Ann Aspinwall

Ann Aspinwall, Tessuto Veneziano (e-6/10) Abstract etching and chine colle print

2010

Printmaker Ann Aspinwall made this etching in 1999, while living in Venice. During those years she did several etchings that adhered to a certain principle. She drew a freehand line, as straight as possible; and beneath that line drew another, following as closely as possible the one above. Each successive line followed the line directly above, imitating all the curves and shakes. These imperfections, or deviations from the original line, became more and more prominent, each line being an interpretation of what came before it. Around that time, Aspinwall discovered the writing of John Dewey on the subject of rhythm in his Art as Experience (1934): Rhythm, writes Dewey, is an “ordered variation of changes.” There is no rhythm “when there is a uniformly even flow, with no variations of intensity or speed,” when “variations of pulse and rest do not occur.” “Variations of intensity are relative to the subject matter directly experienced. Each beat, in differentiating a part within the whole, adds to the force of what went before while creating a suspense that is a demand for something to come. It is not a variation in a single feature but a modulation of the entire pervasive and unifying qualitative substratum.” Ten years later Aspinwall returned to this plate. Looking at it again after a long time she perceived the strong influence of Venice; the texture calls to mind water and fabric. The artist was unable to decide on one color for an edition, so after printing many color proofs, she chose ten combinations of colored lines on colored Japanese papers. The prints evoke the light and surfaces of Venice. The title of the series, Tessuto Veneziano, means Venetian textile...

Joel Shapiro's post-minimalist work often references the human body, in a variety of poses, represented by geometric forms. In Untitled, 1992, a rust-red rectangle supports three black rectangles piled at varying angles. The forms have light, sketchy lines around them, reminiscent of Futurist dynamism markings or perhaps a draftsman's study of dimensions. A gelatinous blue form intersects the balanced rectangles, while further blue forms tumble out of a fanned series of black triangles. Shapiro has assembled mechanism, geometry, balance, fluid, solid and motion into this dynamic etching, which was published by Pace Prints...

Joel Shapiro's post-minimalist work often references the human body, in a variety of poses, represented by geometric forms. In Untitled, 1992, a blue square is seated firmly atop a black rectangle, which has landed in a seeming haphazard manner within the view frame. The forms have light, sketchy lines around them, reminiscent of Futurist dynamism markings or perhaps a draftsman's study of dimensions. In the upper right, a series of these sketchy markings seem situated somewhere between motion and form. Shapiro has assembled mechanism, geometry, balance, fluid, solid and motion into this dynamic etching, which was produced by Pace Prints...

Keiji Shinohara was born and raised in Osaka, Japan. After 10 years as an apprentice to the renowned Keiichiro Uesugi in Kyoto, he became a Master Printmaker and moved to the United ...

Printmaker Ann Aspinwall draws a freehand line, as straight as possible; and beneath that line drew another, following as closely as possible the one above. Each successive line foll...

Keiji Shinohara was born and raised in Osaka, Japan. After 10 years as an apprentice to the renowned Keiichiro Uesugi in Kyoto, he became a Master Printmaker and moved to the United ...

OWL ROCK is a hand-tooled aluminum intaglio print on Rives BFK 250g paper with deckle edge. It is currently unframed. Like Wortsman's own sculptures, the abstract components here mix the organic with roughly-hewn geometric forms. Note the dialogue between the colors umber, green and white, with the 3 perforations tying it all in – it is characteristic of Wortsman's practice. Warm, contemporary, uniquely crafted, yet speaks to ancient, tribal traditions of art-making that cross cultures and histories. Highly attuned to the indigenous art of Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia, his forms are organic and geometric abstracts with masculine and feminine attributes that resonate together as a pleasing enigma. They make sense immediately, yet never give up all their secrets. OWL ROCK was exhibited at Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn, New York in 2013. And at Made In Brooklyn, Hanson Gallery, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 2015. From Harold Wortsman – "I was introduced to printmaking in the 1990s by legendary printmaker, the late Sheila Marbain. Printer to the masters of Pop Art, like Oldenberg, Lichtenstein and Warhol, she tired of conventional silkscreen and developed her own silkscreen monotype technique. Several years of work with Marbain led to etching and hand-tooled aluminum intaglio with the great printer Sheila Goloborotko. I currently work with master printer Kathy Caraccio. While working together on a difficult project, Caraccio exclaimed: “This is not a print; it’s a painting.” Printmaking is now an integral part of the work I do." From Jonathan Goodman, Art Critic – "There are certain kinds of art that endure beyond the novel effect, demonstrating an awareness of time-honored methods and even historically potent imagistic biases, and Wortsman's work belongs to this ongoing vision." – Fronterra D, October 2016. Harold Wortsman is a sculptor and printmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He “creates forms that bring to mind archaic cult objects and exude a quiet concentrated strength.” (Argauer Zeitung, Switzerland). His work, an edgy mix of freedom and clarity, can be found in public and private collections in the US, including The Library of Congress, Yale University, The New York Public Library Print Collection, The New York Historical Society, Smith College, Indiana University’s Lilly Library, Brandeis University, The Newark Public Library Special Collections Division, and the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum Print Archive. Also in private and public collections in Europe, including the Municipal Collection of the City of Brugg, Switzerland. Harold studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, with sculptor George Spaventa...

CYCLOPS is a hand-tooled aluminum intaglio print on Rives BFK 250g paper with deckle edge. It is a framed monotype in black matte wood with spacers under glass to maintain the deckle edge of paper. The print floats on museum board using archival Hayaku Japanese Hinging Paper. Like Wortsman's sculptures, the abstract components here seem to possess both organic and geometric forms. Note the four corners of black, bracing the center serpentine shape of copper and black speckled white – it is characteristic of Wortsman's practice. Warm, contemporary, uniquely crafted, yet speaks to ancient, tribal traditions of art-making that cross cultures and histories. Highly attuned to the indigenous art of Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia, his forms are organic and geometric abstracts with masculine and feminine attributes that resonate together as a pleasing enigma. They make sense immediately, yet never give up all their secrets. CYCLOPS was exhibited at Harold Wortsman...

PROPOSITION is a hand-tooled aluminum intaglio print on Rives BFK 250g paper with deckle edge. It is a framed monotype in white matte wood with spacers under glass to maintain the de...

This piece titled "This Must Be the Place VE 3/7" is a variable edition piece by Kate VanVliet and is made from Intaglio with soft ground on Rives BFK. This piece is an edition of 7 ...

This piece titled "This Must Be the Place VE 4/7" is a variable edition piece by Kate VanVliet and is made from Intaglio with soft ground on Rives BFK. This piece is an edition of 7 ...

This piece titled "This Must Be the Place VE 5/7" is a variable edition piece by Kate VanVliet and is made from Intaglio with soft ground on Rives BFK. This piece is an edition of 7 ...