Walking along Bohannon Road near Syria, Virginia

Walking along Bohannon Road near Syria, Virginia

Walking through the world of monotypes


Walking across Virginia’s western Piedmont, making a daily record of this beautiful and changing land as it evolves under the hand of nature and the actions of humans, and creating monotypes of what I see...these things define who I am. Three stretches of road near my home totaling five miles have virtually become part of me. And I have recorded some parts of them in monotypes over and over for a quarter of a century, since that day in which I abruptly changed careers and included this unique medium as part of what I would do for the rest of my life.I began my new life back then by taking classes in printmaking, and when I turned to the monotype, I immediately found fulfillment in the medium’s directness and its ability to teach me about light and how minute by minute, daylight can transform trees, fields, ditches, and mountains. From the beginning I wanted to develop an almost photographic look (and I do make freehand sketches inspired from photographs taken “on the road”) and have always worked in variations of a single dark color. The challenge, of course, is to communicate each scene’s “story” in grayscale rather than in color.Like all monotypes, each print is unique, an edition of one, made by painting onto a clear acrylic plate and transferring that image directly to paper using a press. The manipulation of oil color on the plate with various brushes and tools takes many hours to achieve the scene I remember; then I lay a sheet of damp paper on top of the “wet” plate and run both through my etching press. When I peel the paper off, virtually all of the color transfers, and a single, unrepeatable image is created.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

"Champe Plain Valley near Etlan, Virginia, August, 2005"


I was driving home, up this beautiful valley where I live, when the clouds parted and light cascaded down illuminating the base of Old Rag Mountain and much of the floor of the valley. Pulling off, I made quick sketches and photographs in the few moments I had to witness this scene. I don't usually make more than one monotype of a single time and place, but this remarkable event has inspired me to make at least five. One found its way on the cover of a CD by the wonderful group known as the Possum Ridge String Band. Get a copy and enjoy their old time and Celtic music: http://www.possumridge.org/ (five by six inches, printed on Stonehenge paper)
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