Portfolio Statement

As an artist, the history of art in general is very important to how one creates artwork.  Through the History of Graphic Design, I was able to put together my practice and relate it to what I had learned.  Although I consider myself primarily as a photographer, I have a love for print work.  As my printmaking evolved, I noticed that I have moved from traditional ways of making a print to more digital forms.  However, as more and more of my prints were digitally produced, I began to resent the digital form of printmaking and tried to incorporate both into my style.  

It is very interesting in this class how we started with the prehistoric mark making methods to the evolution of the printing press.  I noticed that in my practice I was trying to create a balance.  How do I use digital technology to keep up with current trends yet use historical processes as well.  The solution I came up with was to create digital files in the beginning and the move backwards through the evolution of the press.

First I create a digital image which is then produced through a printer.  Then this digital negative is exposed to a polymer using current (perhaps not the latest technology, but certainly modern) methods in practice.  Once the plate is created, I move further back in time using hand made paper and a completely manual press, where the pressure is set by hand, to create the embossing into paper.  Finally the print is air dried and prepared for matting and framing.  I'm sure that there are more historical processes that I can develop further and I look forward to exploring more ways of producing works in this fashion.