You say tomato…
May 2023 — Monoprints or monotype -- does it matter?
I’m in the home stretch of preparation for my show, Landscapes in the Abstract. Most of the prints are finished, and now I’m photographing, matting, and framing them, as well as creating labels. Here’s a short video I made showing close-ups of a few of the prints.
I’ve been calling the process of making these works ‘monoprinting,’ which would make the end results ‘monoprints.’ But someone asked me if they aren’t instead ‘monotypes’? I don’t know. Here are definitions from Artlex Art Dictionary
monoprint: A technique of printmaking characterized by the uniqueness of the image it produces. Unlike many printing techniques that provide two prints or multiple copies from a reprintable block or matrix, monoprinting techniques allow only one. The uniqueness of the print can also be achieved by adding external creative elements.
monotype: A printmaking process where paint or ink is applied directly to a non-porous surface, and then transferred onto paper via pressure, such as with a printing press, a brayer, or even by hand. The resulting print is unique, and cannot be recreated exactly, hence the name “monotype.”
All the pieces in this show start the same way — printing the first layers of color on the gel plate with acrylic paint. I continue adding layers to deepen the image, create texture, and add interest, sometimes adding more than a dozen runs on the plate. At that point I call some of them finished, but others receive additional attention with charcoal, colored pencil, or more acrylic paint – this time added with a brush, or sometimes my fingers.
So, given the above definitions, what would you call them? Monoprints or monotypes? Let me know in the comments section below.
Landscapes in the Abstract opens June 7, 2023 at Theatre Salina, and can be viewed Monday-Friday from 11:30a-5:30p, as well as before and after the Theatre’s shows.
Yucca update
