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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Prints on Ice
Wednesday 06 December @ 16:06:43 |
 by BETSY MOWRY
For any arts organization in the Twin Cities, a fifth year anniversary is quite an accomplishment. The Highpoint Center for Printmaking passed this mighty landmark earlier in the year and its success is truly a testament to the public support of the arts in our state and the quality of the institution itself.
Highpoint is the only accessible, community-oriented facility of its kind in the upper Midwest. A wander through the space reveals a clean, structured environment bustling with printmakers and students of all abilities and techniques. Civilians love seeing studio spaces that seem to expose the creative and intriguing psyche of the artist. Though Highpoint is certainly not cluttered or complex, visitors will not be disappointed. Large-scale presses aren't a realistic purchase for many printmakers, and the chemicals used are best left to a safe location. Highpoint provides these resources, as well as the camaraderie appreciated by artists practicing a “like” discipline.
This studio touts an orderly workspace with an array of staff and artists more than willing to answer questions and share information about the center.
On Dec. 1, Highpoint opened its 10th annual exhibition and sale, Prints on Ice, by members of its cooperative. The display is as rich and diverse as its participating printmakers. There are about thirty co-op local members, which include professionals as well as emerging artists. Prints on Ice displays about 50 works by 27 of them. The exhibit is comprised of recent, original lithographs, screenprints, etchings, woodcuts and monoprints. It's interesting to walk through an exhibit in the actual space where most of the pieces have been conceived and produced. The prints range immensely in style and technique, and are hung throughout the entire facility.
Noted printmaker Nick Wroblewski displays a striking linear woodcut, “Wood as Breath.” An experienced artist whose prints appear in galleries and publications, Wroblewski is known for his landscape and nature prints. Using a very different approach, Sally Gordon’s photographic-like prints are equally eye-catching. Gordon works with photos as a reference and sketches the images to create lithographs. Her two submissions, “The Girls on the Couch” and “Observing,” are both candid and appealing.
Artist Pamela Carberry’s “Night Heat” is intaglio and Chine Colle, a process in which the image is impressed onto a thin sheet of China or similar paper and backed by a stronger, thicker sheet. In Carberry’s work, the stormy inky black atmosphere appears to be closing in on a warm slash of red-orange sky. She states, “…my intent is to turn my observations and feelings of land and nature into landscapes, and landscapes into art by investigating the synchronization of my ideas and the rhythms and patterns of nature.”
On the humorous side is Mike Elko’s screenprint “Self-Portrait with Comics Hair.” Elko portrays himself side by side as Superman, Dagwood Bumstead and Dilbert. Even more hilarious than Elko’s depiction of these well-known characters is that he can actually pull off Bumstead’s hairstyle! Other artists worth mentioning include Brian Sago, Barbara Daveloose, Roberta Allen and Jan Shogur.
Printmaking has many processes, often with numerous intricate steps, and this exhibit covers many of them. This is a discipline that takes years to understand and master. The co-op artists are to be appreciated for their mastery of the art form and their commitment to the Highpoint Center for Printmaking—obviously a much needed resource in the arts community. All in all, Prints on Ice is an exhibit not to be missed. ||
Prints on Ice is on display through Jan. 27. Highpoint Center for Printmaking is located at 2638 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls. 612-871-1326 or highpointprintmaking.org. Gallery hours are Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. & Sat. noon–4 p.m.
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