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Hope in the Balance: Ukraine
"Hope in the Balance"
Clay Monoprint on Pellon
18" x 32"
Andrew Smith/Visual Realia
“Hope in the Balance” - Clay Monoprint by Andrew T. Smith of Visual Realia
"Hope in the Balance"
Clay Monoprint on Pellon
18" x 32"
by Andrew Smith/Visual Realia
The blue and yellow flag is associated with Ukraine and its long struggles with independence, having been flown by soldiers in Kyiv in 1917. The flag was banned under Soviet rule but began appearing again in 1990. It was raised above the Ukrainian Parliament in September of 1991.
In this monoprint, fissures appear in the wheatfields and lands, and the national flower, the sunflower, serves as the sun, both potentially rising and setting. Hope is in the balance.
The colored interruptions in the sky are efforts of the art to speak - echoes of past prints appearing, perhaps in a visually appropriate way: clouds of war. This monoprint is a larger work, using the full clay slab (matrix) used to design the image.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
― Dwight D. Eisenhower
Jingle Ball 2021
Top image: Adams County Arts Council
Adams County Arts Council's Jingle Ball
Saturday, December 4th, 6-11 PM
The Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors’ Center
I’ll have only one hour at the Adams County Arts Council’s annual fundraising gala, the Jingle Ball, to design, paint, pull, seal, and frame a print that will go up for auction to benefit the non-profit. Should be challenging — and fun!
The bottom portion of the image above shows the clay matrix that I’ll be designing on prior to the gala. Some of these elements may impact the finished print.
Elemental: Earth, Fire, Water, Air 2021
Visual Realia was pleased to have a print in the juried Maryland Federation of Art online "Elemental: Earth, Fire, Water, Air 2021" exhibit.
“Shattered Earth”
Clay Monoprint Workshop — November 2021
Andrew Smith is offering a one-session clay monoprint workshop at the Adams County Arts Council in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, November 10th, from 1-4 PM. Participants will use printmaking techniques with colored clay slips to create vibrant monoprints. Basic techniques will be introduced, followed by an open studio format where artists can explore and create their own works. Everyone will leave with two completed prints.
Questions may be directed to Andy at ostman4200@comcast.net. Registration information is available at:
https://www.adamsarts.org/portfolio-item/printmaking-with-clay/
"Pigment" Reception & Exhibit Extension
Andrew Smith’s (Visual Realia) “Pigment” exhibit is extended through August.
The “Pigment” exhibit of clay monoprints by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia has been extended through August and refreshed. The exhibit for the month has twenty-six works, with seven prints new to the Gallery display.
The exhibit can be seen during the Adams County Arts Council’s regular hours, or by contacting Andy for after-hours access. In addition, the exhibit will be part of the Arts Council’s First Friday reception, running from 5-7:30 PM on Friday, August 6th. Andy will be present and will have the clay matrix used for the prints in the gallery. Questions are welcome!
The Adams County Arts Council is located at 125 South Washington Street, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Clay Slip for the Clay Monoprint Artist
The clay monoprint artist must make their own clay slips for their works.
While most painters at this point in time purchase their paints, clay monoprint artists must make their own clay slips, with as many varieties needed as the colors they choose to use in their works.
An immersion or “stick” blender is a worthwhile tool for creating the clay monoprint slips.
#6 tile Kaolin (or China) clay is mixed with water to make the clay slips, roughly to a consistency a little thicker than household paint. (The use of a marshmallow fluff container is optional!)
The artist then mixes in a pigment for each color they wish to use. In the Visual Realia studio, liquid universal pigments are my most common choice, but other materials such as iron oxides are another choice. The amount of pigment added will influence the boldness of the slip.
Want to learn more about clay monoprints? Check out these links:
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2017/10/15/art-of-the-clay-monoprint
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2019/12/21/evolution-of-a-clay-monoprint-matrix
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2021/3/7/from-one-monoprint-to-the-next
And a video here:
https://www.visualrealia.com/articles/2020/5/8/clay-monoprint-technique-demo-video
Interested in learning in person? Contact me for some options.
Universal pigments are a great choice for clay monoprint artists, and come in a wide range of colors.