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Maryland Printmakers
PRINTMAKER AS COLLABORATOR
By Brian Garner
(Archived article from January 2001 -
click here for current articles)
When I
enrolled in the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1985, printmaking was
something to which I had given little or no consideration. During my nine
years (yes, nine years) and numerous major changes as an undergraduate,
printmaking became the medium I would use to make a living, to explore my
own artwork and to relate to other artists and their work.
The Southern Graphics Council had its annual conference in Baltimore back in 1993. Due to financial reasons, I was taking a break from the Institute, and volunteered my time at the printshop during the conference. I met Dan Welden, a master printer from New York, who became one of my longtime friends and mentor. After taking interest in one of his demonstrations, I found myself a day later riding in his car, heading to his Long Island studio, to assist him on a project he was working on with an artist.
After a week of printing and proofing, Dan sent me back to Baltimore via subway and Amtrak with an 18” tabletop press in my lap. It was during that train ride I knew I wanted not only to make prints, but also to make prints with and for other artists.
After working with Dan for several summers, I became very curious about other printshops and how they operated. Word of mouth led me to Perry Tymeson, then master printer for Petersburg Press in New York. I asked him if he could give me advice on how to investigate my options now that I had finished school and wanted to pursue a printmaking career. He suggested coming to New York to check out some printshops. For the next year or so I made several trips to help out with various projects, from sweeping floors to assisting in printing.
Following suggestions from Welden, Tymeson, and my former instructor John Sparks, I applied to the Tamarind School of Lithography. Through the years, lithography had become the medium that intrigued me the most. I knew Tamarind would be the right choice as it is the only school in the country for collaborative printmaking in this technique.
Under
the instruction of master printer Jeff Sippel, I was taught lithography
from scratch, disregarding all past experience. Through the year I was
there, seven other students and I worked 40-60 hour weeks learning the art
of collaborative lithography. It was there that my skills working with
artists were fine-tuned. My experience and stay at Tamarind was everything
I expected it to be. It gave me the skills to become a professional
printer, and I feel honored to have studied under such professionalism.
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| Untitled
by Power Boothe, Lithograph, 22” x 22”, 1998 |
It has now been seven years since I started collaborating. I work primarily with artists from different art fields-painters, sculptors, photographers, conceptualists-who usually know little about the world of printmaking. The art of collaboration is not only to make the artist feel comfortable and at home in the studio, but to develop a language that both artist and printer understand. This is where the challenge lies, and the fun begins.
I will
use David Hess, a Baltimore based sculptor, and one of my favorite artists
to collaborate with, as an example. When I first met David he came into
the studio with no knowledge of printmaking or any notion of what the
outcome of this project would be. He had an open attitude and was up for
anything. Being a sculptor, he wanted to be physically active in the
process. This meant hammering on plates, bouncing balls and eating moon
pies. Pushing the limits of printmaking’s strict rules is one of the
many challenges, and in these moments it is for the printer to be
open-minded and allow the flow of ideas to take over the sometimes very
technical world of printmaking. My interaction with artists such as David
allows me also to advance in my own art, constantly analyzing what it
means to me.
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Longed
For I, II, III by Juan Logan, |
Although most of my time spent in the studio is consumed with other artist’s projects, I will always remember what Dan Welden once said to me: “for every two collaborations, be sure to work on one project of your own.” Before having a 9-5 work day as a printer, this sounded very feasible, but I soon came to realize that this was not the reality, and that I consciously needed to make an effort to put personal time aside. Consequently, my current body of work draws upon ideas and techniques that I never would have pursued were it not for my experience as a collaborative printer.
Printmakers are a remarkably resourceful group of artists and I would never have gotten as far as I have without the help of my peers. Throughout my career there has always been someone willing to share information, drop a name, offer advice, or otherwise lend a helping hand on my behalf. This spirit of community that one finds among printmakers is unique in the visual arts and is fundamental to the nature of artistic collaboration.