Karen Adrienne, "Pop, Pop, Poppies," monotype, 19 x 27 in, $925

Artist Statement

For the past 15 years I have been inspired by ecosystems with a focus on the continuum of water and sky. I began these explorations at a time when I was developing a new printmaking technique that integrated the properties of folding and printing simultaneously. During my residency at the Surf Point Foundation the folded works were difficult without a press. So, while I was at Surf Point I developed an off press silkscreen printmaking technique using powdered graphite, transparent base and seaweed. The resulting monotype series, printed on silver joss paper entitled “Surf Point”, reflected my daily morning observations of the seaside surf and sky.

While at Surf Point I was also inspired by the book Beverly Hallam: An Odyssey in Art given to residents upon arrival. As I read this engaging book by Carl Little, I was most inspired by Beverley Hallam’s floral images and experimental energy. Experimentation has long been a key component of my own print work. I felt that some of my ensuing monotypes were infused with a new color palette inspired by her monotypes. My color infused “Pop, Pop, Poppies” is an example of this inspiration and my gratitude to Beverly and my experience at Surf Point.

Bio

While I am working it is hard to separate labor, emotions and intentions. And then there is chance. This, like in life, can be the directional force and impetus for more conscious decisions. Some decisions, like observation, seem imperative and others are more spontaneous.

My prints are conceptually and physically embedded in reciprocity. They are built by the mutual relationship of concealing and revealing, plan and chance. As I investigate properties of nature with marks and inky flats of color, I explore properties of paper by folding with the pressure of the press. Layers are built upon until I have captured a momentary balance of chance with a fugitive experience of nature. It’s about chance and the urge to capture a moment and the vision of that experience.

In these perilous times when all of us are burdened by palpable loss in the world, feeling both angry and anxious, I insist on portraying the beauty of nature, its mystery and vibrancy. It’s as though I’m conducting the song of the earth with color. My printmaking process moves me slowly and repeatedly through light and darks, and a spectrum of complicated emotions. Perhaps the antidote in art for this sense of loss is a search for, and insistence on the sublime.