Center for Contemporary Printmaking New Show & Feb. Workshops

On January 22, the The Second East Coast Screenprint Biennial show opened at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking located on 299 West Ave. in Norwalk and will run through March 25, 2017.

The Screenprint Biennial is an art exhibition that showcases a range of screenprint-based art applications, from framed, editioned prints, to installation, sculpture, video, ephemera, and posters. This exhibition, juried by Nathan Meltz, printmaker and lecturer in the Art Department of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, will showcase artists from around the country who utilize adventurous, relevant and passionate impressions within the screenprint medium.

In addition, this February, the Center is offering a series of workshops including a three day workshop from Feb. 1-3 with Nomi Silverman that combines etchings with woodcuts. Participants will learn how to combine mediums to give prints depth and textural creativity. Woodcuts can be added as either tonal/color shapes under etchings, or etchings can be added for a dark mark to a woodcut. Use either an existing etching or woodcut. Participants will work with existing matrix, or create simple plates to explore cross process layering.

Another class, Silkscreen and Encaustic with Jeff Hirst is scheduled for Feb. 13-17.  This workshop will introduce and explore various approaches to combining screen printing and encaustic, utilizing line and halftone photo-based imagery. The technical information will be presented through a hands-on approach with emphasis on achieving each individual artist's aesthetic goals. All equipment will be provided for each student to work at a fixed screen printing station.

The final class offered this Feb. is the  Photo Lithography course with James Reed on Feb. 18 and 19 and again on Feb. 25 - 26. Photo lithography allows the opportunity to explore a wide variety of mark making in this contemporary lithographic process. Participants will learn to combine both photo and analog forms of imagery with the use of digital output onto transparency film, as well as a variety of drawing materials on frosted mylar. This 2-weekend workshop will cover how to create these different type of film positives, both digital and hand drawn, exposing and developing the plate, and how to print and edition using a litho or etching press. (Prior knowledge of printmaking processes is helpful.)