Erin Ward, Kacie Auffret, Ute Hertel, Adele Baradel, and Elizabeth MacDonald collaborate on a found object collage mono print.

Shiela Nitschke, printmaker from London, Ontario experiments with watercolour. How wet is too wet?

The participants of the three day summer mono printing workshop held in August had a great time with Instructor Kacie Auffret. They learned to use intaglio inks, watercolour, and found objects to create their own unique images. Monoprinting is a good introduction to printmaking for the novice. Experience printmakers often use this method of printmaking for its painterly results. Monoprinting can also be combined with other forms of printmaking. To learn more about this technique be sure to sign up for our next session.

FEATHERS, STRING AND WATERCOLOURS; LAST WEEK’S MONOPRINTING WORKSHOP

written by Erin Ward
I arrived at the Printmaker’s Forum this past Thursday to a flurry of activity; the crackling, swooshing sound of thin sheets of pale beige newsprint being whisked into place, the donning of various apron styles all decorated with the colorful ink of projects past, the faint scent of ink being worked into the desired viscosity atop the plastic covered wooden work tables, and of course, the friendly chatter of a group of people who have shared a wonderful experience together.

It was the final day of a three day workshop, and a unique time to join in the experience since, by this point, the group had gotten to know one another, had learned a lot and were now being given the gift of three hours of freedom with the monoprinting press to experiment with the techniques they had learned and further explore the possibilities of the medium.

Artist, student and workshop leader Kacie Auffret discovered the Printmaker’s Forum as the antidote to a bleakly print-less summer away from her classes at the University of Windsor where she majors in Printmaking. Speaking with Auffret, it is clear that she has a true passion for printmaking and it is inspiring to hear the visionary motivations behind some of her works, such as her series of ten prints entitled: Remember Your Mortality. The series was a response to the mange outbreak that devastated the fox population in the Windsor area recently and was created to give a voice to the effected animals, and to bring this layer of reality within the city, unnoticed by so many, into the awareness of the human population of Essex county. This past week’s workshop was Auffret’s first, and a very successful one at that. Her patient, helpful demeanor and warm disposition created a welcoming environment for the participants while the passion she brings to monoprinting kept the energy high throughout the learning experience. The workshop attendees were also fortunate to have experienced printmaker and WPF volunteer, the cheerful Elizabeth Gaye MacDonald in attendance, able to provide supplementary guidance and share her wealth of printmaking knowledge.

Monoprinting is a very explorative art-form, where any physical artifact becomes fair game for printing, the effects of which are then added to the repertoire of possibilities held by the experimenting printmaker; a repertoire which can later be called upon to bring about the creation of some future vision. The workshop participants were eager to discover the outcome of printing many diverse items, each inked uniquely using either a blend of colours, or just one, ink applied liberally or only lightly. They had brought string, lace, and fabrics to try out, and MacDonald had brought along feathers, some collected from her Cockatiels at home and some left behind by Canadian geese. It was from those feathers that we created our first collaborative print. A meditative silence descended on the room as we each inked our feathers with pieces of stiff tarlatan cloth according to our individual preferences. The quiet tune on the radio and the whoosh of the air switching on were the only sounds for a few concentrated moments. Then, with the feathers arranged in a circle, we all gathered around the press, the excitement palpable as we waited in eager anticipation for them to be cranked through the formidable machine and the print pulled; separated from the inked feathers and brought into its own unique existence. Creating an artwork together gave rise to a sense of community within the group; a feeling of collective achievement that was undeniably satisfying.

It seemed a unanimous sentiment amongst the printmakers there, both new and experienced, that it is the (often lengthy) process of printmaking which is in large part its appeal. It is the unpredictability of the outcome of pressing an inked object, or a pastel drawing, or watercolour that produces the long process. Auffret explains, “I like that you never know how a print will turn out. It may be nothing like what you expected; you may hate it, walk away for a day, then come back to it and say ‘okay how can I fix this’. I like that you actually get to see the process; it all ends up in your portfolio.”

That uncertainty also creates an undeniable excitement at the reveal of a print. For example, a print created by Elizabeth Gaye MacDonald from watercolour and pastel caused quite a stir. We all huddled around the new print pointing out the different effects and the parts we were particularly drawn to, forming a circle of heads; of imaginations over the press, swept away in a wave-like swirl of turquoise here, and captivated by the blending and mottling of fiery orange and yellow there.

The monoprinting medium has itself undergone quite an evolution. I envision another circle of dark-haired heads; a group of the mid-nineteenth century Japanese fishermen who invented monoprinting, or Gyotaku as they called it, as a way to keep record of their daily catches. I imagine them huddled around a fresh print then as we are now, comparing the sizes, and the patterns and textures of the day’s fish amidst the noise and commotion of a busy port, just as we compare the patterns and textures of the watercolour and pastel now, surrounded by sturdy machines, cans of ink and walls of drying prints.

The workshop was an excellent opportunity for people of any experience level to try their hand at printmaking, to meet others interested in the art-form and to learn from welcoming, experienced hosts. Stay posted for upcoming monoprinting workshops to experience this fascinating art-form for yourself!