-Arlene Gale Milgram
Election Hope 2020, altered silkscreen monoprint, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
I am all about mark making. The marks in this piece are meant to convey a sense of random movement and joy. I was thinking of a ticker tape parade on a windy day. Hope was twirling in the air like that prior to the election and after the inauguration I feel it even more.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
My process is experimental. I do not possess the temperament and patience to make clean prints. As a result, I have a treasure trove of prints to use as a resource for new work. (This one started in a PCNJ class on silkscreen monoprints.) I reclaimed it by working into it with colored pencils and permanent markers. My goal was to translate my energy to the print through the quality of the marks.
What does this piece mean to you?
First of all, this is not a major work. In it I was learning a new technique. As in all reclaimed work, it felt good to resolve the image. This was a lighter color scheme than I usually use and a more upbeat feeling than I usually express in my work. Beyond that, I value it for what I learned in the process making it. The personal meaning in anything I do is never invested in the piece itself. It is meaningful to me for where it leads me next. In that context, this was very successful.
-Linda Dujack
Homage to the Healthcare Workers / Angels of America, assemblage of found paper, coffee filter, acrylic, charcoal, 2020
Words Matter, assemblage of found paper, cloth, string, charcoal, graphite, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
The message is “focus on kind words and not unkind words”. First I came up with a list of “unkind” words and then I found the antonyms for them. The kind words that I used in the piece are: empathy, humility, compassion, sympathy, and courage. And then I was reminded of these lyrics: “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
The piece is made from found paper, charcoal, string, fabric, and words printed on Asian paper with graphite.
What does this piece mean to you?
This piece is meant to convey hope, strength, and kindness.
-Mark Oldland
A Hero's Painting - A Tribute to John Lewis, oil on board, 2020
A Hero's Painting - A Tribute to John Lewis, linoleum relief print on Frontline Scrubs Paper, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
Much like myself most of my artwork is very literal and this work is no different. The title contains no hidden messages and is intended to be direct.
The parent oil painting was painted two days after the flags were lowered for the passing of Civil Rights leader & Congressman John Lewis. The painting was painted overlooking US Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light while I personally reflected on the heroism of John Lewis, my time in the Coast Guard and my shipmates.
Following the completion of the painting I printed a series of Linoleum Block Prints on Scrubs Paper, USCG Frontline Paper, Marine Woodland Green Frontline Paper & Desert Tan Frontline Paper. The printed image is modeled after the Parent Oil Painting (A Hero's Painting - A Tribute to John Lewis). In this instance I am making a direct commentary on the paralleling sacrifices that the individuals behind the uniforms often make.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
My Oil Paintings are developed by combining traditional Plein Air painting techniques with my own personal understanding of line.
The Print is a Linoleum Block Print on Purple Scrubs Paper with a gouache wash of pale blue to draw the viewer's eye towards the lowered flag as a focal point.
What does this piece mean to you?
This is my best attempt at contributing in a small way towards honoring a great Civil Rights Leader, John Lewis.
-MaryAnn Miller
Macula, serigraphy, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
The content of “Macula” is a magnified arrangement of what I see when I look at my bedroom ceiling as I wake up. That’s when I check the progress of my macular degeneration.
I close the left eye and record what I see in my visual memory; then, I close the right eye, check and record that image. I compare each of them to what I saw the day before. Usually, the changes are slight day by day. So I guess the theme is a progressive loss of vision.
The grid represents the printed device I look at each day to check if my vision is bending the lines or blurring them. This is what I report to my retinologist. The macula is a part of the lining of the retina that deteriorates with this condition. Most days I barely notice it, but I know how devastating some forms of this condition can be. My mother had it, an artist friend has it and has no central vision at all.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
The process is serigraphy (silkscreen.) I was invited to make a print at Raven Fine Art Editions in rural Easton, PA. Coty West assisted me. She mixed ink, loaded the screen, and pulled the oar of the large serigraph printer. I knew where I wanted to go and composed the layers as we evaluated each color. Jase Clark of EPI and Raven shot the screens. The edition is small and we pulled only ten. We finished in January 2020.
What does this piece mean to you?
It was important to try to replicate an image that contains visual tricks. This piece documents a medical condition that is concerning to visual artists. We are visual people and seeing is like breathing. There were Mid-Eastern artists who painted miniatures for the Caliphs. The mark of success for them was when they finally lost their vision because of their demanding close work. They proved that they could continue working after the loss because their process used their minds and hands and visual memory. Sight was not necessary.
-Barbara Zietchick
Expanding Horizons, silkscreen print, 2019
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
The message is the complexity of the person; how many emotions and movements take place with each heartbeat, each breath. We are always changing, always relating to ourselves and other people. The piece reflects my interaction with myself , my thoughts, and the printmaking process itself.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
Sometimes it is difficult to put the process into words because I am working without normal “rational” thought, but more with my eys and my hands and my emotions. A sort of instinct takes over and it’s difficult to know when I have satisfied the instinct that led me to create the artwork.
What does this piece mean to you?
The print reflects the shadows of many prints that came before it. The print satisfies my sense of self, of relationships with other people, the ever-changing living and dying of oneself and others. The shadows are both the reality and of life. The physical manipulation of the shapes and their shadows is challenging and satisfying.
-Jean Burdick
Sheltering at Home, silkscreen on panel, 2020
Nature’s Renewal, framed, silkscreen on vellum, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
When the seasons changed in the fall and winter bringing darker days and colder temperatures, I reminisced about my memories of hiking in the spring and summer. Referencing the natural world, my print, Nature’s Renewal ,suggests a narrative of the annual unfolding life cycles: birth, growth, death and regeneration.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
While I use a silkscreen printing method, each print can be considered to be a monotype, meaning that each print is a one of a kind. I am not printing an edition of the same print and I do not work in the traditional silkscreen method of making individual screens for each color for the print. Instead of using traditional registration for each color when printing, I prefer to work with different screens and reposition them to compose the print. In that sense, I am collaging the silkscreen images as I print them and later enhancing with drawn and painted elements.
What does this piece mean to you?
Just as the natural world cycles through each season with renewed life, my hope for the world is for brighter days ahead in the not so distant future.
-Marc Schimsky
The Jester Who Bombed, hand-colored solarplate etching, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
The theme is disappointment. The image is a reflection on the profound disappointments we all have had to suffer during the past four years.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
This image was printed from a solar plate. “Solar-plate etching” is a process that involves the use of light and a photo-sensitized polymer material attached to a thin steel plate. The image of the “Jester” was drawn onto a transparent acetate sheet. The acetate was then placed on top of the photo-sensitized material and exposed to an ultra-violet light source for a certain length of time. Light When the plate has been processed it is then inked and printed on paper.
What does this piece mean to you?
It’s a comment on the corrupt, duplicitous and unscrupulous political leadership we have had to endure since 2017. This work pictures an image in a checkered shirt. When we say that someone is “checkered” what we mean is that the person is unstable, irregular and erratic.
This image represents those in the past four years who are guilty of lying, guilty of greed, guilty of subversion, guilty of deceit and immorality. But the clown in the checkered shirt has fooled nobody and hence the jester has bombed.
-Amber Zora
Noise 2 (untitled), sumi ink on paper, 2018
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
This work in the 47th Members' exhibition, Noise 2 (untitled) is a part of a series of sumi ink drawings and screen prints. I started this series during a 2017 residency at Virginia Center for Creative Arts in Amherst, Virginia. Though this work was made in 2018. The expanded series shows soldiers at work and communication systems. At that time in 2017, North Korea was conducting a series of nuclear and missile tests. The prints conflate time and space and are in response to international tensions, from the Cold War to today. You can find more of these drawings here.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
The drawings are sourced from photographs. Some are images from my time in the military as an ammunition specialist and others come from the internet, books and Nike missile site archives. While making these images, I have been influenced by Raymond Pettibon's political works.
What does this piece mean to you?
Very real bodies run these communication systems. Communication technology transforms periods of passive reception into offensive deployment. The soldier waits to detect signs of oncoming danger, or orders to where they are called next. These modes of communication are subject to machine and human error.
The specific image in this exhibition is of my battle buddy, Roberts, and I on KP duty during a field training exercise.
see more at amberzora.com
-Wendell Jeffrey
Good Luck I, lithography monoprint, viscosity printing and chine colle on paper
Good Luck II, lithography monoprint, viscosity printing and chine colle on paper
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
This image is part of a series dealing with the onslaught of Covid -19. I’ve always been interested in the natural world and how we interact with it. As currently witnessed whether it is due to our lack of action, our arrogance, or selfishness this microscopic virus has trespassed upon all boundaries worldwide. It had become my mission to find a good luck charm to ward off this invasive infection.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
The images are hand drawn on lithography stones, pressed into different types of papers, the images are layered with different viscosity of ink. Some of the paper used have surfaces that are smooth and metallic with a mirrored sheen, others are soft with subtle dappled textures. Each one absorbs the ink differently, creating more depth. The work is further developed using bold cut paper shapes.
What does this piece mean to you?
Using known symbols interwoven with the ordinary objects raises the question of how certain talismans become symbols of protection and how almost any object can become one. This in part makes warding off evil spirits more possible in this present world in constant flux."
-Shellie Jacobson
Isolation and Recovery, monotype, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
Isolation is a visualization of the bonds of family and friends which are so important during this pandemic. Although these connections remain rooted, presently they feel much more remote and temporary; thin, meandering, and disconnected.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
This monotype print is a two plate drop with the addition of threads and torn paper stencils.
What does this piece mean to you?
Having so many hours to work in the studio because of COVID-19 isolation I was able to visualize and print a small part of what I was experiencing. Creating this print series was somewhat different than my usual way of working and I surprised myself with the outcome.
-Manda Gorsegner
Molten, handmade pollution paper, encaustic, black tea, charcoal on panel, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
This piece doesn’t portray a clear message, nor was that the intention. The piece is a part of an experimental series in coastal stewardship, process, and mindfulness. As a volunteer with Clean Ocean Action for the last 20 years, and with a father in the Coast Guard for 26 years before his passing, proximity and stewardship for rivers, lakes, and oceans are in my blood.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
The process of this piece is actually more important than the output itself. The works include handmade “Pollution Papers” and handmade encaustics. Pollution papers are an ongoing project of mine that has been expanding in the last few years with much experimentation. The process first involves a coastal site clean-up. Debris is removed from an area over 1-3 hours, then data is collected on material types, quantities, site location, and date. Debris is sorted for pulping, recycling, and landfill. Pulping debris is soaked and rinsed, then pulped with other recycled and natural fibers to create pollution papers. This series is part of a set of experiments to soak the papers in handmade, unfiltered encaustic to explore translucency, layering, and mindfulness practice.
What does this piece mean to you?
This piece, as part of an ongoing series of pollution paper projects and large oil/encaustic paintings, has been an essential part of my health journey in the last few years. Recently having been diagnosed with a rare immune disorder, I’ve leaned on painting, handmade papermaking, long walks, and mindfulness to fill the gaps of pain and discomfort left by medication that hasn’t worked. Though this piece is small and abstract in presence, the process behind this little piece is over 40 hours of time from coastal clean-up, to papermaking, to encaustic layering, and an output. Those hours of patience, mindfulness, and action in stewardship provided 40 hours of relief in my illness.
-Pat Murrell
Paper Play Sanctuary I, Flax Handmade Paper - Virtually Conceived, 2020
What is the theme/message you're conveying in your piece?
Picture a warm day in June 2020. I’m in the house avoiding Covid 19 and trying not to fall until I can get my right hip replaced. Out in the backyard water is about to flood into my studio in the basement. Inside, my small cat, Sheherazade, is enjoying “her space” – meaning the living room sofas, chairs, her cat condo in front of the picture windowl I need a sanctuary for my sanity. The place I always go for that is my art – any method available that releases the inventive spirit. That’s how “Paper Play Sanctuary” came into being - as a series and as individual works. The MESSAGE seems the same for all artistic creation. We go inward and find new spaces, colors, forms, concepts and ways to express “what we feel and how we deal”.
Would you like to share the process on how this was made?
All works in “Paper Play Sanctuary” were created by arranging, rearranging sheets, sections, and slivers of flax handmade paper into compositions as on a painted canvas. “Compositions” were then “virtually” recorded using my I Phone camera. The vibrant colors in the flax paper sheets are quite real but the variety of sheets, sections, and slivers slide in and out of compositions at (my) will. Some appear in many works, others in only one or two. All compositions remain “virtual”, existing only in the camera’s eye.
The pulp used in creating actual sheets and sections is highly overbeaten flax, then colored with saturated powdered pigments. The resulting pulp is sprayed onto 4 x 8’ plastic grids wrapped in polyester underlining fabric. Colored pulps are sprayed in layers so that the “back” of the sheet is as colorful and diverse as the “front”. All colors appear light filled no matter which side is predominant.
What does this piece mean to you?
Works in “Paper Play Sanctuary” are surprisingly wonderful to me. They step back into the flat format world of painting and printmaking Yet they also encompass aspects of art making I have visited before on the way to sculptural, figural pieces. These colorful paper “flat structures” may be abstract, but “space” appears in compositions as sections lap over and squeeze between one another. For me, the combination of flat abstraction with spatial suggestions reaches out for something new – maybe an art which encompasses highly colored structural figures, yet in part flattened, abbreviated. Something new arises from being home bound with a bad hip. The explorative mind can invent new (even if virtual) worlds for the future.
Visit the website at: https://www.frontlinearts.org/current-exhibition-47th-annual-members-exhibition
Interviews by Hugo Gatica January 2020