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The Story of This Print: “El Patio del Harem”
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Back at the Alhambra
I’ve started on a series of medium-sized liquid-metal prints on Alhambra themes. Granada’s medieval fortress and palace has been for centuries a source of inspiration for artists, writers and photographers, so much so that today it’s difficult to get an original take on it. This time I’m relying on the inherent looseness of the liquid-metal technique to try to achieve Alhambra images with some originality.
I had one of those wonderful printmaking experiences at the beginning of this project. The first proofs I pulled from the first plate, El Patio del Harem, looked frankly great and I thought, “This is it, I’ll print up an edition.” But before I could start, I took a close look at one of the plates from which I had just pulled a proof. In the ink residue left on the plate I could still see beautiful detail. So I rubbed a light layer of yellow ink into it, rolled some fresh silver ink on top and put it back through the press, making a “ghost print.” I was shocked to see how superior the ghost was to the live one. I have placed the original print at the top of this post, the ghost below. See if you don’t agree with me.
This print was done with liquid metal on an old, previously-etched copper plate, a still life with fruit. I put the cold solder on with a palette knife and when it was still quite sticky I drew into it with a stylus. I didn’t press any texture elements into it until about an hour and a half later. I left it overnight to harden and printed it on 600 gr. handmade paper. The ghost print was printed on 375 gr. Paperki handmade paper. I like this one better.
The Story of This Print: “Grapes for Claudio” / “Uvas para Claudio”
In 2009 our son Bill and his wife Victoria adopted a two-and-a-half-year-old boy from an orphanage in Madagascar. We picked them up from the Granada airport when they arrived back with Claudio, after a two-month get-to-know-each-other period on the island. Claudio was in Bill’s arms with his hand stuck reassuringly in his new father’s shirt.
On his first visit to our house Claudio was taken with the bunches of ripe grapes hanging from the vines over our terrace. He stretched and fretted until Bill lifted him up to pick some, and Claudio stuffed his little cheeks full. There was so much joy in that image in my mind’s eye that I made an etching of the grape arbor. It’s called “Grapes for Claudio.”
Claudio is now four. He speaks Spanish like a four-year-old Granadino, and loves to paint.
This is a relief acid etching worked on a 15 x 30 cm. zinc plate. I first varnished
the plate then did all the line work. The nitric acid (28%) was diluted12:1.
Then I cleaned the plate and painted all the images with covering varnish, and
left it to harden overnight. Next day I put the plate in a stronger acid bath,
and left it for a couple of hours, wiping away the bubbles frequently with
a feather, so as to keep the lines clean. There is no aquatint on this plate.
The stronger acid makes an interesting background. Then I printed it a la
poupé on hand made cream-colored Arpa paper. The little birds are painted
on with watercolor after the print is pressed.
Consider the Luxury of Collaborative Printmaking
One Plus One Equals Three Point Five
We usually think of fine-art printmaking as a solitary endeavor, and until recently it has been that for me. But after years of yearning I finally got my Gallinero artists’ residence built, my husband Mike did a terrific job of introducing it on Internet, and artists started coming from all over the world. Most of them arrived by themselves to work together one on one. This was a relatively new experience and it has opened my eyes to new ways of working and new joys in printmaking.
I have done a lot of workshops, both in my studio here in Granada and around the rest of Europe, and always enjoyed the experiences. But there’s no denying that to work along with another artist is something different, a luxury for both. Clearly, two heads are better than one. Then there’s the mutual understanding which the Spaniards call “compenetración.” Working together intensely establishes a joyful dynamic where images and ideas get bounced around , and suddenly creative things begin to happen. Read more…
A Quick Look at Granada in a One-Minute Tourist Office Video
Wondering what Granada has to offer visitors. Here’s a quick overview:
There Are Beautiful Accidents
Video producer and friend, Juan Carlos Romera, working on my master-class videos.
I Was an Innocent Bystander!
Believe it or not, this printmaking-video-download initiative came to me as a surprise. We’ve been friends with video producer Juan Carlos Romera for 12 or 15 years. He and I met literally accidentally, as I bumped into the back of his car with my motor scooter. Now it’s as if Juan Carlos, his wife María José and their two children have been in our family forever. Read more…
Maureen's Printmaking Master Classes in Video 