|
Three In Print
August 8, 2009
More About the Artists:
Mike Bagetta
Tom Bennett
Frank Janzen
Top
| Back
| Home
Three In Print
Monotypes by three printmakers will be showcased at RiverSea Gallery from August 8th –
September 8th in an exhibition titled, Three in Print. The group show includes the work of Tom
Bennett, Frank Janzen and Mike Baggetta, and is part of the gallery’s ongoing focus this season
on the fine art printmaking process. All three artists will be contributing monotype prints as
their focal medium. The opening reception will be held during the Second Saturday art walk,
August 8, 5 –8 pm; all are invited.
Monotype printmaking historically dates back to the early 1600’s and was utilized as a way to
explore the process of lifting an image from a surface, also referred to as matrix. This
printmaking process acted as a bridge between painting and etching and for many early artists
was a quick method to translate ideas onto paper. It is the most painterly form of
printmaking, allowing an artist the flexibility and spontaneity of movement of medium, and
results in a one-of-a-kind print. The element of gesture and impulse are readily seen in the
finished composition. These qualities attract many painters as well as collectors to the
process of monotype.
The three artists included in this exhibition have vast experience both as painters and
printmakers. Tom Bennett of Brooklyn, New York (the son of longtime Astoria favorite, Harry
Bennett) grew up watching his father paint, which subsequently led to a lifelong passion for
form and movement within his own artwork. For Bennett, the allure of monotype is the result.
“It is an incredibly versatile, spontaneous and intense medium. It appeals to my natural
inclination to allow the work to grow and change as I work”. Bennett focuses on the human form
in his print work. “The monotypes I’m exhibiting represent my continued interest in the human
figure as the most powerful universal symbol. The body is an essential partner with
consciousness.”
Bennett has had numerous one-man shows as well as group exhibitions throughout the United
States. He has also been the recipient of many awards such as the John Koch Prize for Painting.
Bennett is represented internationally in both public and private collections that include the
likes of Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, and David Hockney.
The first time exhibiting his work at RiverSea, Frank Janzen brings to the gallery a series of
landscape monotypes, influenced by his time spent living and working in Eastern Oregon. “My new
series of monotypes called, Iconography of the Plateau, is based on objects abandoned and
embedded into the incredible landscape of Eastern Oregon and Washington with its sensual,
rolling hills and wide-open vistas. The patterns formed by light and shadow offer a panoply of
variations throughout the seasons, ranging from soft and subtle, to stark contrasts in light
and dark as the weather sweeps through. An extension of this series are what I call my ‘smoke’
prints were I employ the carbon given off matches and candles. These are only a brief start in
an exploration to a more extensive series in the future.”
Janzen is a Tamarind Master Printer who is a strong force within Crow’s Shadow Institute of
the Arts, located in Pendleton, Oregon. The institute, founded by prominent Northwest artist
James Lavadour, is a non-profit organization aimed at providing opportunities for Native
Americans through artistic development. There is a strong emphasis placed on contemporary,
fine-art printmaking. The institute is world renowned, bringing in emerging and established
artists to produce monotypes, monoprints and edition fine-art prints such as lithographs,
etchings, linocuts and woodcuts. Janzen, who is the full-time resident Master Printer at CSIA,
is highly respected for his work both as painter and printer. He is sought out by artists from
around the world to collaborate in the creation of limited edition lithographs. Janzen is also
a gifted instructor who has the ability to work with all levels of artists, regardless of age
or experience. He is adept at mentoring and teaching the technically challenging medium of
fine-art printmaking.
Mike Baggetta of Lake Oswego, Oregon has established himself throughout the Northwest and
beyond as a dynamic abstract expressionist painter. He will be contributing a new series of
work titled, A Moment in Time - Abstract Monotypes.
Mike Baggetta’s abstract expressionist monotypes are an evolution from his years of drawing and
painting, his formal art training, and his professional design background. “I’m fascinated with
the monotype process and the organic texture and patterns that happen unexpectedly once paper
meets an inked plate under pressure. One is never quite sure of the outcome, and that is
exciting”.
Baggetta explored printmaking early in his career before shifting his focus into oil as his
chosen medium. After attending workshops on printmaking at Crow’s Shadow Institute of the
Arts, led by Frank Janzen, Baggetta recently renewed his interest in the process and has since
added a printing press to his studio
Like his large abstract paintings, Baggetta uses multiple layers in his monotype prints which
create depth and luminosity with subtle textures and patterns. “Painting and printmaking are
very much a geological process with the layering and removal of paint and ink,” the artist
explains. The end results are compositions that are both dynamic and highly poetic.
Top
| Back
| Home
|
