Geographical Divides

Geo showing in Colorado~

2011-04-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks Melanie!
April/May 2011
King Family Exhibition Space, Boulder, Colorado

Exhibit College Southern Nevada

2011-01-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

Opening Friday, January 14th and running through Friday, March 4th, "Geographical Divides" features print makers and print making collaborations from Northern and Southern Nevada. This traveling exhibition is sponsored by the Nevada Arts Council and the Nevada Touring Initiative.

There will be an opening reception on Friday, January 28th from 6-9pm.

All events are free, open to the public, and handicap accessible.

For more information and gallery hours please visithttp://sites.csn.edu/artgallery/index.html or call 702-651-4205.
CSN Fine Arts Gallery on the Cheyenne Campus of the College of Southern Nevada

3200 East Cheyenne Avenue

North Las Vegas, NV

Curators' Statement

2010-12-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

Geographical Divides: Finding Common Ground examines Nevada’s unique visual culture. In this exhibit, Nevada artists have organized a print exchange that would bring two separate groups together to share dialogue, ideas and purposes of Nevada culture in the hopes of understanding and fostering new levels of communication. Such as in any “peace-making” venture, the concept started with dialog that thought to juxtapose pop culture myths like “Area 51”, “The Biggest Little City in the World” and “Sin City” with the harsh reality that Nevada is a state comprised of two major metropolitan communities that is divided by 300 miles of vast desert and pockets of small rural towns. There are notable differences in the style and content of art throughout the state and Nevada’s art communities are not separated by distance of travel alone.

What better venue than to ask artists to start this level of communication through a project? Historically, printmakers are artists who enjoy the sense of community that a printshop creates, and share their images, ideas and techniques with all. They are also able to produce multiples, thus increasing their reach to individuals outside their immediate community in “exchanging” their work. This assembly of printmakers—eight from the north, eight from the south— have produced two prints from each collaboration. Each artist produced an initial plate that was sent to their collaborating partner for further surface and conceptual additions, and then returned for completion. The particular processes and techniques were of the artists own choosing. Through their conversations, they were left free to interpret the idea of “Geographical Divides” as they wished.

Traditionally, artists are isolated creatures, working in private in their studios and workspaces, thinking their own thoughts, contemplating their own images. No one else touches or alters that work. Thus, in this collaboration, the chosen artists are asked to step out of their comfort zone, allowing little known individuals to alter, change, and mar their work. Not an easy task. On the flip note, this idea of changing someone else’s work, creates new possibilities and new resolutions to images, moving their artwork and concept beyond their traditional limits. The collaborating artists receive dual benefit, flexing their own artistic minds, and reaching out to new members of the art community - starting a dialogue in the struggle to understand and create bridges where there had recently been chasms.

Collaborating artists include: Maria Arango, Las Vegas/Lynn Schmidt, Reno; Erik Beehn, Las Vegas/Nolan Preece, Reno; Bobbie Ann Howell, Las Vegas/Galen Brown, Carson City; Daryl DePry, Las Vegas/Sharon Tetly, Carson City; Keith Conley, Las Vegas/Sidne Teske, Tuscarora; Anne Hoff, Las Vegas/Vicki LoSasso, Reno; Jeanne Voltura, Las Vegas/Candace Nicol, Reno; and Juan D. Varela, Las Vegas/Ashlea Clark, Reno

Geographical Divides: Finding Common Ground is curated by Anne Hoff, Professor of Art, College Southern Nevada and Candace Nicol, Director of Oxbow Press and Instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College. This exhibit is part of the Nevada Arts Council’s Nevada Touring Initiative–Traveling Exhibition Program, and is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nevada State Legislature. The Nevada Arts Council is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Collaboration

2010-11-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

"The Geographical Divides Project was an amazing journey. I was able to take myself out of my comfort zone and truely dive into new processes and work with new people. My partner, Juan, was a joy to work with. Even though we had some obsticles to deal with, such as distance, time, launguage barriers and a large age gap, we were still able to punch out some amaizng work and have an amazing time doing it!" - Ashlea Clark

Born to Be On Fire
Jaun Varela and Ashlea Clark

Bridging the Gap
Ashlea Clark and Jaun Varela

I think I saw it more as a separate process from one artist to the other even though it was collaborative. My partner and I certainly saw each other a few times and had brief conversations in person about our general ideas about the prints. Mostly it was a note here and there via email. I think because of the distance and time management on my part, I had to be intuitive and work quickly to come up with a final concept and image to complete the print I had been given. I think Candace and I worked on things in the same or similar way, and I am sure that is why we were teamed up. Or, because of my time restrictions I think Candace understood and worked in a way that helped me to finish the portfolio. - Jeanne Voltura

Pleasure Garden
Candace Nicol and Jeanne Voltura

Divided Values
Jeanne Voltura and Candace Nicol

The principle idea behind this project, was to bring two separate groups together, to share dialogue, ideas and purposes to start an understanding and level of communication that had never existed before. Such as in any “peace-making” venture, the road to understanding starts with communication. What better venue than to ask artists to start this level of communication than a project? Historically, printmakers are artists who enjoy the sense of community that a printshop creates, and share their images, ideas and techniques with all. They are also able to produce multiples, thus increasing their reach to individuals outside their immediate community in “exchanging” their work.

Traditionally, artists are isolated creatures, working in private in their studios/workspaces, thinking their own thoughts, contemplating their own images. No one touches or alters that work, but themselves. Thus, in this collaboration, the chosen artists were asked to step out of their comfort zone, allowing little known individuals to alter, change, and mar their work. Not an easy task. On the flip note, this idea of changing some-one else’s work, created new possibilities and new resolutions to images, moving their artwork and concept beyond their traditional limits. The collaborating artists received dual benefit, flexing their own artistic minds, and reaching out to new members of the art community. Starting a dialogue, starting to understand and create bridges where there had recently been chasms.

This has not been a difficult journey, but an enriching and exciting trip. Which I hope for all will not be their last. - Anne M. Hoff

Along a Thin Line
Anne Hoff and Vicki LoSasso

Synergistic Divisions
Vicki LoSasso and Anne Hoff

"Erik Beehn and I had very few difficulties in resolving any differences we had simply because we are easy-to-get-along-with artists and we were willing to flex our schedules, ideas and techniques. We first laid out a time line and we stuck to it. Both of us had to compromise but we realized this was the best way to finish the job." - Nolan Preece

Well... The most difficult part for myself, which is also the best part in many ways, was the battle for a physical interaction with such a distance between paired artists. That also seemed to me to be the most successful element of the project for myself; Taking me out of my comfort zone, and introducing me to another artist, as well as a part of Nevada I was unfamiliar with. - Erik Beehn

Here, There and Between
Erik Beehn and Nolan Preece

The Milkman
Nolan Preece and Erik Beehn

I tend to be very flexible when “thinking” a woodcut print and do most of my designing with the cutting chisels. As a consequence, the thought of planning almost froze me and the thought of planning with a partner was fairly unnerving. But, adventurous as I claim to be, I just dove in and realized that my ability to “go with the image” as it develops for my own works was the perfect “training” for this sort of collaboration.

On my own print, I decided on a puzzle approach, thus liberating both myself and my partner from an excess of pre-planning. I actually completely liberated Lynn from any constraints and just gave her four little empty pieces of wood to do as she wished, staying within our chosen theme, of course. But as collaborations go, I couldn’t help but exclaiming: “Oh wow, I didn’t expect that!” when receiving my own little pieces back and when I first got Lynn’s block.

Back to my aforementioned “training” as a professional take-it-as-it-comes printmaker and I was able to adapt to a style and imagery completely foreign to my own. Taking a step in someone else’s world was nothing short of awesome. I worked in a much different way than I’m accustomed to work and yet I learned of myself that I’m adaptable to think in another artistic language without losing my way.
I’m a complete loner, when it comes to art and pretty much otherwise; working with my “partner in printmaking” (Lynn’s words) taught me that working with a partner is really a priceless enlightening artistic adventure. - Maria Arango

Urban Rural Interface
Lynn Schmidt and Maria Arango

Terra Tribuo Terra Partis (Divided Earth, Shared Earth)
Maria Arango and Lynn Schmidt

I don't know if "a very difficult journey" is altogether accurate for me. Time, and distance were of course hurdles I imagine we all encountered, there was a fair amount of cussing associated with process and getting what I wanted from methods used.

As with any collaboration finding what will work with your partner, what processes, and the discussion of image concepts that have to be designed while learning about the other artist was challenging but not difficult, rather enjoyable actually. In this instance the collaboration was with someone I did not know so it was kind of a "blind collaboration" to be begin with. Galen is an exceptional artist and we luckily have some commonality in our working methods and a certain affinity for Nevada and some parallels in our growing up experiences his in the north mine in the south.

The deadline was a constant factor to get the work and complete edition done, to do work that your partner and project artists hopefully would like to have, to be able to present a work of quality and thoughtfulness were concerns of mine. There were various process problems that came with getting back into working in printmaking methods and relearning some techniques, having time to produce the outcome wanted, and in the end choosing a rather labor intensive method, but that happens often in my creative process and artwork production, always searching for what will work best for the concept. I was fortunate to be able to work with Galen several times over a period of days during the course of the project, that time I think proved to be invaluable, and I still hope my partner is pleased with what we created together. Other partners included Anne, Candace, Erik and Jeannie who were were on hand to provide discussion and assistance when the the battle with time, space, technique and the desire to create art was raging. Thanks to all. - Bobbie Ann Howell

Tracks
Galen Brown and Bobbie Ann Howell

Nevada
Bobbie Ann Howell and Galen Brown

Some amazing photos taken by Bobbie Ann

2010-11-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

Bobbie emailed these to me. They are some great photos showing our processes and collaborations.

Yep, a little too much Starbucks Coffee which is right around the corner from where Anne teaches. In Jan. 2010, some of us all met in Vegas to start the collaboration. We also printed up half the colophons then, too. Pictured: Candace Nicol and Anne Hoff

Kate is showing us different ideas for the portfolio boxes she is making by hand. Pictured: Kate, Juan, Anne and Candace

Summer 2010 - UP north at Oxbow Press, another gathering of artists working on the prints. Pictured: Anne, Sidne, and Candace

Sidne Teske working out the technicalities of screenprinting.

Anne Hoff drawing an image that will eventually be the screenprinted component to "Synergistic Divisions".

Final layers of "Tracks" by Galen Brown and Bobbie Ann Howell

"Nevada" by Bobbie Ann Howell and Galen Brown

Erik Beehn working on his plate for "Here, There and Between".

Digital component SALLY to Erik Beehn & Nolan Preece's print: "Here, There and Between".

Blend ink on a big roller - for the relief component of "Tracks" by Galen Brown and Bobbie Ann Howell

Candace Nicol and Jeanne Voltura's first print done

2010-07-26T20:15:00.001-07:00

Pleasure Garden

Candace Nicol and Jeanne Voltura

4-color etching/gold relief with glitter embossment

Rives BFK white

10”W x 20”H

When I received Jeanne’s linoleum plate of the two women, I was inspired by what we have been discussing all along – the dichotomy of surface pleasures perpetuated in the gaming industry and the rawness of actual life in Nevada; the schema of rugged rurality, conservatism, and religious beliefs. When I started to really think about the image, what kept popping into my mind were the gaudy carpets that Casinos place in their establishments. I thought, “I’m going to place a sampling of one of these carpets in this piece.” I started researching the different carpets and in the end chose the carpet from Atlantis: 1- It’s my favorite casino to go and eat at; and 2- It has a jungle theme, so immediately I was thinking how opposed that is to the Nevada landscape and how it eludes to the original sin which is inspired by the two figures that Jeanne carved out.

When Jeanne saw the finished piece, she wrote to me:

“I like to try to come up with titles ...you have me thinking about the garden idea in the statement you made when you were talking about your ideas...could call it Glitter Garden...also ties to rural life...could call it Golden Garden...or Gold Sparkle Garden...Golden Idle (Idol...Idle means to not move, so its about going nowhere...).... Idle Glitter...Glitter Idol...Glitter Gone Wild...Republic of Glitter...Glitter State.... Glitter Valley...All that Glitters is not Gold...I could keep thinking of things...but here is my thinking...I like the word glitter...but really like your ideas...they need to be woven together in the title somehow...to drive the meaning home...I was also trying to use the notion of conservatism somehow in the title but its too heavy...really like thinking about the pleasure idea...how hotels/gaming create this excessive, non-existent utopia within their establishments...how much that is opposed to the realities of living life in this state...or how life in general is very different...the stripper is a male symbol for selfish pleasure...but the realities of actually being a stripper are quite different...or they can be...I am sure that women who are in the adult entertainment industry get a little more than burnt out working within that realm of providing pleasure for their livelihood...Pleasure Garden would be good too...Pick the Right One could say a bunch about choosing a lifestyle and also the excesses of casinos...like which girl should I choose to marry...when I was making the image the old cliché of thinking of the Madonna whore thing kept coming up in my mind...how men look for a woman that is virtuous but really deep down want her to be extremely sexual in the negative version of that word...also was thinking about the south and north being considered differently. I think that in my mind, I view Reno/Tahoe/Carson City as being represented by the good woman, and Las Vegas being represented by the stripper.

Maria Lynn progress part deux

2010-06-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

I had to go see what I had already posted. My topo/puzzle idea came to life when I received Lynn's puzzle pieces. We had talked about keeping the individual images simple and I was pleased with her choice of imagery. Lynn will be pleased to know that the rat transplant went without a hitch (perhaps she can further explain that one!).

Just to refresh, we had gone with the theme urban/rural and how somehow we work things out with natural things when we live on the edge of a city (as Lynn does) or smack in the middle but with an acre of desert "elbow-room" as I do. On a bigger scale, of course, every city in Nevada deals with the issue of sprawling into the habitat of the few and hardy creatures with whom we share our beloved desert.

In any case, with Lynn's images in place, I started sketching in PhotoShop again. I wanted to keep the topo colors and somehow bring out the positive concept of sharing among urban/rural, rather than some of the more negative connotations that come to mind. I decided to add some urban elements since Lynn's critters pretty much took care of the rural part, and after some mulling and browsing, settled on semaphores (traffic lights for US folk :-). The "traffic lights" I picked had a hint of primitive symbols and, rendered in the topo colors, blend in quite nicely without losing meaning. Caution and courtesy, please, when urban and rural meet...

The computer is really a luxury when it comes to "sketching" and I don't use it often enough to develop my imagery. When I do, I find it most exciting to change imagery, save stages, tweak elements of design here and there, change color schemes...luxury!

I even changed the "paper" several times to see what the image would look like printed on various choices. Here is the almost-to-be-final image. I need to let it gel for a couple of days and then it should only be about another week or two for carving and printing. My Valley of Fire show concludes next week and I should be able to dedicate myself to this project fully and finish printing by the second week of July.

The sketch, reversed as it will be in print, a little messy in PhotoShop but will clean up and simplify nicely when printed because the woodcut process tends to do that. I think the colors will work well to represent both the topo features and the red/yellow/green of the traffic symbols. The "city grids" will probably also be finer and cleaner in line when cut on wood.

Comments welcomed!

Maria-Lynn Report: Brain work is about done!

2010-06-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Let's catch up on progress. I carved my half of Lynn's block for Lynn and sent back to her a little while back.

This is what it looks like, more or less. The top part was already carved and I (I think as usual) finished the bottom to complete the "narrative". It's a PhotoShop rendition of what I was going to carve but close enough to life.

Lynn is going to print using some color but I will let her tell you all about that. The picture of the block as carved below.

With that responsibility completed, I moved on to my block. Next post explains the process.

2010-06-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Just some updates for everyone. Hope all is going well in print land and that eveyone is doing well in getting their 20 print edition done for August 1st. We had a change in plans for the writer of our project... Jim McCormick was unable to do the writing component of the Geo. project, so we asked Fred Sigman to step in for the job. For those of you who don't know Fred, he is an accomplished photographer, art historian and art critic. I had the pleasure of working with him at CSN while he was our Art Historian, specializing in Tribal and Asian art studies. He is a long-time Nevadan, with ties to artists throughout the state.

He has requested contact information for all participants and will probably be giving many of you a call to talk with you and discuss your work.

We are glad to welcome Fred and his voice in this exciting project.!

The Lynn and Maria report!

2010-05-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

Things are quietly moving along with our happy creation. As you know, we chose to do something along the lines of the dichotomy between rural and urban, generally speaking.
Lynn lives on the outskirts of the city and enjoys rural views from her urban digs. Maria lives smack in the middle of the city (formerly the outskirts!) in an acre with plenty of "elbow room" between neighbors, neatly simulating a tiny rural environment.

Anyhow, Lynn is in possession of my puzzle blocks and I am about done carving my part on my own block, plus the four pieces. I might do a color background on the...er, background, but that is to be decided.

In the meantime, I received Lynn's block, neatly carved with a variety of interesting images and shapes.

This is a proof of the block, with my "blank canvas" at the bottom. I really liked the roof shapes and the shape of the vegetation-divider in the middle of the image, so I decided to replicate them.

Since I don't often sketch except right on the block, I had to revise the way I work. I took this very picture into Photoshop and proceeded to doodle on the bottom with my trusty graphic tablet pen.
I wanted those very interesting shapes to tie in my design and Lynn's so I simply copied and pasted some of her shapes with some stretching and replicating and mirror imaging and all that is possible with PS.
I find that looking at images very small on the computer screen helps balance compositions and blacks and whites. Also help in color schemes.
Lynn's rooftops became my mountains, the little house in the middle of the desert was "stolen" from Lynn's housing complex, the horses shrunk to fit the scale, and the bushes flipped and distorted to fill in the foreground and balance the blacks.

After a few days of looking at the thing, I came up with three very close versions of what I wanted to do. Since Lynn chose to depict the urban environment with a little "rurality" for contrast, I chose to do just the opposite. Here are my sketches, you can play "find the differences" if you like. We decided on No.3 and I'm carving today as soon as I get off this chair.

The carving begins!

Nolan and Erik's Final Piece

2010-04-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

North vs. South Nevada

Northern Nevada with its riches of gold, culture and history likes to think it is so far ahead of the Southern end of the state. Upon closer examination however, the bulk of Nevada’s population is in the South giving it ever increasing political and financial power.

Las Vegas and Clark County are represented here by a neon sign of a milkman, a symbol of life giving power. He is exiting stage right with the milk money, leaving the symbols of mining, culture, history and even wild horses in a cloud of dust.

Galen and Bobbie Ann first proof

2010-04-05T12:05:00.001-07:00

Maria to Lynn email

2010-02-11T22:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Lynn!

Here is the GRAND PLAN!!!

This is the BRAINSTORM

I wanted to do something with our idea of the dichotomy between rural and urban.

So I thought of maps and how our respective cities are representative of that concept. Cities in the desert are sort of like islands in the ocean, separated by a vast expanse of impassable terrain.

I dug up some topo maps and fell in love with that “spine” and decided to use as a separator, symbolic of the rugged desert ocean that lies between us.

After some serious “photoshopping” I came up with this design. The left is the printout, the right is our block. The design is already reversed so our cities will resemble their proper orientations in space when they are printed. The image is vertical as in the first picture, by the way, I just didn’t rotate the pictures.

Now, here’s the grand plan! ARE YOU READY??!

Today I am going to reinforce the design in permanent marker, this “sets” the concept on the block and gets me ready for carving. Then I will stain the block and let it dry to make it easy to see the carving.

NEXT! Comes the jig saw…

See those two areas representing the cities? See the roads crossing them?

I am going to cut all those 8 “city” pieces out and scramble them so that our designs will either be in the north or south free to co-mingle with each other in a random way. You will get four and I will get four. They may end up together or separated, north or south.

Your MISSION, should you wish to accept it…is to design and carve four little scenes representative of our overall theme: rural/urban.

The pieces are about 4-5 inches wide or smaller and I will mark which way is UP on the back so you can orient your designs accordingly. Obviously working small will restrict detail and they really can be very simple, in fact preferably so. For example, one of mine I will carve a simple native American symbol representing a map/route, another will be a figure of a woman cross legged taking in the desert, another I may do a little skyline of the Strip merging into mountains, etc.

Once I receive your pieces and carve my pieces I will assemble the puzzle and print.

The background will be very light topo-like. The “spine” I will develop more in a three state reduction to resemble a topo map and its wonderful markings (I may have to carve a separate block). Our pieces will print over a very light background of yellowish/green. Once I get your pieces back I may carve some additional lines on them to integrate them with the background so they don’t look separated from the rest of the design.

Sounds crazy, I know, but these puzzle prints WORK! And they ROCK!

Any questions? Comments? I’m warming up the jigsaw…vrrrm vrrrm vrrrrrrrrm…

Maria

More Collaborating

2010-01-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

Collaborating in Las Vegas

2010-01-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Just a little video about collaboration

2010-01-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Vegas in January

2010-01-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Candace's copper was opened and checked at the airport. Copper, really tricky stuff

Galen and Juan engraving into copper

Just in case of an emergency, look for these in Anne's drawer.

Galen and BobbieAnn printing a proof of their first plate, a mezzotint

BobbieAnn's drawing for their second plate/first print collaborative with Galen

Pictures from our first print-together in Vegas, Jan. 9-11, 2010

2010-01-13T17:26:00.000-08:00

Anne and Vicki - the lively ones!

Keith, Anne and Vicki, Galen in foreground

Juan

Galen showing Juan how to engrave

test

2009-11-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

I'm in!!!

2009-11-17T13:24:00.001-08:00

Hello printmakers,

I just wanted to follow up on some questions sent regarding the "printmaking open studio" at the College of Southern NV, Jan. 8-10. This is an open session for everyone to come and work. Candace and I will be working on some printing for this project, and can also be there to answer any questions, etc. The printmaking facility at CSN is located in the Art Complex on the West Charleston campus; Room 108. I have direct access (keys) to this facility, and I plan on arriving around 9 am. each day, and closing up the studio when people are ready. I am going to send the address of the facility, as well as my home address, so you can google, or mapquest directions. As always, if you have a question, please e-mail; conana@cox.net or anne.hoff@csn.edu or even call; 702-218-0202.

printmaking location: College of Southern NV, West Charleston Campus, Art Complex (N building) Room 108, 6375 West Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 891018
Anne's place: 6309 Santa Cruz Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89108

Just let me know if you think you'll be around anytime on the weekend.

Anne

2009-11-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

My name is Ashlea and I am a printmaking student at the University of Nevada, Reno. I am super excited to be working on the Geographical Divides project with everyone. I know it has taken me a while to get into this blogging thing, but I here!

Ashlea

A Brief Introduction

2009-11-08T01:21:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow printmakers,

I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Erik Beehn. I am very excited to be part of this interesting project, and look forward to the entire experience. I know some of you but not all, I was a student of Anne's some years back in Las Vegas, where I grew up. I studied printmaking at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, before moving to Los Angeles in 2005 for a job opportunity as a printer for Gemini GEL. I have been printing for Gemini for over four years and plan to leave there to return to Vegas early next year.

My work tends to cross media most often Printmaking and Photography. I practice new ways of making marks while exploring everyday spaces. I look forward to meeting and talking with you all.

Cheers

Erik S. Beehn

www.erikbeehn.com

wwwgeminigel.com

GREAT resource for ideas

2009-10-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all - The Nevada Museum of Art has been doing some great work on "Art and Environment" and there is a social network that can act as a resource for us all:
http://artenvironment.nevadaart.org/

Check it out.

Other links, too:
http://www.nevadaart.org/a+e.php
http://www.clui.org/
http://www.dri.edu/

Lynn's Artist Statement regarding Geographical Divides

2009-10-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Since moving to Reno some years ago from a softer, greener place, I have used art to grapple with my environment. I found that making art about the place is my way to claim it and feel at home. In the beginning I was intimidated by the desert landscape and started with still life paintings. Soon the still life objects were perched before windows with a glimpse of the hills beyond. Later I found a group of plein air painters who introduced me to the many facets of my new home state which I have come to appreciate, and maybe even love.
I also find that living in town is convenient in all sorts of ways, though the quiet, empty, wild places of Nevada are the ones that nourish my spirit. Luckily, I have a taste of both, living as I do at the urban edge of northern Nevada’s largest metropolitan center. From the front of my house I overlook a sea of tract houses and hear the hum of the distant freeway. From the back of the house, I see hill beyond hill of pinion-dotted rocky land which so far is only lightly tamed by human development. This urban interface is an interesting place of contrast and conflict. The wild horses in their quest for food often make themselves unwelcome on the suburban lawns. The rabbits and ground squirrels make gardening a frustrating business. This place of dichotomy, this tension between untamed and over regimented is the inspiration for the work I am doing for the Geographical Divides project.

2009-10-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
With lots of help from Candace, I can blog!
More later,
Lynn

2009-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Let me say welcome and I'm really stoked for this project. I hope to have an image to share sometime in the next month, but am waiting for my partner to return from Africa.
I hope to be able to finalize the list of participants in the next couple of weeks. This promises to be an innovative and exciting project.
Southern participants, please don't hesitate to contact me, or if you are looking for a space to work, just let me know, and I'll let you share the printmaking space at CSN.

Special thanks to Candace Nicole for setting up this blog and putting together the documents that have been flying. What do you folks think about having a couple weekends to get together and print at the CSN printshop? I am also considering a week at Goldwell's facility if it can be worked out. Let me know your thoughts.

Anne

Addendum

2009-10-14T19:14:00.001-07:00

Sorry, go to that link:
http://1000woodcuts.com/projects/projectsindex.html
and scroll to 2002 Monster Print
to see the collaboration with the Double D

Collaborating

2009-10-13T08:52:00.001-07:00

Lynn and I talked about collaborating on a print and how exactly to do that.
I worked with "our" very own Daryl on a massive woodcut a while back which miraculously worked out just peachy despite our styles being quite different.

We both like coffee.

This is a bit different since we are separated by geography, and I'm sure everyone will have various ways of working together but I thought I'd show the whole collab-story for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/projectsindex.html

Formal Greeting

2009-10-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hey inky fingered friends,
My name is Daryl DePry and a lot of folk call me Double D; I am a printmaker. I prefer my endeavers through the woodcut printmaking process but am fluent and teach in stone and plate litho, intaglio, and serigraphy. I use a sketchbook and avoid the computer for my mockups. I am a coffee acheiver and like it hot and black.
I grew up in San Diego and came to Vegas in 1989.
I have my studio at home, crammed in my garage and print from a Sturgis CP-5 etching press- She's an utter delight. I feed her every week.
I graduated from UNLV 1998 with my BFA and a minor in geology and in 2002 with an MFA. I have been teaching ever since then at UNLV until last year- budget cuts.
Anyways, I got some images on INKTERACTION and Flickr under the guise Dar'wyl. Check it out.
Totally psyched to do this Geographical Divide and hope it turns some heads.
Later days,
DD

Topos for me and Lynn

2009-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking some topo images. I don't sketch much but I will try to post some pics of my drawing on blocks. Lynne, I hope you're ready for cherry wood!

Lynn has already started so I guess I better get my act together.

Maria

Ideas for etching with Jeanne

2009-10-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

So I've been thinking about this project and connecting it with my own work regarding the Landscape of Desires and the Connection between the North and the South. Jeanne and I have started talking via Facebook and came up with some great ideas. I'm starting my plate as an etching and an hoping to get it to Jeanne by the end of next month. When she is done etching her part, I want to print it and then screenprint "little" storyboard images relating to North/South connections. Both Jeanne and I can come up with the "little" drawings.

Geographical Divides Print Prospectus

2009-10-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Geographical Divides

A Collaborative Print exhibition of Northern and Southern Nevada Printmakers

A print portfolio exchange organized by Anne M. Hoff and Candace Nicol

Nevada is a rich visual landscape – a state complete with wonderful cultural myths like “Area 51” and “Sin City”. It is a state that commands the imagination of Postmodernism - from the architecture of Las Vegas to the proliferation of Burning Man once a year. Also, it is a state comprised of two major metropolitan communities in the South and the North divided by 300 miles of desert. Geographical Divides brings Nevada printmakers together for an opportunity to collaborate in the creation of a print portfolio exchange that will visually explore the uniqueness of our state.

This is to be a printmaking exchange and subsequent exhibit that pairs a Northern NV printmaker with a Southern NV printmaker to work collaboratively on two individuals prints. The basic premise is for each artist to partially complete a traditional printing plate, send it to their partner, who will alter and work additionally on the same plate. Upon the second artist working the plate, it shall be returned to the originating printmaker, who will complete the plate/image and then print an edition of 20.

Sixteen printmakers are being invited to participate in Geographical Divides Portfolio exchange and Nevada Arts Council Touring Initiative. Eight printmakers are to come from Northern Nevada, eight printmakers from Southern Nevada. Artists will be paired based on technical sensibilities, content and personal temperament. The process for completing this edition will take an approximate time period of 6 months. The end result will be a total edition of 20 prints completed by each artist. 16 prints to be employed for the portfolio exchange, 1 print for the NAC traveling exhibition, 1 print for the archives of the Nevada Arts Council, 1 print for the Southern Nevada College permanent collection, 1 print for Truckee Meadows Community College permanent collection.

Artists participating in Geographic Divides will explore connections and disconnections between Southern Nevada and Northern Nevada cultural attitudes, aesthetics and geographical distinctions. Each printmaking pair in our state will communicate and visually respond to each other’s unique economic, environmental and political/social settings.

Organizers:

Anne M. Hoff, Southern Nevada College, Las Vegas, NV

Department of Fine Arts, College Southern Nevada, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. –W2D, Las Vegas, NV 89146-1164 anne.hoff@csn.edu

Candace Nicol, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV

25 Sunridge Drive, Reno, NV 89511 info@candacenicol.com

Candace Nicol is an adjunct professor at Truckee Meadows Community College and is a co-founder of the Northern Nevada Printmakers’ Conspiracy. She has curated numerous international and national print portfolio exchanges and collaboration projects including 6sides2 every story and the CommD project, both sponsored by Nevada Arts Council Grants. www.candacenicol.com

Participants:

SOUTHERN NEVADA	NORTHERN NEVADA
Maria Arango	Lynn Schmidt
Erik Beehn	Nolan Preece
Bobbie Ann Howell	Galen Brown
Daryl Depry	Sharon Tetly
Keith Conley	Lynne Kistler
	Ashlea Clark
Anne Hoff	Vicki LoSasso
Jeanne Voltura	Candace Nicol

Portfolio Details:

MEDIA…………………… Printmaking in any form and archival media. Paired artists are asked to work together and plan which techniques and processes they want to employ for their two plates. They do not each have to start with the same matrix. For example: Maria may start with a woodblock and Lynne may start with Linoleum.

INTERLEAVING…… For protection of individual prints, glassine must be folded over each print and fit the size of the prints exactly.

SIZE………………..…… 10”x20” bleed prints (image and paper size)

EDITION SIZE……… 20 -The prints need to be individually numbered 1/20 through 20/20.

DISTRIBUTION…… Each participating artist will receive a complete boxed portfolio of 14 prints. One boxed portfolio will be donated to Nevada Arts Council, one will be donated to the College of Southern Nevada and the third will be donated to Truckee Meadows Community College Art Gallery Collection. The remaining set will be framed for Nevada Touring Initiative Exhibitions.

FEES…………………….$75 to defray the cost of portfolio boxes, colophon and postage

RESUME/ARTIST STATEMENT/ TECHNICAL SHEET……….Please include a current resume (1 page) and an artist statement. This is a requirement for the collections. Also, for the development of the educational guide that is printed in conjunction with the Nevada Touring Initiative exhibits, we will need artist pairs to provide brief descriptions of their collaborative print media and methods.

DEADLINE………………Editions must be postmarked by August 1, 2010

Send Editions to:

Anne Hoff

Department of Fine Arts

College Southern Nevada

6375 W. Charleston Blvd. –W2D

Las Vegas, NV 89146-1164