About the Work

Statement:

My work is based on the printmaking process. I began twelve years ago with pictoral monotypes. I basically painted fairly traditionally on an acrylic plate and ran it through the press once. I moved on to collage by necessity when I had limited use of a press. I found I enjoyed the recycling process of cutting up old prints and rearranging them into patterns. The resulting work was jazzy and colorful with a sense of humor. As I've gotten more proficient at printmaking I have returned to straight monotypes. These new pieces combine composition skills honed through years of collaging with a freer more experimental approach to transferring ink to paper via a press. The pieces can be quieter and more contemplative. I think of them as my northern work.

Techniques and Materials:

Monotypes: single prints. An acrylic plate is inked up with either oil based etching ink of oil based/water miscible inks. Paper is laid over the plate and run through a press. I repeat this process multiple times, laying color over color as well as working from the cognate or ghost image left over on the plate after it has been printed a first time.

Relief prints: I use collographs and linoleum blocks for my relief prints. Collographs are low use plates made out of sealed mat board that has layers glued on and parts carved down. Linoleum blocks are thin pieces of linoleum which are easily carved with sharp tools and last through many printings.

Papers: I use heavy handmade papers such as Rives BFK or Hannemahle Copperplate for the substrate for collages or for straight monotypes. I use a Japanese rice paper, kitikata, for printing collage material as well as for monotypes. It is a very strong, light, translucent paper.

Inks: I primarily use Charbonnel oil based etching ink and Faust oil based/water miscible inks.

Linda Batchelor, 2010