There is something about printmaking as it relates to the sensory system that I’m drawn to. The preparation of the ink; applying ink to a plate; removing excess ink; the sound the ink makes when you roll the brayer. It is the process itself that I enjoy along with the challenge of trying to figure out how to compose separate elements into a whole. Printmaking offers a variety of techniques that can be free flowing or very structured. And although some techniques can be very frustrating because you may not always have complete control, it is also one of the very aspects of printmaking that can be so exciting: when you get an unexpected surprise.
There are a variety of printing processes that have been the mainstay of my work: paper lithography, solarplate etching, monotypes, though I have also enjoyed collagraphs and silk aquatint. Favored techniques are paper lithography and solarplate etching, as I studied lithography in college and found that paper lithography can render a similar effect and allow me to blend my photography into the final image. Solarplate etching can provide the final image with a fine tonal photographic feel but also a very bold graphic visual. My final images are often a result of working back and forth between that which is tangible and digital manipulation. The possibilities seem limitless, and I enjoy experimentation.