Make an "Art" of your art to Remain Unique

Being an Exhibitions Director for a few years, I am confronted with a lot of great art and a lot of art that I consider uninspiring or even inartistic. What is the difference between inspired and uninspired art? Does it matter? And what is the mastery they are exposing in their creation? Just being creative and throwing paint around does not make a good work of art anymore. It may have worked for Jackson Pollock,....but consider that was over 60 years ago, and his work was created with a strong Abstract Expressionist statement that vaulted the conceptual meaning of his work as "progressive" for the time.  What I am getting at is, just how strong and committed is the hand that pushes the ideas of creation?

What is the difference of inspired and uninspired art? When I look back at the number of artworks I see every week, I can not help but see one similar hand in many different artists work. How does this happen? They are clearly the work of different artists, but they look and feel as created by one. One abstract monoprint looks the same as another sometimes, because it is employing the same technical use of printmaking, and almost similar ideas when creating it. What do I mean? In the monoprinting process. Paint is applied to a printmaking plate and run through a press. Now this process can be done in a very artistic manner where the artist has explored numerous ways of going about printing, developed a strong idea, and a strong image to back up a simple, conceptual or expressive statement. On the flip side (and I am not trying to be negative here, just a bit analytical, so forgive the criticism as this is venturing into opinion) I have seen several monoprint works that start in the same manner, and finish in the same manner. This focus, or lack of focus, makes their artwork look and feel similar. What I have seen is a lot of works that follow one method: throw paint on the plate, run it through the press, see what happens, repeat this process until the artist is satisfied and calls it finished. Is this art? Yes it is, but is it good art, or is it creative art? Each year I see several artists that follow this same method of printmaking, and even in their artist statements they have employed some of the very same ideas as I have just described. Does it matter that several artists use the same technique, process, statement? I think so, as with art, these artists are not making an art of their artwork. Realizing it or not, they are essentially doing what everyone else is doing. My guess is that they are continuing what they were taught, they do not push the boundaries of technical skill, or they are not exposed to the numbers of artwork I am to see their works, ideas, process, and statement resemble several others.

I have discussed Mastering your craft several times on this blog. Why is that so important? It is important to master your craft weather it is sculpture, painting, printmaking, movie making, dancing, acting,..etc, etc. This mastery will lead to more expressive, exaggerated, and creative ideas. This mastery will allow you to carry through every creative idea you have. It allows you to change direction in the middle of your work when needed. This is part of the process in any art. When I create a work of art, I am creating an idea, I am experimenting, I am using my mind to thoughtfully carry out the concept or expression, and I am working with my hands. Without the dexterity to carry out my ideas, I may never achieve the unique look of an independent hand.

Just how strong is the hand that creates? This is the difference that will matter the most in all creative works. Several artists have mastered their independent look to separate their ideas from other artists. This independent vision and mastery of materials, will always be the basis for a strong and unique work of art.

Here are a few of some famous quotes by popular artists:

"Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it." Jasper Johns

"The art won't mind." William T. Wiley

"It is not hard work, it just takes time." John Buck

Develop a Vacation Art Studio

For many years now, I have packed up several art supplies to bring with me on vacation to just pass the time by with no specific purpose of developing any of the ideas into finished works. Over the years that has changed from a few simple drawing materials, or a small woodcut, or a travel easel, to a packed car full of way too many supplies. I have even gone to the extent of taking along a portable or desktop printing press(about 100lbs.) to get my artistic energy working. A lot of artists will take a sketchbook, a camera, or a watercolor box since they know these items are small, and can be packed away easily for any trip. I tend to over pack on vacation as I know I sometimes have no idea what will inspire me or what materials I want to use. This time, I planned on woodcut printmaking only and I managed to pack everything I needed into a small box, and an artists portfolio case, minus the large paper and actual wood woodcut plank.

My most recent vacation entails renting a small studio house half way up the hill, and along the northern Californian coast, overlooking the famous Russian River. This peaceful and relaxing spot has allowed me to focus on one print over the next 6 days. I planned for this at least a week ago, and managed to carve or cut my latest work(see previous blog) prior to setting out on my trip. Therefore, I only needed the printing end of my studio. However, my work was large and I would need a fair amount of space and a great setup spot to finish.

When working on larger pieces, I can not stress the importance of having the right equipment for the job at hand. I can not bring a 600lb. press with me, nor is it practical to bring massive inking rollers. Those are the right tools to produce a woodcut large print, but there is no practical means so I have opted for the full manual process using hand tools only. This will add time, and inconsistency in some of the printing depending on how I manage. I have a 2 plate woodcut print to finish printing in 6 days, and 5 sheets of 25”x39” Japanese mulberry paper.

Day 1: on the first day I get right down to work claiming the sunny corner where the breakfast table is, and quickly arrange all the furniture to suite my purpose. My goal is to print 3 different colored prints of the first plate. There are many quick lessons to learn when working large, and little time to make big adjustments. I am not to specific about the color choices I am printing other than I want one or 2 yellow copies and one or 2 peacock green copies.

Inking a large plate like this will take about 3x to 4x more ink and about 5x more time to lay the ink to the surface(My work is just under 30”x18”.). The important steps here is make sure you are adding enough printing medium: Extender to thin out the ink, and Retarder to allow the ink to dry at a slower than normal rate(use about 1/5th of total ink used).

Once the block has been inked, The paper is gently pressed against the wood and flattened out. Some papers tend to warp or wrinkle, make sure your paper is flat before using any pressure to prevent creases. When I use a hand pressing method, I choose an old stand-by, the back end of a large wooden spoon that has been used for pressing small blocks for many years. The challenge here is making sure you continue with even pressure and the ink does not dry up on you while you are pressing the piece, or stick to the surface and tear the paper. It takes at least 10-15 minutes to fully cover the plate by the hand pressing method, and I’ve had to stop at a few points near finishing it because the muscle in my shoulder was burning. I am reminded of the master woodcut artist John Buck’s quote, “it is not hard work, it just takes time.” How true. These words kept me going and working through “the burn” of aching muscles. Even though my muscles were soar, the task at hand just needed time to develop the final image. Over the next few hours, I repeat these steps 3 more times, and come away with 3 good prints: one in yellow-gold, one in mint green, and one in peacock green. My wife convinced me to print a 4^th copy after seeing the print in peacock green, and she suggested black to add more contrast of the woodcut work. I decided this was a great day because with the few successful prints, I am also walking away with one print in red-black that I never intended on printing,…like an added bonus. I clean up and into the hot tub to soak those soar muscles.

Plate 1 in red black

Day 2: I don’t have a completed plan in my head for the way the second plate will be printed over the top of the first. I know the method, and the practice, but seeing a finished piece in my head is impossible right now. Everything is very immediate, unplanned, and basically a test of both woodcut blocks. The second day work goes very slow as the process for printing each color is very time consuming. I manage to finish about ¾ of one print on the second day.

Day 3: I finish the first print and have inspected the final image and how both plates interact with each other. After surveying the image closely I notice that the first plate does not show itself as the second plate does. Its dominating presence makes the print look very regular to me. While I am happy with the final printed results, I am stuck for the next print on how to make more of a balance of each printing plate. I immediately notice in the first print how the 2 figures and their color dominated the image, and looked overworked, and also destroyed much of the beauty of the first plate. Finding the balance for the second plate will require leaving more of the first block to show itself. I set up the next print with the paper only so I can begin at any moment.

Day 4-5: Over day 4 and 5, I thought about color placement a lot, and how I can use the beauty of each plate to balance each other in a finished work. I started the printing on the peacock green proof, and I have completely reversed my normal method of working from light to dark, to dark to light. I imagined that I would be able to see the print develop better using darker colors first, and it will allow me to choose which elements of the first plate to be left alone and shine through on their own. Since I am printing less of the second plate, the print does move quicker to completion, but I have to stop at several points and second guess what I am doing and if it will work in the end.

When is a work finished? I asked myself this question several times while examining the print and in the action of printing it. Do I need to print more? Do I need to make colors richer, etc..etc. These questions let me walk away from the work and leave it until morning.

Day 6: Very little work was added, just a few small spots to make some of the existing colors a little stronger.

The working process of printing allowed me to see what can be done in the middle of completing a work no matter if it is going bad or good. It also allowed me to mentally develop different carving techniques for future works…..How did that happen? While printing I was able to see what the final print would look like or how the plates may overlap each other in different ways, so now, I can emphasize these ideas, make changes, or fine tune them for the next work.

Always be thinking about the next work…..

Inspiration from mastering your craft

I recently experimented with a variety of hardware store punches, and awls to produce a woodcut plate. I have printed several copies of the finished piece and provide photos below in the order they were printed in: #1 Yellow, #2 orange, and #3 orange-gold.(note: a total of 2 plates were used to print each image, the first plate or background color=woodcut plate made with punches/awls. The second plate is done using the white line method)

impression #1

impression #2

impression #3

With the initial results being promising, I have decided to produce a new image for an upcoming exhibition. Inspired by the basic awls and punches, my mind has constructed a number of different possibilities for the surface to be cut. One element from the first experiment remains. I have decided to continue dividing up the initial cutting space into a grid so I can produce the desired pattern in the proper space intended. It does not take a lot of effort to use a punch or an awl. I am simply lining up the awl or punch like a chisel in my left hand, and striking it down with a hammer. This motion creates a dot for the awls, and circles for the punches. I am using 3 different sizes of punches: 1/4, 3/8, & 1/2. The awls have very similar looks, I have a variety of 3, and my favorite has become a solid steel piece that has a graduated point. The graduated point is especially nice since I can strike the awl hard and produce a large hole, or alter the strength and get a smaller hole. These holes do effect how the final print will look.

Here are a few close ups of the actual plate(after cutting), prior to sanding down the complete block in order to show how varied the surface can get using a variety of different size punches, and awls. The emphasis is on variety as the results of the first printings has shown this detail to be a great success.

almost full view of plate

close up of bottom center

close up of top center

You can see I am able to add definition of shape and space by means of creating a unique pattern for each intended space. These unique patterns play a great role in where light and dark will be when the second plate is printed over the top of this one.

When you are working with something experimental a great lesson can be learned from mastering your craft. No matter what your craft may be, if you feel inspiration to change your craft as the thought occurs to you, and you are able to carry out the idea successfully, then you are on the path to creating something unique. The point is this, as artists, we must experiment a lot to get our artwork perfected. Even without a clear vision for a completed work, the means of mastering your materials will provide you with the skill needed.

For the woodcut plate (3 photo details shown above), I threw out a lot of conventional concerns about creating this work. A punch or an awl has no intended purpose for creative use in printmaking. It is however, a woodworkers tool and fortunately I saw an alternate and creative means for their intended use. I followed my most immediate impression of what punch or awl strike mark would look good next to each other and the space around it. I used a combination of both tools in areas that will receive more light in the final print. This way of working has allowed me to relax during the final printing phase because I have noticed that each plate acts as a counter balance to one another.

I will be very eager to print this once I have the time and energy.

A Little Procrastination, Fear of Results, Produces a Good Print

Experimenting with a new creative process can sometimes delay your natural thought process to see/comprehend all artistic, and technical details to be "finished" work of art in your mind. The idea of the "unknown" can be a positive influence as the level of expectations or even seeing a good result after many attempts, can be naturally lowered. The range of defining a good result is often undetermined. This openness also allows me to modify the "typical" technical printing method on the fly to some thing that is immediatly "workable" with sometimes imaginative and unforseen results. This print worked as a double positive as the artistic process and the technical process were being developed as the artwork was being completed simultaneously.

For a few weeks I have been delaying the printing process due to some technical factors, primarily registration. I decided to use one registration method for 2 blocks so I can be consistent on my allignment. I decided to use the White Line printmaking method of registration by securing a "tape hinge" from the printing paper to the printing surface. So, after I worked out some of the details in my head for the printing process, I was ready to start. I am making a woodcut print from 2 different plates. The first plate, I already described in an earlier post, was created with a variety of hardware store punches, and awls that gave me a variety of different marks on the wood. This plate was printed using a regular brayer to ink the surface, and I altered the color after each printing. This process was quick and took no more than an hour to produce 4 prints in yellow, orange, gold-orange, and gold-red. (photo of yellow orange, plate #1 )

After printing the first plate the real time consuming challenge sets in, as I have far more color options with the second printing plate. I have a basic idea where I want some of the lights and darks to generally exist, but because there is so much printing to do and my color choices change quickly, a true finished work is almost impossible to conceive.

I begin by printing some of the light colors first and immediately notice how the texture of both wood surfaces from each plate are sometimes fighting each other as well as blending with each other in various places. This wood grain texture changed the printing style and direction with the inks. I experimented with the opacity of the inks, allowing some of the first plate to show through with very thin inked areas, or condense the ink and made very opaque

(Left=photo of printed image after a few areas are completed)

The process for printing the second plate is very slow. Each space is hand inked, the paper is registered, and then it is hand printed with the back of an old wooden spoon. This step is repeated for each and every color. Development of the final print moves very slow, similar to a painting, and then there is a tipping point where more than 60% of the second plate is printed and the "final image" begins to take on a look. Like developing a photograph, the print begins to reveal itself. withe each new printed color and space. As the print get close to completion, I am more focused on sharpening up dark colors. This plate took about 5-6 hours to complete the printing of woodcut plate #2 and below is a progression how the print developed from this point. (left photo=full view of woodcut printing plate #2)

(photos stages 4,5 &6)

 













(Close up photos)

After each hour or so, I stopped to take a look how the print was developing to correct any areas that looked out of place. I took a few close up photos of the plate and the print to show the details of the paper and the wood plate as it was being worked upon.

Eventually, I could do no more, so…now this print is off to the drying rack. I am now actively thinking of the second print with the general idea that the color scheme can not be the same. The challenge will be working with the color from each printed proof of the woodcut plate #1......and I need to find another 6 hours.

Calculating the Unknown

When I am experimenting with printmaking methods, I need to calculate what is going to take place prior to printing anything. I want to use the key block to create several different types of prints using different woodcutting techniques. My goal is to print the key block with chine colle, and again with the 2nd block, and once more as a reduction print. Because this key block will be used in all the prints I have intended on doing, It is important to note the proper order of printing to not get ahead of onself by getting to a point where you can no longer turn back. My goal still follows my primary printmaking focus, where I am printing 4 basic color schemes; day, night, gold, and silver for final prints. I am not concerning myself with creating any kind of editions, every print will be unique and hand printed.

Calculating the finished results is sometimes impossible without printing, but I did a few basic sketches so I do not get lost when applying color. The second block was designed from the key block, but i intend on using the white line method. Here inlies the registration problems that I am challenged with. the Key block will be printed with a brayer, and the second plate will be printed while the paper is dry. I don't have a press large enough to print these blocks, so they must be printed by hand, and since I am using the blocks to produce a wide variety of prints, registration will be key in the end to producing good work.

To the right is the "white line" 2nd block design which I transferred and cut. I had several problems cutting the second block, because I used construction grade plywood. I know many people who would never attempt to use this wood, and I am joining with them. Here is why. Each time I made a cut into the plywood, the texture was different and the depth of cutting was hard to control. The piece of wood I used had several knots in it, which I thought would be a good look if they printed all the grain. The knots were very difficult to carve throough since the wood was extremely hard, and unforgiving especially on turn cuts. The rest of the carving was love and hate. I was loving the soft bits cutting with the grain, but when cutting against the grain, the soft wood was like mush. The wood alternated between hard and soft grain, which made the worst possible mark,...a skip. So while this was not the best wood, i am still trying to get out everythign I can to make a finished print. I have finished preparing the blocks by adding a thin layer of gesso to each board. It is best to apply the gesso with a "drybrush" stroke. This is done so the cut lines do not fill in with any gesso material.

Testing new punches, awls and chisel for a woodcut

I am under way on my second test, creating a woodcut print from no traditional tools, meaning v-gauge or u-gauge chisels. I spent about 7-8 hours on a 42cm tall x 36cm wide woodcut using my new circle punches, chisels, and awls. I started this time by mapping the woodcut into a grid, transferring the design, and then proceeding similar to the manor of Chuck Close, but different in approach. I did concentrate on each individual square, but that only assisted me in lining up the circles I was punching. After a while I felt I needed to choose several different patterns made with the punches to show different tonal variations, I also plan to use this printmaking plate as 1 of 2 plates. I do not plan on making a duplicate of Chuck's work, he does a fantastic job at what he does. The second plate will be cut on plywood, and I will use the whiteline method. Since each plate will be printed differently, I have yet to come up with a propper method for registration.Right now I am only focused on "doing" art and not "making" art. It is during these periods that I am able to experiment more, because I have no expectation of what the end result will look like. normally I would be deeply concerned at this point and have to print a test, so I cheated.
Here is "How to cheat on a woodcut test print." Below you see 3 images of the same woodcut: Image 1 on the left is a close up of the woodcut in progress. You can see some of the unique marks I am able to get from using the circle punches, and the awls, as well as using these in combination; The second image is considered complete, or as far as I am willing to work on the plate for now; The third image is the cheating part. I took a photo of my work and opened it with Microsoft Paint, and chose "image" and then clicked on "invert colors." This sort of gives me an idea how the plate will look inked up and ready to print,....sort of.



At the very least I am able to continue on to cutting a second block. The final photo shows further manipulation of the photo and gives me an idea regarding the graduated color, and it will be possible to replicate this if desireded during the final printing phase.


The Second Block will be cut using the White-Line Printmaking technique. Both plates will be printed to complete one print. I will have to work out the technical factors of registration, since the first block cut with the punches will be inked with a brayer to cover the entire surface, and the second plate will be printed in a step by step fashion as illustrated in the white-line link above.
I look forward to printing these into complete works, and have already made plans to print these as monotypes, using different ground(or first plate) colors to set the tone for the white line printing that will be printed over the top.

How Inspiration Became Experimentation

I was out doing a mundane chore at my local hardware store searching for metal snips that will cut through an average screw. While I was searching the shelves and racks, I noticed several punches and awls next to the snips. I have recently begun collecting awls and punches because I feel drawn to experimenting with non-traditional tools for woodcut printmaking. I did this in the past by using a handheld Dremel. The result of those ambitious woodcut prints are shown here. Judith and Holofernes and Portrait of Rembrandt. I made these impressions by attaching a very small drill bit and drilling out the white space one whole at a time. These prints were very labor intensive and I abandoned the Dremel returning to traditional woodcutting tools.

Once again I am find myself wanting to experiment. I don't really know that there is a method to developing new printmaking techniques, but know my inspiration will lead me. So back to the hardware store. I saw these punches that would not just make a dot mark, but an actual circle punch and in three different sizes, too. As I stare at these tools and I am thinking how they will mark the wood and what sort of printed impression they will make. But, I purchase my snips and leave the circle punches for another time.

That other time came just a week later when I realized I could not do another print without giving these new tools a go. I purchased 2 of the 3 sizes and started working on a small print, 5" x 8", Shorebirds of Alameda. This woodcut is inspired and created entirely from my new tools.
I believe normally most creative inspiration revolves around developing the image through successively working, sometimes over a period of time, until the ideas of what you are trying to create and what your hands can actually do come together in a the final work of art. Subject matter is most often the source for the creativity behind all that long and hard work.

As I began using the new tools, I realized I had a lot of different options for how I was going to work with them. Figuring out my first print was a test, I freed myself from all preconceived notions of the proper method to use these tools and just go at it and make the first print. My initial reaction was mixed. The print itself was not especially fine or beautiful as it was a simple study of birds on the beach. But I also like the tools enough to continue. I found that their power is not in random striking of the punches creating this sort of scribble effect as you see in Alameda Shorebirds. Their power derives from the various patterns that I can concoct by varying the way I use the punches, chisels, and awl.

"Light" the ultimate source of the creative process

For any artist looking to free himself from a creative block, there is one source that many artists have looked at for hundreds of years and produced many famous works of art. The creative source was light. The desire to capture light has inspired almost every painter from the time that people began painting and inspired them to innovate.

Because light is not constant, there are unlimited, unique interpretations of light, from a candlelit still life or portrait in the daylight through an open window, to the stormy skies of a John Constable and William Turner or the evening glow captured by Charles Rollo Peters. Of course, for the most well-known depictions of changing light,...pick any Monet painting you like. The pioneering painters were all inspired by light.

Capturing the light on any subject is the key to most all works of art. When I think about creating new works and I get stuck, I typically go for a walk down to the shoreline. I have found that staring out at the water will quiet my mind and fine tune the creative ideas jumping around in the mind. Staring out over the landscape, I can immediately see how Constable was inspired by approaching storm clouds. The light makes everything beautiful. These memories of looking at landscape paintings and looking directly at the landscape led me to create my own interpretations of light; gave me purpose to create my own messages in art about how I perceived light.

I made an important decision a long time ago, "I would not discount any form of light that makes the subject strong." For a long time, painting light used to mean only one thing to me and that was strong and direct day light. It is simple to fall into this trap when creating new work because we spend most of our time in day light. A few years back, during the winter, we had a power-out. I had lit a few candles and noticed how everything was transforemd by the candlight. The light was simple and warm and had not over powered every surface in the room like traditional modern lighting. It has been a long time that candles have been the main source of light in modern art and I felt inspired to draw in my sketchbook. I managed to complete one drawing of a reclining figure behind a few lit candles on a table in the fore ground with a pot of orchids on it. It was the only time I had worked under candlelight to when drawing. Afterwards, I found the drawing appealing enough to do a small painting titled, "Power Out."

The idea for this painting, Nude with Tealights, started from a simple moment having a drink at a local bar that had several tealights in a row. As I enjoyed my drink, I just stared at the light flashing on the candle, the glass container, the shadow and the reflection. It was the beginning of a new work, ...inspiration at last.

Light is still the main source of my creative inspiration when I am confronted with a block. My exploration of light frees me of these creative blocks; moonlight at midnight, dusk on a cold or hot day, midday light, late evening light, candlelight, lighting by a house lamp, and early morning.

I have used light during different times of the day to express quiet images of landscape or portraiture. As with all artists that have come before me, capturing light in my art is still powerful and thought provoking.

Conversation on creativity w/ Jon Kerpel

Last Friday night, I was went to Autobody Fine Art Gallery on opening night as an artist exhibiting in a group show dedicated to the upcoming Earth Day. Artists participating had a wide range of creative expression in various mediums. I was immediately drawn to the many totem and temple style sculptures that were built from wood, glass, rocks, plastic and found objects. These were assembled to resemble a religious alter on some and a oversized Victorian Finial on others. I was introduced to the artist, Jon Kerpel.

Once I shook his hand, he and I realized we have met before and this was the first time viewing each others' art. Jon took a lot of time with me to explain some of his creative process. He pointed to one of his first pieces that explored this new direction in his sculpture. It was a small, white, wood, 6" square box with an opening on one side covered in non-glare glass, which gave it the look of a shadowbox. But, because the glass had a frosted look, the item inside , a polar bear made of plastic, was hazy and trapped in this artificial world. These constructions abandoned the a typical Joseph Cornell approach of creating found object sculptures of meaningless objects grouped together in an abstract manner. Jon had a well thought out vision and message regarding our disappearing environment, and animals. This added a dimension to his work that may resemble Pop Art and combined it with the rough nature of the found objects used to create these alter/temple structures, and backed it with an environmental message.

Jon went on to tell me that part of his creative process is 'the hunt' for found objects. He likes to walk along the shore of Alameda, and also out at the Alameda Naval Base. He picks up whatever he thinks looks cool without any intent or purpose for artistic placement in a sculpture. He just collects, and then uses these objects as ideas pop into his head during construction. Most of the time he has no idea why he picks up certain items or how he will use them. One example of this: Jon said he had a number of large sheets of non-glare glass in his studio for several years that he could not give away due to the nature of the glass making anything placed behind it very blurry, and rendering it useless for framing artwork. In these new works, Jon said the glass was perfect for the first time, because it did add a certain level of sophistication, and the message of his art can now be interpreted with many different meaningful descriptions.

The creative process for Jon is a lot of trial and error, grouping together non-traditional materials, with little meaning on their own that has a greater message when combined as a whole sculpture. His work relies on immediate creative inspiration from the objects arround him. His inspiration comes from anything,..including items that he can not find any immediate use. His found objects have become his dictionary for communicating to the public.

It was my pleasure to spend as much time as I did with Jon and hope he has continued success.


A summary of my conversation with Jon Kerpel, a found object sculptor, at the new opening of "future/tense" at Autobody Fine Art Gallery. (Friday, April 9, 2010)