OVERSHADOWED

JANUARY 13 — FEBRUARY 7

Reception: January 16th from 5-7pm

stArt.rv, Reynolda Village

OVERSHADOWED features work from Professor Faber’s Printmaking courses. He writes:

THIS BODY OF WORK IS A HARVEST OF SELECTED ‘RELIEF’ PRINTS FROM OUR STUDENTS DURING THE 2024 FALL SEMESTER. FROM FRESHMEN THROUGH SENIORS WORKING IN COURSES: ART 117, 217, AND 227, THE STUDENTS WORKED TOGETHER, BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLABORATIVELY, TO ARRIVE AT THEIR OWN PERSONAL MEANS OF EXPRESSION. THE ASSIGNMENTS THAT I GAVE WERE TO FIRST LEARN THE FEEL OF THE VARIOUS CUTTING GOUGES AGAINST PLANOGRAPHIC SHEETS OF “BATTLESHIP” LINOLEUM. THEY HAD TO DISCOVER WHAT KINDS OF LINES, TONES, VALUES AND TEXTURES THEY COULD MAKE IN THE FORMATION OF AN ORIGINAL IMAGE. I GAVE NO SUBJECT THEMES BUT ALLOWED THE STUDENTS TO COMPOSE IMAGES FROM THEIR OWN SENSIBILITIES AND THEIR EXPERIENCES. THE STUDENTS HAD TO LEARN THAT WHAT THEY WERE CUTTING AWAY WOULD BE THE LIGHT NEGATIVE NON-IMAGE, AND WHAT THEY LEFT UNCUT WOULD BE THE DARK POSITIVE IMAGE. FURTHERMORE, THE STUDENTS HAD TO LEARN TO DRAW IN REVERSE ON THE LINOLEUM SO THAT WHEN PRINTED ON PAPER, THE IMAGES WOULD READ IN THE CORRECT ORIENTATION.

NEXT, THE TASK OF LEARNING ABOUT THE VARIOUS PRINTER’S INKS AND THEIR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES REQUIRED SENSITIVITY TO THE FEEL OF THE INKS WHEN AGGITATED WITH AN INK KNIFE. THE INK’S PROPERTIES OF “VISCOSITY” AND “THIXOTROPY” CAME INTO PLAY IN ORDER TO EFFECTIVELY AND BOLDLY INK THE IMAGE SURFACES EVENLY AND CONSISTENTLY.

FINALLY, THE PRINT PAPER PREPARATIONS AND PRESSURE SETTINGS ON THE PRESSES, WERE CRUCIAL TO A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME. TOO MUCH INK AND THE IMAGE WOULD “FILL” – NOT ENOUGH INK AND THE IMAGE WOULD APPEAR “GHOSTLY”. SINCE THE PAPER WAS PREVIOUSLY SOAKED IN WATER, THEN BLOTTED DRY, THE RESULTING IMAGES WERE NOT ONLY RELIEF PRINTS, BUT ALSO EMBOSSED PRINTS (UPON CLOSE EXAMINATION, YOU CAN DETECT THE EMBOSSED NATURE, OR THE RELIEF, OF THE PRINTED SURFACES). THE PRINTS WERE THEN CURED BY DRYING THEM ON THE STUDIO WALLS FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS – THEN TAKEN DOWN. THE PAPER EDGES NEEDED TO BE RETORN FORMING A NEW DECKLE AND ALSO TO REMOVE THE PIN HOLES FROM CURING ON THE WALLS.

THE FINAL ARTISTIC ACTS WERE TO TITLE AND WRITE THEIR SIGNATURES IN GRAPHITE PENCIL IN THE PAPER BORDERS.

THESE TALENTED STUDENTS HAVE BECOME WELL VERSED IN THESE CREATIVE PROCESSES AS THEY GAVE POIGNANT VISUAL TANGIBILITY TO THEIR PERSONAL CONCEPTS. AS THEIR TEACHER, I OFFER THEM MY SINCEREST CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL-DONE! I AM PROUD OF THEIR EFFORTS AND THEIR VISUAL EXPRESSION!

PROFESSOR DAVID FABER
JANUARY 16, 2025