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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Art Geeks at the Atelier


Ron, Copper Etching Geek

I went to another art party at the A6, Bend's printmaking Atelier yesterday. A bunch of painters were there.

We were showing them the presses, the inks, the plates, the tools, the gadgets, the thousands of little tiny letters of type the bookmakers use, all the different kinds of prints and how every thing works. It's fun to see artists geek out on art stuff.

Some of these people are very talented painters in their 50's and 60's who are true career artists. They're the type that show work in galleries and teach at well known universities. They know what the heck they're doing.

Some of these people are younger, and equally talented, but have never even seen traditional printing presses, let alone an etched copper plate. They don't realize that all the greats, like Picasso, were print makers. It seems sad that a whole generation or two of artists have missed out on this printmaking thing. But thank goodness, the almost lost art of hand-pulled prints is making a serious comeback.

I hear that the students at Parsons School of Design started a little revolt when they heard the school's plans to tear down the printmaking studio to make way for a Starbucks. Seems not many people were using the studio any more. Didn't matter, the kids said, we can't let it die a Starbucks death. I sure hope they signed up for some printmaking classes.

So I'm excited to see what the painters will do in Bend's grand printmaking studio, truly one of the best facilities in the Northwest. We will see ancient art methods of printing presses and letter presses meeting modern art sophistication and ideas.

Since I'm interested in technology, I'm always trying to match up art and tech. I think the artists are just like the geeks, always innovating, always pushing the envelope. And most of the geeks I know are quite artistically inclined. They notice things, like the artists do, and document them, like the artists do, just using a different method.

This new printmaking studio is a very cool thing for Bend, for Central Oregon, and for the Northwest. This amazing facility will bring people in from all over the country to teach, to learn, and to deal prints. We are lucky.

I'd like to see some tech geeks get in there and get their hands dirty and create something they can frame and hang on a wall. I bet we'd be amazed to see what these JavaSrcipt guys could create with old fashioned letter-pressed script type and ink.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

very cool i didn't know Bend was that with it...haha...the printmaking majors at my college were hard core. it's tough i was never very good at it.

juliejulie said...

Dear Soul: I met hardcore,technical printmakers once too, and figured it wasn't for me. Then I learned about collogrpahs and monoprints. Easy, fun. Just glue a bunch of collage stuff on plexiglass (cardboard, foil, string)roll different colors of ink over it, run it through the press and voila - art.

markawebber said...

wow cool!! NOOO STARBUCKS DEATH!! that is for sure the worst! now my town centre in in Reading, Berkshire is not all that big! and there are 4 starbucks there now!! 4!! AHH

and they are now trying to over take print studios!! AHHHHHHH RUN!>>

glad they managed to stop it!. I have to say i love printmaking! but need to take more classes in it! as i actually studied Graphic Design in university!. (wish i had of done fine art now! but maybee i would not have got to where i am without the design studies.. so i cant complain too much)

but yea sounds great! thats what i like about print studios, are the older people that have lived a life of doing something i hope to be doing most of my life (if i can)

ok well cheers great post!
byeee
from
Mark