Collection of Prints 2 (Fall Semester, 2005)

“Kindling Memoirs” are a collection of multi-color prints that I have been working on for the past three months. I’m interested in the human figure and different ways that one can manipulate the figure to create different unique images.

“Devout Resilience ” portrays my growth spiritually as an individual. Throughout the past year, I have battled with my faith and struggled with defining which religion I belong to. Residing in a house full of very opinionated individuals with very different beliefs has changed my outlook on religion and also my faith. Growing up in a family of devoted christians has also made it difficult for me to question my faith. My faith cannot be defined by a religion, however, I believe that spirituality is unique and different for each individual. This image was inspired by different gods throughout different religions. One god specifically that influenced this print is the Bodhisattva. The many hands are symbolic of how the Bodhisattva reaches out to anyone who is in need. I also wanted to incorporate many different symbols and images into this figure to show that faith is not "black and white" and that a specific religion or belief cannot be "wrong" because faith is different for each individual. This semester I have been researching art from different societies and cultures and incorporating that art into my own prints and paintings. These prints were created to express my thoughts on religion and to depict the struggles that I have had while questioning my religious beliefs.

Collection of Prints (Fall Semester, 2005)

For the last two semesters I have been taking intaglio printmaking courses at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. I’m “new to the job” in the printmaking world and have been struggling with the different techniques that printmaking have to offer. I have found that my greatest achievements in printmaking have come from the mistakes that I have made on the copper. In printmaking, I am more concerned about the process and the techniques of printmaking than the final product. Therefore, printmaking has been advantageous to my career as an artist. This semester I have also been feeding off different printmakers throughout the world, as well as in the classroom to emulate the different effects and images they have created in their work. I have enjoyed exploring what printmaking has to offer because the possibilities in printing are endless. Here are some of the prints that I have created in the print studio this semester.

“Expressions in Ink” are a series of self portraits that were created during the Fall Semester of my junior year at UWL. In these two prints I used my handprints, as well as ink from the back of the plate to mask my portrait. These prints were created to convey the feelings of stress and frustration I was feeling during the semester. “Expressions in Ink” give the viewer a feeling of hysteria and chaos. After printing this piece several times I began to take on the image of medusa and also the grinch, so I decided it was probably time to put this plate aside for awhile.

“The Garden of Eden” symbolizes the birth of an individual through the image of a seed. I received the different textures in this print by placing my figures in asphaltum and covering the copper plate with my fingerprints. This is one of my prints from my “baby” days and I have been experimenting with simultaneous color printing techniques throughout the semester to change the mood of the print.