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PAST EXHIBITS |
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Joseph Zirker New Work April 1 to May 1, 2006 Through more than four decades of work and experimentation, Joseph Zirker has earned a reputation as one of the Bay-Area's most innovative printmakers. His most recent contribution to the field is the cast acrylic monotype, a new printmaking process that fuses paper and printed image into a unique whole. "This exhibition explores a body of work that have evolved through discoveries made beginning in the spring of 1999; that is, through the use of acrylic pigments, media, and gels there is a new way of making monotypes and intaglio prints (1). The discovery had to do with the unique characteristics of the medium: when acrylics are painted on certain slick, non-absorbent surfaces, they may easily be peeled off by hand, retaining the integrity of the paint film. While this characteristic has been well known historically, what was not known (or not tried) was the potential for incorporating image-making in the acrylics this way. Further, aside from the advantage of making monotypes, monoprints, editionable intaglio prints, collages, and 3-dimentional prints without the use of presses, this method allows for the inclusion of other media. Because of their bonding qualities, acrylic pigment and gels allow for the casting of imagery with almost all other media including watercolors, inks, pastels, charcoal, graphite - the list goes on (2). What may be evident to the viewer is that the new medium seems to blur the distinction between printmaking and painting; i.e., the printing press weds ink with the supporting materials, whether or cloth. The look of the lithograph, etching, woodcut and printed monotype is characterized by that quality of oneness of image wedded with support. In contrast , an image painted on a plate surface with acrylic that is allowed to thoroughly dry and then bonded to paper or cloth definitely sits on top of its support. In this respect , there is a look similar to that of serigraphy. In the making of this discovery and in the pursuit of the new approaches opened up to me, it was my inclination to explore a wide range of applications of the processes that I have developed. The contents of the resulting works reflect a re-examination of visual ideas dealt with within my printed works of the past 35 years, as well as new ones evolving out of growing understandings and feelings as the potentials of the medium were experienced. And in this respect, a note concerning the sculpture. Aside from the cast acrylic bas reliefs that were developed during these past few years, the three-dimensional collaged sculpture made from wood, foam core and cardboard constructions evolved out of a moment of frustration and insight during the writing of this statement. The first and second drafts written on yellow, lined notepaper were gathered into a heap and torn in several pieces. Holding the torn fragments in both hands, in an instant of recognition of formal possibilities, I decided to adhere them to each other with "u" nails and shellac. Present sculptures (collages with writing on white paper) more directly display how light and shadow interplay on space and volume. It is my conviction that there is reciprocity inherent in the way that vision and process relate, being inseparable, interacting parts of a creative whole. (...)" Joseph Zirker From: 1. Portions of the processes described herein are the subject of patent number US 6,663, 143 B2, as well as additional patent pending application. 2. Joseph Zirker, The Cast Acrylic Print, 2002, Xlibris Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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©2008 Smith Andersen North - Respective Artists. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without written permission. |
