kcolell’s blog

Take this week off CLU Thursday printmaking group because I am off to Santa Fe New Mexico to continue bringing “making art safely” to our Printmaking program.

The philosophy of the workshop is not always about making safe art, but making art safely. No longer is it true that being safe and conscientious in the studio is at odds with making great work. Forget “die for your art,” live for your art! And this is my philosophy in our printmaking shop at CLU. I am here in Santa Fe to grow, to learn, to develop better ways to make art, to get safe in the studio so we can make the art and not worry about having toxic materials or bad process dictate our options, and future.

Looking forward to sharing making art safely in the printshop this summer and Fall. Attention will be given to the expansive means of expression represented by recent innovations in low-toxic printmaking. These advances in printmaking are opening up the mediums’ expressive nature and make it very relevant to contemporary artists while maintaining quality of imaging and materials.

With luck I will be attaching photos of the prints I develop during this Southwest experience in future blogs.

Notes from Colell

Good to have Bret Bays using the printshop this summer and successfully pull additional solar prints. I am looking forward
to Bret’s 4′ woodcut piece. By the time he gets the “plate” carved I should be able to procure some large kozo paper for
the woodcut print. Etching may have to wait for another week since I need to get the hotplate cleaned up from years of misuse, so be patient with printing your etchings Bret.

Jason Nyugen is also taking advantage of having the shop up and running Thursday afternoons. He is using the shop time
to complete graphic designs, drawings for scholarships and image on prints.

Students who attended the Dan Welden Solar Plate workshop are also enjoying use of A-1 and pulling some very handsome artwork.

I am busy cleaning the printmaking equipment and checking on finding the correct machinist to get the squeeks out of the press so the shop will be ready for classes this September. I am also working on my own solar prints and working up an August 2009 study/travel trip in Florence, Italy. (an instructors work is never done)

If you are interested in the printmaking program join us on Thursday.