnight Blues

MIDNIGHT BLUES is intended to be an ambiguous and amorphous; bringing different feelings to different people. To some it will evoke an exotic night sky; to others an end of day sadness, or the muted wail of a saxophone, while others will experience something else entirely or perhaps nothing at all. MIDNIGHT BLUES is a viewer’s narrative piece. A hand inked and hand pulled monotype it is matted and framed to 22” x 28”.

ABSTRACTED EMOTIONS #1

ABSTRACTED EMOTIONS #1 is a hand inked and hand pulled monotype printed on paper I made using scrap watercolor and business paper which is in turn mounted on another sheet of paper I made using banana peel and abaca. ABSTRACTED EMOTIONS #1 is the first in a series which will try to match abstract prints with handmade papers from materials such as banana peels, corn husks, asparagus stalks, kale stems, pineapple leaves and cantaloupe rinds each of which produces a paper with a unique texture and color. I am finding that the more I become involved in creating art, the more I become interested in using found, salvaged, and recycled objects and materials as part of it, whether it be ceramics, paper making, print making or collage.

John Fansmith

Artist