Homecoming

Just returned from teaching a multi-pass monotype workshop at University of North Texas'  P.R.I.N.T. Press. I was proud and honored to be back, as it was there, fifteen years ago, that I fell in love with printmaking. 

Food/Hunger Portfolio Exchange and Exhibition

I'm excited to be participating in a very unique portfolio exchange called Food/Hunger. Other participants include: Adriane Herman, Ashton Ludden, Damir Porobic, Gregory Daiker, Jeff Badger, Jonathan Stewart, Justin Richel, Lis Janes, Sara E Worden, Sarah McNeil and Tyson Jaques.

Portfolios are currently on display at the June Fitzpatrick Gallery on High Street in Portland, Maine. Seven portfolios will be sold by silent auction and one will be sold by raffle. There is a reception Friday June 24th from 4-7pm. All proceeds from the project will go to benefit Cultivating Community.

Go to the Food/Hunger Portfolio Exchange blog to see images of the show and learn more about the project.

Thanks so much to Lis Janes, for organizing the project and inviting me to participate.

Calendar for a cause

The Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (across the railroad from my grad school, Arizona State University) has once again put together a fundraising calendar with original, limited edition prints. I was honored to be selected by Kathryn Maxwell, as one of the 29 artists from across the country to create a print for the benefit calendar. Each calendar has 12 prints, each by a different artist. This limited edition calendar, with only 65 available for purchase, is a great way to begin your own art collection or give as a unique holiday gift.(The calendars are available at MCA for the bargain price of $200 with all proceeds helping the MCA continue its excellent programming in the visual arts. ) Here are some of my favs. picked from the calendar:
Jana Harper, Cloud Grammer
John Armstrong, Bikini Mtn.
Kathryn Maxwell, No More Salt

Book (R)evolution

I feel like I'm still reeling from the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair last weekend. It's hard to believe that it's over, after spending the last 9 months working on it. I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a creative and organized committee.
Highlights:

Beth Schaible, our former Letterpress Associate, joined us as an exhibitor.
Tate Foley put together a site-specific interactive installation in the Pyramid Vault, and Annie Albagli and Joshua Goode's Paradise Lost was an impressive installation in the Atrium of the Civic Building.

Out in front of the fair, Drive-By-Press was doing their thing. And at Pyramid, we held demonstrations including flip book making with Carla Nicolas.
We also showed some great films including Typeface, Proceed and Be Bold, and Who Does She think She is?
Here are more images of the event. Stay tuned for more information on the next Pyramid Book Arts Fair, scheduled for the fall of 2012.

Chuck Close shares his magic tricks

So, I have been hearing from everyone how fantastic, how (f**king, to quote a friend) amazing, how surprising, etc. the Chuck Close exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art is, and so yesterday I finally went to go see what all the who-ha was about.
My colleagues weren't gushing or exaggerating one bit-it really is pretty amazing. The title of the exhibtion, Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, is a fitting title. I can't tell you how many times I've stared at the pulp stenciled piece of his daughter, Georgia, 1984, (above left) and tried to figure out how it was made.
In addition to seeing the large metal stencil that was used in its creation, I got to see all of 13 of the stencils used in the layered pulp portait he made of Roy Lichtenstein, the etched plates used in the Phillip Glass prints, and the carved blocks used for printing Emma. I appreciated how the blocks, stencils and plates were hung right alongside the prints. Chuck Close describes this exhibition as 'breaking the cardinal rule that was learned in magician school, that is, showing your audience how you did the trick'.
No tricks about it, go see this show. It has been extended until September 26th!

Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration from Corcoran Gallery of Art on Vimeo.

From Paper to Print

I just returned from teaching a 5 day workshop called 'Paper to Print' at Women's Studio Workshop. Like the name of it implies, it was a hybrid papermaking and printmaking class. The first couple of days we pulp painted on rag, abaca, and flax papers. Later on in the week, we used those pulp painted papers for backgrounds for pronto plate lithographs and xerox transfers. My students were great and brought so much to the class! Some highlights:

The blender bike that Barb brought

Sumptuous food

and our amazing tech Terez, who is pictured here washing some freshly cooked iris.

Here are some more pictures of the workshop.

Movers and Makers

Got back last night, but I'm still reeling from an exciting short trip to Richmond, VA. On Saturday, I taught a printmaking workshop at the Visual Art Center of Richmond, which was lots of fun,
but the highlight of the trip was staying the night at Alain and Aimee Joyaux's place in Petersburg, VA. I say 'place' because it is not exactly your typical house.
The couple bought a pre-Civil War warehouse that was on the verge of collapse in the downtown Petersburg area. With lots of love, sweat equity, and artistic vision, it has been transformed into an amazing space.
Here are some photos that I took, but you can also read a nice article about their home in Richmond Magazine

Their place is the second one down

What a living room! Aimee told me that the big square cut out of the ceiling was originally used to haul heavy items upstairs. They used it to pull the bathtub up.

A view of Aimee's amazing studio. I could see why she would never want to leave.

Aimee with her latest work-will be on display at Quirk Gallery soon.

Ruby, the art dog, and my one night bed mate.

Next weekend (June 4-6) we will be headed down to Richmond, VA.
Eric has a jewelry trunk show at Quirk (pictured left) on Saturday and
I will be giving an artist lecture on Friday and teaching a collaborative printmaking class on Saturday at the Visual Arts Center. Please come if you can!
Here is the full scoop.

Upcoming Workshops and Events

I will be teaching some workshops, and have some visiting artist engagements in the next couple of months.
Please feel free to email me directly if you have any questions about a particular workshop-gretchen@gretchenschermerhorn.com
Please pass along to anyone who you think might be interested, and hope to see you!

Pulp Printing
April 11th, 10am-4pm
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center
Silver Spring, MD
(301) 608-9101
Registration and more information

Gocco Printing
April 19th, 11am-1pm
Strathmore Mansion
Rockville, MD
(301) 581-5109
Registration and more information

Hand Papermaking
April 24th, 10:30-1:30
Strathmore Mansion
Rockville, MD
(301) 581-5109
Registration and more information

Beth and I are going to Kars, Turkey to teach a Papermaking workshop!
May 10th-14th
Sponsored by the Anatolian Artisans organization.
I'm sure we will make a special blog just for this trip, so stay posted!

Eastern and Western Hand Papermaking
Summer Session, May 24th-June 25th
Corcoran College of Art and Design

Visiting Artist lecture and Workshop
June 4th-6th
Visual Art Center of Richmond
Richmond, VA
More information to come

From Paper to Print
July 19th-24th
Women's Studio Workshop
Rosendale, NY
845.658.9133
For more information and to register

Sabeth (friend, coworker, and oh-so-talented printmaker/artist) and I are working on a public art piece that, when finished, will hang on an outside wall of Pyramid Atlantic's building. We decided to go with the idea of portraits of noteworthy Maryland people-activists mover and shaker types like Rachel Carson, Bea Gaddy, Clara Barton, Gustovo Torres, an others.
Sabeth and I both love vintage frames, so we enlarged some photographs and frames onto sentra board, then drew and cut them out
The public was invited on October 24th to help us out with the project. Our nextdoor neighbor, The Meditation Museum, provided some great food and beverage, and the Gandhi Brigade documented the event





























Now we are working on the finishing touches, that include printing some pattern in the background and some text.
I'll post some more pictures when it is complete and installed on the outside of the building

























Here are a lot more photos of the event and our work in progress

I recently was invited to be a visiting artist and lecturer at State University of New York, New Paltz. It was an unforgetable experience! First, I got to stay at the amazing, and full of fabulocity (it's a word; they use it on their website) Lefevre House. I would highly recommend staying in the red room (but I guess only if you really like red like I do).
I have nothing but great things to say about the students-grad and undergraduate- I met during my visit. They are driven, talented, and really pushing the boundaries of printmaking.
Many thanks to Lis Janes, Rimer Cardillo, Debra DeGregorio, Erin Dinan, and the rest of the Printmaking department for being such gracious hosts. Here are some photos I took during my visit

Picaroon Press-looks good on paper

After viewing the NORTHSOUTHEASTWEST exhibition, we walked down the quaint street in The Plains, to see Fleming Jeffries' print and book arts studio and shop, Picaroon Press.
Located in one half of an old train depot, Picaroon has a distinct smell-musty wood with a dash of oil based ink. I really like the way Fleming set the shop up, a large high working table in the center and presses, rollers, and other equipment on the periphery (including an older, and rather temperamental riso machine).