The Monoprint (Monotype)
The monoprint is exactly what the word indicates: a singular print. Different in this respect from other printing methods in which editions are possible, the monoprint is a unique work of art...each one different.
The process begets an "all-or-nothing-at-all" result...and therein lies much of its excitement. The suspence of not knowing until the paper is peeled off the plate whether you "made it" or "blew it" is a game of chance not unlike Life itself and the chance one always takes with ambitious plans and dreams. Some "make it" ... and some don't..!
The medium utilizes aspects of both painting and printmaking plus other techniques unique to the monoprint in a symbiotic relationship capable of great sensitivity. My method involves inking a plate with large brayers to create the color field and then working into the ink with smaller brayers and brushes loaded with other ink and/or solvent to create texture and develop the image. Lines and shapes are often stopped-out in the first run through the press. Subsequent passes develop the stopped out areas and add more compositional and textural elements. This multiple-run process is important to me in the development of a richness of textural detail and a sensation of transparency, space and movement. Because of my additive method, special care must be taken to maintain the feeling of freshness and spontaneity so vital to the monoprint. |
