Inside the Studio
Gems
Commission Project
February, 2021
As part of a commission project with Olson-Larsen Gallery, I created a new series of large-scale monoprints in my Gems series with Pele Prints (St. Louis, Missouri, USA).
The first step in this project, which took place entirely remotely, was to determine a system in which to collaborate in a long-distance fashion.
The Gems series is inspired by my tiny watercolor and gouache paintings. Using this painting, I digitized a custom template for the prints. The process of translating an improvisational, 5 x 5 inch painting into a precise, large-scale 38 x 38 inch monoprint work is detailed and transformative.
I created custom ink colors and recipes in my studio to share with Pele Prints. The palette for this series has 25 individual colors.
At Pele Prints, Amanda printed each layer on the Gem prints, sending process photos to me from each day’s printing sessions. Every evening I would assess the prints and choose the next colors and layers to be printed.
With 11 layers printed on each image, and a series of six unique prints, there were a lot of moving parts. Both Amanda and I used charts, plans, recipes, photographs and live conversations to keep track of the complex process along the way.
“We are reminded of brilliant, sparkling gems or the smooth stones of children’s costume jewelry. Both have a preciousness to their beholder, embodying the beauty of nature and the weight of love or play. Each form also has a gravity, each layer being compressed as if layers of the earth.”
Gem L8 & Gem L10, monoprint, 38 x 38 in (each print), 2021.
Printed with the assistance of Pele Prints.