"The Cairn"
(Continued from page 1.. )
PMN: Can you tell the readers a little about yourself? When did you start printmaking? Did you have formal training? Do you do this as a "full time" job or do you create your artwork in your spare time?
MA: 'Twas long ago when the printmaking bug bit me during my acquisition of a
degree in something other than art, perhaps in the mid 80's I took my first
courses. I took all the printmaking courses the University of Nevada, Las
Vegas had to offer and then took them all again, mostly stone lithography
and etching/engraving, then independent study, mostly under the quiet,
encouraging eye of a professor named Jim Pink. I didn't really meet my "love", woodcut printmaking, until after I had released my umbilical cord
from the instructional environment. I picked up woodcut printmaking at home
because of the simplicity of the medium, the absence of complex and
specialized equipment needed and the "look", honesty and power of the
traditional woodcut, black and white, either there in totality or not at
all.
After a pretty successful career in the Health Industry as an Exercise
Physiology (in 1992 I ended up with an M.S.), I started entering
competitions and exhibits and was rewarded with early success. The same
quality of the woodcut, either there in totality or not at all, is
apparently deeply engrained in my personality. I could no longer just "dabble" in art and decided to dive in head first and become a full-time
artist in 1999. Art festivals suit me more than galleries to reach my
collectors, more honesty there and, again like woodcuts, not a lot of talk
and superficial frills, just a lot of aching, sweat and blood and honest
work.
There is no spare time, by the way, time passed doing nothing is gone in a
second, quite literally.
PMN: Where did the idea of the "Monumental Collaborative Puzzle Prints" projects derive from? Was it your own brainchild or is there a story behind the idea and where it came from?
MA: I don't think anyone can claim to give birth to something new these days;
there has been too many people in the world for a long time. But what the
heck, yes, this was my brainchild, or if there is someone else that has done
it before, I'm not aware of it. I think I was reading about a collective "quilt" project where every participant contributed a square piece of cloth
and it was sewn into a gigantic quilt. Pretty sure it was an AIDS benefit.
That was part of the inspiration. Long long ago I started an online mural on my website, quite lonely by now,
where I pasted little prints from a bunch of different printmakers who sent
their .jpgs.
Then there were the color puzzle prints that I picked up from a book
somewhere. Every color is split into a piece, inked separately and the whole
color puzzle comes together at press. I thought it would be totally cool if
I sent a little piece of a block to a bunch of people and unified the image somehow with an underlying theme. I didn't really know what the whole thing
would look like but thought if I kept it "together" with an overall design
that the "collage" would work somehow. I'm not much for thinking through
things and tend to launch ideas pretty quickly so I started the first puzzle
based on the "web" used by a bunch of printmakers to communicate and somehow
stick together despite being geographically separated by the Rocky Mountains
and the Mississippi River and the seven seas. It worked.
PMN: When you first undertook this project, did you have any idea of how much work it would be and what to expect?
MA: Now THAT would have taken all the fun out of it for me. I thought about some
major issues, like printing a gazillion prints and how the blocks may expand
or shrink or how the whole thing could end up being a disaster. But
basically I just dove in. Work has never scared me and self-inflicted work
is what keeps a restless mind sane.
To answer more directly, no, I had no idea I would end up spending two weeks
printing and three days mailing boxes. Reminded me of my days at UPS, a lot
of piles of boxes with no end in sight (humor!).
PMN: Can you describe your planning process? The time that lead up to your first pencil sketch or mark on the master block? Please include a brief description of what the blocks are made from.
MA: The main initial "headache" is trying to fit all the participants neatly
into a design that unifies the project. Let me back up. The steps go like
this:
- Get people excited enough to sign up and commit to the project.
- Count the number of people after a few reminders and time passed and such
things.
- Gather all the data neatly in some sort of spreadsheet for the sake of
organization and later sanity.
- NOW count the participants again and decide to close the project.
- Figure on how large the thing has to be according to some obscure and
flexible formula based on square inches per person. Basically a 20 x 28"
block of wood will yield a 22x30" sheet of paper and will accommodate about
20-24 or so 6"x6" pieces, which are small enough to carve quickly and big
enough to inspire some actual image. I learned this on my first project.
With 79 participants on this last project, I knew I would need three blocks
so I ordered four just in case. With a bigger press I now have the
flexibility to use larger blocks, up to 24"x36" which will print on a full
sheet of paper, 31" x 40". Anything larger and I will have to start lifting
weights now just to handle the blocks.
The next step comes when the wood gets to me. So far I have used 3/4" cherry
plywood due to several desirable characteristics. The wood has to be stable
to travel from 2-4% humidity (in Las Vegas Nevada) to the far corners of the
world, most of them more humid. So far only one problem with a couple of
blocks being deformed by the elements. Cherry plywood is also fairly easy to carve but hard enough to yield about 100 prints and with the variety of
carving experience that the participants have, I needed something versatile.
Lastly, I had to be able to cut fairly intricate curves with a jig-saw.
I lay out the blocks and by now I usually have a unifying theme and a design
in mind. I don't know how I think of these but basically the theme has to be
pretty general so as not to stifle the creativity of the participants, and
it has to be unifying enough to lend the whole thing a...whole. Other
requirements are that there be a physical barrier between blocks or groups
of blocks, as the "web strands" in the first puzzle project and the "stone
sections" in the second. These edges serve to bring blocks together and keep
them from wobbling when printing.
Once I have the design I lay out with a pencil right on the blocks. Then I
look at it for a day or two, make adjustments and pencil in the "puzzle
pieces" making sure they are balanced and relatively equal in size. There is
a lot of erasing going on at this point but eventually I get them all laid
out and go over the lines with sumi ink. A bit more ogling and then the
jig-saw gets revved up and cutting begins. I mark every block with an
arbitrary but ordered code so I know where they go and I have by now made a
paper map of the design, usually by taking a digital picture and printing
out in black and white. I also mark the blocks with an arrow indicating "which way is up" so participants can plan their designs accordingly.
After they are cut, a task that takes a couple of days, the blocks are
mailed out and I record who gets what block in the spreadsheet. My work is
done for about a year, when the carved gems make their way back to me.
PMN: The financial cost of these projects must have been considerable? How did you go about organizing this in a way that wouldn't have all of that financial burden fall on your shoulders?
MA: The projects are meant to be self financed, however I've missed the mark on
both projects so far by a few hundred dollars. I keep all finances
transparent so that participants know where their money is spent and publish
a financial record on the web at the end of the project for the world to
see. Everyone is encouraged to contribute a minimum amount to cover their
mailing and material costs, however planning is tough when mailing rates
have nearly doubled in the past four years.
Some participants are very generous with their contributions and I have even
received donations from people that read my blog or visit my website. I pick
up the slack and happily so. I make good money at art festivals and enjoy
sharing. My husband accuses me of being far too generous with my hard earned
profits but I see it as "giving back" to other artists.
The participation fee is bound to go up mostly due to mailing costs. I'm
also feeling that the commitment might be stronger if there is an upfront
participation fee, collected before the first blocks go out. We'll see.
PMN: Were there any setbacks or problems early on in either of the two collaboratives?
MA: Not really, not until printing begins. I broke a lot of jig-saw blades on
the first one so I invested in a more powerful (and cordless) saw and
quality scroll-blades for the second project which made things a lot easier.
I'm thinking of moving to 1" thick wood for the next project but need to
practice some curve cutting first to make sure it is feasible. The thicker
wood will make printing easier and with less problems.
Only one block was "returned to sender" and I was unable to reach the
participant so I just reassigned it to a late sign-up.
PMN: How many artists participated in each of the two projects?
MA: The first project "Baren Puzzle" or the "web" had 44 participants, one drop
out and one substitute.
The second project "Baren Cairn" had 79 sign up, three drop outs. I carved
the missing blocks.
I am hoping for about 100 or more in the next project, although I can't
believe I'm saying that right now.
PMN: What were your feelings and thoughts when you started receiving the first blocks of these projects?
MA: Dangit, now I have to print the stupid things! Just kidding, just kidding...
Getting these back is most exciting. With a full year as a deadline and
often six months extended grace period, blocks are coming in sporadically
pretty much all the time. It's exciting to get them, see what different
people have done with the strange shapes. Mostly I start to feel connected
to the participants. I get a lot of love along with the little blocks,
cards, prints, notes, cheers, money, cookies and chocolate, among other
gifts. Participants explain difficulties they had with the theme, or how
they went about getting inspired or where their image came from, they thank
me; it all feels warm and good.
In this last project there were memorials to lost ones, family dedications,
history lessons, anthropological bits, myths...I really get the feeling that
I'm getting to know all these people a little, that I'm making friends,
somehow that I'm bound in this wonderful group of gentle humans from all
over the world. It's definitely a great feeling.
PMN: When you had finally received the last of the woodblocks you must have felt so elated. Can you describe those thoughts and feelings? or was it more like, ugh, now I have to print them?
MA: Oh hey, I already said, ugh, now I have to print them!
By the time I get the last one I'm pumped up like a thoroughbred on
steroids. Well, I imagine it's like that. By now I've seen all the images, I
have the blocks put together and waiting for those "holes" to fill is
exasperating. I'm ready, dude. It's time to get this thing going! By now
it's been well over a year since I first dreamed up whatever image I dreamed
up and I'm ready to print, no matter how hard it may get. Never mind that
the horse is lame, load the wagon!
By now I want to SEE what we've done. I want to know what it looks like.
It's like giving birth and not being allowed to see your baby, well, I
imagine it like that. And I want to reward everyone that participated so
they feel as good as I do. The motivation now is to get the thing printed.
PMN: When you first started printing the blocks, did you have problems? Failures? Or with your extensive experience in printmaking, did they indeed produce images like you had envisioned right from the start?
MA: I always try to anticipate problems but it is nearly impossible to figure
everything out in advance. Proofing individual blocks as many artists like
to do, does the most damage as the block absorbs moisture and then shrinks
when it gets back to my dry climate. But I can't stop everyone from working
the way they want to work. The preparation of the blocks for printing is the
task that takes the most time and forethought. I hate proofing my own work,
I tend to "just do it" and live with the results. But when dealing with
other printmakers' work the approach has to be different, accommodating.
Any of the blocks would be obviously better printed if they were printed on
their own. But I'm dealing with a composite puzzle that joins delicate
carvings with bold areas, shallow carvings with solid blacks, and so on. So
I level all the blocks as best I can with a metal rule, then hope for the
best. I proof and tweak, raising or lowering blocks as needed. I proof and
tweak again. Every block is improved a bit at the expense of its neighbors.
All blocks compromise their very best toward the benefit of the "community."
I look at the process of preparation as a small society trying very hard to
get along despite vastly disparate backgrounds and philosophies. I really
want to please everyone and print every detail of every block to its ideal,
but the reality of the composite takes over.
The proofing process goes one, I have to often clean up shallow carvings,
clean up edges, clear out borders so they don't interfere with the inking of
the blocks, raise or lower blocks, re-carve, re-clean, re-clear...eventually
I get to where my printmaking gut feels that's about the best it's going to
get. I'm now around 15-20 prints into the ready-set-thing and I want to get
going on the actual printing...go!
As far as expectations I usually don't hold many in printmaking anyway, so
the composite image is a pleasant and magnanimous surprise, as it should be.
I feel my love for printmaking lies partly in the lack of expectation, or
the "let's see what happens" factor. Well, this project is the epitome of
"let's see what happens"!
PMN: The printing process can be quite physically demanding. Were there times during the printing process that you thought about giving up? In my own experience, there have been times, when creating particularly long runs of prints, that I would stop and ask myself, "Why do you do this to yourself?" Did you have any of these moments of doubt? Do you have a method or mantra that keeps you going?
MA: Funny. Yes, my main mantra is: "I have GOT to get this DAMN THING OUT OF MY
STUDIO!!!"
After the first few days I had an idea how long it would take me and then it was just a matter of routinely setting up, inking, turning the wheel, hanging and doing it over again until the day was done. The second project took something just short of two full weeks of printing daily for about 7
hours a day. Time is a gift of love and I love both my fellow printmakers and the art itself. My elbows hurt from inking with a huge roller and turning the wheel; my feet hurt from standing on concrete all day; my entire body hurts from the printing, inking, hanging routine. Having been raised in a catholic environment, a little pain and suffering can only lead to a good thing for all involved. Maybe I always wanted to be a sort of a martyr? I'm sure there's something for a Freudian to analyze in the whole psychology of undertaking leading these projects. For me it's a lot simpler, I just gotta keep doing them for reasons unknown. Some people do these kinds of things.
Once the project gets going and I think of the idea and buy the blocks and mail out everything, the beast is born and it is unstoppable and I have to see the whole thing through to the last tube mailed and the last cardboard cut heals. IT takes over and I'm not allowed to stop it or quit before it's done. That's just the way it is with a project like this; every pain is a reminder that progress is being made. I do wonder why I wasn't more aggressive at getting help to print, but maybe next time.
PMN: Can you describe your thoughts or feelings when that last print was pulled? When you knew you had "done" it?
MA: I think the word "HALLELUJAH" sums up all my feelings and thoughts when I
finally pulled the last print. The last time I cleaned the ink slab, the
stupid heavy roller, the ink knives...tossing that last paper towel and
looking up at the hanging racks full of smelly pieces of paper. Definitely a good feeling.
I don't know if I would call it a great accomplishment in the big scheme of
things; I mean compared to finding a cure for cancer or a better electric
battery for vehicles, if we think about it, printmakers and artists in
general are just playing around.
But it was a small victory, I finally had something to give to all my
awaiting friends. Definitely a good day.
PMN: Were you happy with the results? They say, "Hind sight is always 20/20." Is there anything that you would do differently now having gone through this all not once but twice?
MA: I'm really rarely happy with anything I do artistically. I always feel I
could have done better, tweaked that little block one more time, re-carved
that other so it would print more clearly, taken more time mixing the ink so
it would have flowed better, receded that edge a bit more to allow the block
on the end to print better, and so on and so on.
I don't double-guess myself, I quadruple-guess everything I do. I think it's
all a part of life learning. I may be tougher on myself than I should be but
only I know how much better I could have done things and it bothers me when
I don't do my very very best...which is all the time. Only I know.
In fairness I suppose I always try to do the best I can at the time, but I
don't really want to get to a point in any aspect of my life when I say, "well, that was a great thing I did, the very best I could possibly do."
Just doesn't sit right with me. There is always a "better" out there, I
think whether we choose to seek a higher level or not is part of who we are.
I'm a stubborn realist, I guess, pre-manufactured motivational pats on the
back don't do a thing for me. Kicks in the rear work best, even if my ass is
still sore from the last kick.
Oh, other things I think about are moving to a material other than wood to
avoid the warping, but with only a few problem blocks I just can't' give up
the feel of the wood.
I think next time I will seek help in printing. This last one was really a
big task and left me exhausted in a good way but exhausted nevertheless. I
also feel involving a small press or a couple of printmakers would make the
final product better than when it's just me printing. Fresher arms to pull
the press and ink the block will definitely help the quality.
I may institute an entry fee to get more commitment out of the participants
and help with the initial cash flow of the project.
One thing I do want to do is involve even more artists, perhaps stray out of
the comfortable world of Barenforum.org and invite more of the world to play
with me. I will dwell on this a bit more in the next question.
PMN: Do you have plans for future projects? Is there going to be a third "Monumental Collaborative Puzzle Print?"
MA: Oh yeah, you bet. I have already another design rummaging through my head
and am making some decisions on the logistics. As I mentioned briefly, I
really would like more of the world to participate. I think one of the main
changes I will make to lessen the expense of foreign participants is to have
printmakers from other countries "recruit" a small group of fellow artists.
In this manner I would be sending six blocks instead of one to a single"coordinator". When those six blocks are carved they would all come back to
me in one package and similarly the final prints could all be mailed
together.
I would also like to do something here locally in my state for home-grown
printmakers, a Nevada puzzle. Maybe one of many? I'd like to involve the
students of printmaking at the local university and colleges and have some
solid plans on how to do that already. Other variations could be an actual
hands-on collagraph type of workshop where the entire project is completed
in on session by workshop attendees.
I am planning to start a non-profit organization to house and fund these
collaborations as I really think this type of project will always be part of
what I do as an artist and about to become a bigger part of my artistic
career. The first puzzle-print was perhaps a whim but with this second
collaboration I really think I've found the closest I've been to what some
people deem a "calling."
So there will be a third, fourth, and many more to come.
PMN: What advice do you have for our readers that might one day take up a similar project?
MA: I would love to encourage other organizations to do similar projects and
perhaps will write a sort of a "guide" on how to undertake a collaborative
project of this scope, what's involved, issues, a logistics sort of "trail
guide."
Aside from that, I would say it's going to be hard work, hardly fun, time
devouring, logistically impossible and conceptually improbable but
ultimately rewarding to unthinkable depths. So, go for it!
Maria Arango
http://1000woodcuts.com
http://artfestivalguide.info
Advertising
We will be offering advertising space on this site in the future. For more info email the editor