Sea Currents #1 is a clay monoprint on canvas which draws on the beauty, if not the mythology, of the Hawaiian Islands. The image is meant to convey and evoke the underwater coastal “forests” and the currents that move them and through them. Matted and framed to 16″ x 20″
The Garden of The Gods is another in the series of Hawaiian inspired clay monoprints, a printing technique which utilizes moist clay, canvas, ceramic underglazes and a slab roller and which I feel is well-suited to express the lush color of a tropical garden that is intended to be fit for the gods. Matted and framed to “16” x 20″. $275
The God of the North is the fourth and last in the Directional Gods Series (The God of the South, The God of the West and The God of the East were posted earlier this month) In this series, the image of the god is augmented by the chillier blue palette to evoke the icy spirit of this particular god. Matted and framed to 16″ x 20″. $395.
NOTE: A previous edition of this post had the wrong artwork posted. This has been corrected and the right work is now listed.
The God of the East is the third in the Directional Gods Series (The God of the South and The God of the West were posted earlier) In this series, the image of the god is substantially the same, but the bright oranges and yellows of the sunrise are used to evoke the spirit of this particular god. Matted and framed to 16″ x 20″. $395.
In many ancient cultures (and perhaps a few modern ones) the gods were both anthropomorphic and an embodiment of some element or aspect of nature. “The God of the South” is one of a four part series of monotypes which employ color to manifest the essence of the particular God. The colors of the East reflect the rising sun, those of the West the setting sun, of the North, the blue of ice, and of the South, a mixture of impressions. The images of the gods were inspired by and derived from those of Southeast Asia from Cambodia and Thailand to Indonesia. Matted and framed to 16″ x 20″. $395
Among the legends and mythology of Western Civilization is that of The Watchers, a different, and somewhat sinister, species in human form living among us for thousands of years. I have used the free form and color of the traditional monotype medium to evoke the elemental unease that lies at the core of this legend.
Compression #4 is an abstract, perhaps conceptual piece which uses geometric shapes, mosaic composition principles and a red/yellow/orange/black palette to evoke the feeling of tension created by the interaction of pressure and resistance. While it is numbered, it is a monoprint, a single, unique print. The numbering refers to the particular image and its coloring. It is not part of an edition of identical (or almost identical) prints from that plate. It is a collograph, that is, the printing plate is created by building up the base plate rather than by cutting into it, as in the case of an etching, woodcut or drypoint. I find that, when exploring conceptual images, the collograph process provides greater adaptability and flexibility.
Compression #4 has just returned home after being exhibited at “The Mosaic Muse,” a juried art show at City Hall in Philadelphia, PA in February and March of this year.
Compression #4 has also been accepted into the “Arizona Aqueous” juried art show at the Tubac Center of the Arts in Tubac, Arizona, which opens January 29, 2016.
Migrations #5 brings to mind the powerful yet sinuous movement of a flock of birds. It is a dark field monotype, a unique, one-time image made by applying ink in layers to a hard printing surface and then removing some of the ink to create subtle shading and a sense of movement and depth. Migrations #5 was recently seen at the juried “Art de Avian” show at the Tubac Art Center in Tucson, Arizona this past April and at the annual juried show at the Abington Arts Center last December.
John Fansmith