I just finished a week of printmaking with Akua inks and Susan Rostow the inventor of the non-toxic inks, at ART New England.
1. Take in a museum or gallery on the way, if you can. It gets you inspired to expand your horizons.
I enjoyed Mass MoCA and Sol Lewitt on my way to ART New England.
2. Bring less than you think you need and make it work. As I packed my tools, I gathered what I thought I could use and brought about 1/2 of it. It fit in one bag and a folder for paper.
3. Have a goal and be open to it changing. I wanted to get a better understanding of the Akua Inks and hoped to work them into my practice. And I wanted to play with dimensional monotypes. I definitely have a better understanding of how to ink the intaglio plate and the monotype plates, I will continue to explore the inks.
I had fun making a drypoint sampler plate and then made it into a single sheet book form.
4. Use powder to keep the soft rubber brayers from getting tacky.
5. Notice the tools and studio layout. See if you can bring any new ideas home to your studio.
I liked working on big slabs of glass. I think I could recycle a window and make a smaller and portable version.
6. Ask for help. And be willing to learn from mistakes.
We often had a few hours of demonstrations to start the day. And when it came time to ink the plate or work the press or choose an ink I had forgotten some of the procedures. And Susan and her assistant Christina were always willing to refresh my memory. I did not have to be the perfect student with a perfect memory.
7. Working with a press takes, time, planning and patience. It may not be my style of working.
We were so lucky. We had 3 presses to use and 8 people in the class. There was no line and a press was always available. The beauty of Akua inks is that they stay open and wet for a very long time. They only dry when they are absorbed into the paper.
8. Find time to be alone and recharge.
I found several quiet meditation spots that allowed me to slow down and get still, so I could go back to class refreshed and ready to work.
9. Treat your gloves like your hands.
Susan challenged us to use one pair of gloves for the whole week. Well I did not meet the challenge, but I was able to work much cleaner than I ever have when doing intaglio printing. Susan showed us how to apply the intaglio ink with the brayer, which worked really well for me.
10. Learn from other students and teachers.
I was inspired by the energy and expression of the artist and teacher Julie Leonard. She inspired me to seek out some Sumi ink and play with painting with them.
I found lots of sculptures as I wondered the campus.
I am thinking that I will not wait a whole year for another art intensive. I think it would be great to do something quarterly. Maybe not a week long program, but I am hoping to attend some weekend classes that are closer to home.
