Welcome! This blog site is dedicated to your summer printmaking course, "A Sense of Place." Here you will find the syllabus, online printmaking resources, links, and documentation throughout the course.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sound, What I Remember

This is my favorite piece from the week. I love the depth, movement and value of colors.

Gallery Wall, Natalie

Natalie. Gallery Wall.

6th sense, Natalie

TITLE: The 6th Sense, Love.
Natalie Davis

Prior to the two week summer session course, I didn't produce a single piece of art work for 3 months. I'm a high school art teacher and I'm constantly helping my students with their own art work and I find it hard to get away and produce my own work. Not to mention; ALL of my creative juice is sucked out of my body by 3:00pm everyday so the last thing I wanted to do is create art work. The two weeks I spent at UF producing work was extremely therapeutic to me. I feel as if I "got my passion back". I feel more "complete" as a person and as a art educator. I LOVE making art and it is crucial to my existence.

Therefore, my final piece for the course is my interpretation of the 6th sense: LOVE.

Love has many different components to it. I decided to use 4 mini templates and have each mini template describe a feeling that I have experienced from LOVE. (1st image below)The top left plate is: Frustration. Top right plate is: Bliss. Bottom left plate is: Passion and the bottom right plate is: Confusion.

This is a 11X14 template.
I have used tin foil, tape, gauze, joint compound and plastic.
I used a black flat (with texture) as the initial base
Setting up my 4 color plates to register on top of the black flat.
The end result was created by taking my 4 color plates outside and running over the template with my car.... LOL hey, how else to you create a "at-home printing press".

Monday, August 9, 2010

6th Sense

My kitten helped me photograph the work... Thanks, Keeper!


I got confused about the due date on this one... but better late than never, as I always say! ;)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Gallery


This is a sampling of the prints I made during the class. Thanks, Mary Gwyn for taking the picture. Thanks everyone for a great class!

Sixth Sense


For this print, I used a process I was successful with during the class in which I would only work on a small part of the plate at a time making tiny collages, then connecting them all to make one composition. Then I covered the whole plate with packing tape. I was very disappointed though because the print did not come out as good as the plate looked. I don't think I was able to make the appropriate amount of force for the print to come out the way I wanted.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Sixth Sense

"Sixth Sense" - Homework assignment.

Sound


This is quite possibly my favorite print of all that I made last week. This and the collaborative one with Mike's image from the touch portion of the class. I've entered them both into the University of Tampa's Alumni exhibit.

It Came to Me in a Dream



The Tibetan Bowls have a hold on me and they won't let go! I dreamt this last night: There was the bluest water with coppery bowls floating on top of it and a beautiful sound that reached the sky in bright yellow circular motions. The entire image was framed by black arches. I scribbled into a notebook as soon as I woke up so that I wouldn't forget about it before I had the chance to create it on paper. I used pastiboard, corrugated cardboard, masking tape, whinzy white paper (from my fav art supply store in St. Pete),BKF Reeves paper, water soluble block-printing ink, Gamblin black relief ink. I felt the first image didn't have enough black ink, so on the second image I didn't wipe away as much of the ink. The result was too much black ink. The final print is really just a ghost from the second image, but I like it the best. I've learned that
it's really hard to get the image you want without the use of a press and that it's also easier to work as a team. I'm saving the plate. If I ever get the opportunity to use a press I will pull this print again and hopefully get closer to the desired effect I want.

Sixth Sense - The Vortex

Here is my final homework assignment titled "The Vortex".

sandra, the sixth sense


I see my two sixth sense pieces as works in progress. I used the materials from the packet, packing tape, masking tape and duck tape.

A Sense of Place Video

Time is the sixth sense in my world

I made a book from all the materials given to us before I hit the wilderness trail at Big Fork East in the Pisgah National Forest. Carrying a few mark makers and a small cup for water was a big deal as I am ridiculously weight conscious while carrying my life on my back. I drew and painted everyday usually two to three times on breaks while hiking alone with my dog. The element of time presents itself in a unique way while living in isolation in the end it is all I really have. The soul of the mountain foot path is a map of this journey which thankfully has no end. I took pictures of the work as I could with my phone when the signal permitted, I then emailed them to my husband and son who together facilitated their posting on the blog. I will continue this book on my next hike in early September in the foothills of western Conneticuit. For now I stand in awe of this incredible time gone by which began in the UF printmaking studio surrounded by the kindered spirits of my amazing collegues. Thank you all for being here and there. Happy Trails To You!

Ricks sense of touch







I made a few different variations off of the collograph plate I made. I feel that they convey a sense of touch through the different textures and values with contrast and line quality. Composition and light and dark play important roles in making this a successful series of prints.

Ricks sense of sound






















I have several variations of this print. After playing the tibetian bowls I was inspired to represent sound and the movement that comes from and is produced by sound. The moving of the wind and space is something extraordinary, and capturing it is something I have wanted to do for some time now. Balancing the visual elements and the theoretical elements in the piece is key to making a successful piece of art. I feel I have a good balance, and the composition and visual elements make the piece successful. Color, composition, line quality and movement all play vital roles in my "sense of sound" piece.

ricks sense of sight


I wanted to use the improvisational tactics in "the creative habit" while creating this piece. I used the basis of our outside trip in the foundation of this drawing, but when I created It, I let intuition take over. The Mylar was doing some incredible stuff, and producing these illustrious lines that were biological in a sense and almost life-like. I feel this print represents the sense of sight, and almost looks like you are seeing this under a microscope. Its has several key elements of the principles of design, and has great contrast and movement, as well as line quality.

ricks sense of smell and taste





























here are the variations of taste and smell that I did. I wanted motion and line to play vital roles in the pieces. Strong directional pulls and linear movement were goals in the diptychs.

ricks six sense







Here is a triptych of my sixth sense. I wanted to produce something with a sense of emotion and thought. Bringing the idea of conceptualism and insight into the realm of visual culture is one of my goals in my artwork. I feel the idea of the print came through, and I have utilized color to represent this dream state, or improvisational state of mind. I tried to convey the sixth sense by someone trying to tap into the astral plain or spirit world. Bringing something into the realm of reality out of thin air, and I feel the almost watercolor/stain glass treatment of the colors brings the sixth sense to the foreground. With light playing a vital role in the piece I feel it brings thought into the mix. The piece relies heavily on the use of color and the textures that create lines and movement throughout the piece.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sense of it All

Working with tarlatin, glue, gesso, paint on plastic board. Building up instead of digging out. ..

Sat. hanging all around


I really enjoyed all the different people and experiences of the the last few weeks. I am so glad you are all now part of my artistic life. Thank you for sharing with me.

Sixth Sense

Relief sculpture with two prints. The base is one color, minimal print. The top print has six layers. The top print is torn and twisted creating shapes. It is not torn into separate shapes; but it remains one piece. The sixth sense becomes the gestural, spiritual intuition that has remarkable sensual healing. Great lesson for students and introduction to Frank Stella.

sixth sense; all together now







I thought I had printing ink at home but It was just apple green and gold, not what I was looking for but I used it. I used the mylar, cardboard, tape , tacky glue, yupo, newsprint, tarlaton, DW40, blue paint stick, acrylic paint; brick red and burnt umber, a large spoon and the sunday news paper.



I really liked the plate:


but the image was too green. I added the blue paint stick mixed with the DW40 and it was still too bright!

So I did a mono print on top with the red and umber. It gave it some weight and pulled the image together adding the swirl of energy I was trying to show.
I tried the spoon for rubbing but I just didnt have enough power in my hands to push down hard enough to get a good rubbing.

Sixth Sense: ghost



"The Ghost of Mrs. Schmidt" is the title of these prints. First I made some plates from the materials in our packet, string, glue and masking tape. Then I got some printers ink and inked them. I soaked the rives paper in the bathtub and used my car as the press. It was pretty funny! They didn't come out as well as the ones we did in class but I was beginning to get the hang of using my car by the third one. They are not quite straight but I think a few more and I might get it right. It takes a sixth sense to sense a ghost and the story of Mrs. Schmidt made my hair stand up. I'll tell it the next time the group is all together! Note to Andrea: I thought of using a Walmart shopping cart but couldn't get one!

sandra, the sixth sense


Intuition and emotion, that which governs our lives internally and effects every decision in life... My piece uses materials from our packets, masking tape and found object.

Collaboration

Smell and Taste

Touch

Sight

Middle school students will discuss the visual contents of a map and explore the element of art, line. Walking sideways with drawing board with paper; students will create a drawing outside. The line drawing will then be traced onto cardboard. Students will outline their drawings with white glue (Elmers squeeze bottle). They will ink and print from their cardboard plate. Introduce abstract and non-objectional art/artists.