A Long Time Coming
I recall a rainy day at my Aunt’s house with my four boisterous cousins when I was in the early stages of elementary school. My aunt provided the 5 of us with crayons and paper and suggested we make drawings. I was the youngest of the 5, but somehow I managed to create a decent drawing and my aunt praised my drawing as the best of the group. Positive feedback inspired me further with experiments in drawing and eventually in late elementary school, photography. In 5th grade, I entered some color photographs from a trip to Washington D.C., and won 1st place at the county fair.
I was very fortunate to attend a secondary school with an excellent art program and continue my art studies. There, I became proficient at drawing representation, busts predominantly of older male models. I compiled a portfolio of drawings for applying to art schools and colleges and was accepted to prestigious programs, including the Rhode Island School of Design.
I decided to go to a liberal arts college to study art, art history, and philosophy. I considered that my interests were still too far-ranging to focus only on visual art at this time.
However, after the undergraduate dual major left me wanting, I yearned for a dedicated art practice. Mentored by the great artists, Lee Bonteqou, William T. Williams, and Philip Pearlstein at Brooklyn College opened my eyes to the contemporary art world. While there, and still immersed in painting, I began printmaking. Applying quick marks with intaglio inks on plates using a variety of instruments and techniques forced spontaneity and increased the element of the “accidental” into my image-making process. Through this fast method of printmaking, I left behind the idea of careful rendering. What came forth was an unfolding of something of deep and liberating interest. There was a dance between unconscious direction and the newly developed printmaking toolset which slowed down some of the looking while demanding quick physical decisions. David Lantow, printmaker and a classmate at BC (now a professor there as of this writing), introduced me to a lithography shop on Varick Street, where I landed a position with a master fine art lithographer working on some of the last projects for the Dekoongings (Elaine and Willem), Robert Motherwell, and Frank Stella. The world of printmaking opened up wide possibilities for me, and I began to see myself as a part of the small enclave of professional printers in New York.
This curated series of monoprints represents the beginnings of my exploration of the grid with organic forms. In some images, the grid and form are interwoven, in others the form becomes ghostlike, and the grid almost overrides it altogether. Alternatively, in some prints the form overtakes the grid, becoming a line, then an edge, and finally disappearing altogether. All monoprints are approximately 16 x 20 inches or 20 x 16 inches, depending on orientation. (1986-1989)
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