Level 3 Printmaking 2012
Printmaking in 3D
3.1 Analyse methods and ideas from established
printmaking practice
Credits: 4
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Jim Dine
Jim Dine is an expressionist artist born in Ohio in 1935. He
then moved to New York when he was 23 to start his
career seriously as an Artist. Critics have argued whether
to call Dine an expressionist or pop artist.
Dine is usually introduced as a pop artist because he uses
everyday objects such as the robe and tools in his
workshop in his work. Also because he was born in New
York where the movement of Pop Art begun. However, his
expressive mark making and portraits are well away from
the typical sharp precise lines of Pop Art.
Methods
Jim Dines techniques in printmaking involve woodcuts, intaglio
and other forms of etching such as spit-bite and soft ground, but
he also works with lithographs, silkscreens and prints that
combine two or three processes. Dines processes include creating
a soft, atmospheric background texture (sometimes using paint
or materials such as gesso) energized with etching and expressive
marks (media used differs with each work, Oil based ink mostly
for wood cuts and etching) that form the pictorial issue of
movement throughout the work so that the eye can easily focus
on the bold image and to avoid tension with in his work.
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Methods continued…
Jim Dine also involves layering where images are
printed over top of each other, such as this one to
the right where the tree has been printed over top
of the skeleton, which combines both images and
forms its own idea with in the art work such as
nature and death. The process of colour is
thoroughly thought about with in Dines works as it
conveys certain messages and he focuses on not
making his work too busy. In the image to the right,
the pale blue against the black forms the idea of a
surreal dreamland which also creates contrast to
stop the print from becoming to complicated. And
Dine has made sure his background process was
done with soft media such as acrylic to ensure the
background isn’t too heavy against the etching
printed overtop.
Youth and the maiden
Influences
Jim Dine is a true artist who is famous for being a printmaker, painter,
sculptor and craftsmen and has no specific routine when it comes to
his art as he is always trying something different. He has become one
of the worlds well-known printmaking artists with his ‘dry’ expressive
techniques in etching that combine depth within his work. Jim Dines
art can be recognized also by the repeating of certain images such as
the skulls, robes, hearts, tools, statues and gates. He is influenced by
everyday life and everyday objects around him that have a certain
necessity to him and are the most common used objects in life.
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Ideas
Jim Dine
Dine has many different ideas behind his work and he
doesn’t tend to stick to a theme across all works. In print,
he sometimes sticks to very expressive themes such as
death, youth (using images such as skulls and skeletons)
and also works with particular imagery like hearts to
contrast themes. Images also seen in Dines work are the
robe and tools in art workshops which are every day items
giving an idea of the necessary objects in life that we take
for granted but what we would be lost without.
Double Pacific Gift 1985
This is an example of one of Jim
Dines prints. This work is a
lithograph and linoleum . The
lithograph plate was formed from
an impression taken off the
linoleum block making a mirrored
affect. This print gives an idea of
shellac on each hand and they
come across as workers hands or
even artists hands. Jim Dine hints
that the title may suggest that he
found an object on the shore of a
pacific beach seeing as Jim Dine is
known for working with objects.
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Red Dancer on the Western Shore 1988
This is another one of Jim Dines prints,
he has used a wood cut and spit-bite
etching with use of black and red ink.
Dine hinged two sheets together
which gives that faint line in the
middle of the print. He ran each sheet
through twice, one with a red/black
iron plate (spit-bite etching) and then
over top with a black wood-block.
The dancer figure has appeared in
many of Jim Dines charcoal series ‘Red
dancers on the western shore,’ in
1986. this figure comes from a
Hellenistic bronze sculpture which
Dine was influenced by in the
collection of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.
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Swoon
Caledonia Currie, also known as ‘Swoon’ is an
American Street artist born in 1978 in Florida who
became well-known for her installations around
1999. She installs life size prints into environments
and also is known for sculptures of rafts and boats,
this is what makes her a 3D artist. Swoon installs
her prints onto abandoned buildings, bridges, fire
escapes, water towers and street signs which are
usually uninhabited. Her work is always of people
and places mostly of people she knows but of
unique structures that’s she creates with in a print,
that is how her work is usually recognized. Swoons
work is never associated with graffiti as materials
such as spray paint etc. are never used and the
messages across her work is always different to
that of graffiti. Swoon is a master of printmaking
and works exceptionally well with negative and
positive space to form simple shadows and
movement within her prints.
These portraits are x-rays of my city plastered back upon its surface. Through the
hundreds of holes that I cut into them, I am trying to interact with the walls
beneath them."
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Methods
Swoon
Swoons main technique in printmaking is woodcuts and paper stencils. This is when she
usually installs her work on walls using very light wheat glue which is very thin and
makes it easily pasted on. Her prints are usually printed on recycled newsprint which
over-time decays and cracks leaving a old yellowish look. Swoons processes when
pasting a print onto a wall is to let the rain and other extreme weather conditions to
make it fit in with the other weathered posters and graffiti and give it that abandoned
feel. Swoon creates
“external manifestation of internalized depths –thoughts, emotions and perceptions
and echoes them with in memory or imaginations.”
Swoons work is all hand-made with use of printing presses, no computer is used. Her
work includes lots of people and other organic shapes. Her techniques involve very
rough dry detail which is formed by the woodcut etching tools. Places/Towns/cities are
also formed but are usually formed inside the shape of a characters body.
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Ideas
Swoon
At first glance, Swoons work seems more simple than it
actually is. For example, to the right people may just see an
old man. But viewers really have to study and have an eye for
detail to realise that there are sometimes whole cities within
the character, which gives a whole other meaning to the
visual. She connects the external and internal visual together
and tells a story through emotions, thoughts and perceptions.
Critics say that Swoon somehow recalls personal memories
within a persons body, certain experiences that relate to her
prints. To the right, a viewer may see that man as there own
grandfather.
“I’ve always really had the sense of the way that people
store things inside their bodies and the way that everything
you’ve ever seen or ever done is a part of you. I felt like in a
way if I could somehow draw that, or make an x-ray, maybe
it was just your experiences that day or maybe it’s just what
you walked past that day, or maybe it’s a deeper story that’s
somewhere in there for the telling.”
Influences
Swoon
Swoon has travelled all around the world and each new place
she goes or new culture she experiences influences her in
every way, especially her art. It doesn’t matter whether its
China, the Netherlands or America. Swoon is inspired by
different historical art and also folk sources which varies from
German expressionist wood block prints to Indonesian
shadow puppets.
She is influenced by people and the way they live their life
within environments, this is portrayed within her work. She
tells there own story through her wood cuts, cut outs or
sculptures. Swoon is also influenced by the buildings etc. she
pastes her work on and it almost encourages her to make her
prints fit into the buildings by making them seem old and
cracked too.
The closest people in Swoons life that she claims also inspires
her are her grandparents, which she has used in her prints
often.
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This is one of Swoons famous prints ‘Girl from Ranoon
province’ where she has drawn this piece on a woodblock,
then etched it out and printed it on fine wheat paper. Swoon
has then pasted it on a wall with in her gallery instead of an
abandoned building but has used a sort of gesso texture for
the background and what seems to be brown graphic-like
paper.
Swoon has also gone over her wood block with white acrylic
to make the highlights of the girls face stand out and form
the pictorial issue of contrast. Swoon has printed this image
many times and also changes it each time slightly by adding
more to her at the bottom.
Swoon was influenced for this print by the energy, conflicts
and joys of urban life which is seen with in the construction
the girl rests on that is very clustered and busy similar to city
life. The idea drawn from this is a girl with in an urban
culture who isn’t happy, as she is shrugging and looking off
into the distant.
The title doesn’t give much clue but it almost inspires the
viewer to step in the girls shoes and imagine how she feels as
there is so much emotion and detail within these prints such
as the simple lines which form the city below her and the
expression in her face.
Girl from Ranoon Province 2010
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This is another one of Swoons famous prints where
she has printed these skeletons from two different
wood cuts onto light wheat paper which has then
cracked forming the textured lines with in the
prints. Swoon has used a range of negative and
positive space forming high contrast which helps
the images to stand out.
The idea in these prints seem quite gruesome with
the use of skeletons which come across as Swoon
being influenced by poverty or some sort of death
that comes as a message she is trying to get across.
The head gear of both skeletons gives it a surreal
affect where things may not be as they seem
because they are so unusual and sort of ‘dress up’
items that were once used in historical times.
At each ends of the prints it looks as if the paper is
ripping away at the skeletons and even though
there is no actual movement, Its as is you can
imagine the two skeletons fighting each other.
Name not found
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Nicola Lopez
Nicola Lopez is a contemporary 3D printmaker born in Santa
Fe, New Mexico. She has now moved to New York where she
teaches at Bard College. Her interest in describing todays
landscapes comes from traveling to different countries and
cultures and from her studies as an anthropology major at
Columbia University. Her modern approach with in her art is
recognized through the bright colours she uses that reflect
historic and modern architecture. She also uses easily
recognizable symbols such as the wheel, power plugs,
satellites, square buildings.
“The landscape that we live in has become saturated with signs of the easy mobility, speed, constant
communication, imposition of structure, insistence on growth and glorification of technology that have
come to be so characteristic of our society today. My work incorporates these signs, exaggerating and
reconfiguring them in order to build maps that convey the sense of wonder and vertigo that is
inevitable as we face the landscape of today’s world.”
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Methods
Nicola Lopez
Nicolas main printing techniques that she uses are woodcuts and silkscreen on
Mylar. Nicola installs her prints in galleries in huge clusters on walls and also
hanging from the ceiling. She builds up her pieces by using both images and raw
materials to add in a bit of the history of technology and the landscape. Nicolas
process includes developing several individual images and then piecing them
together with only a rough idea of the outcome. Her images come from
drawings that are developed into silkscreens or photolithography plates and
wood blocks which are then printed and used over and over again. These prints
can range from human size to very small. Nicola also analyses each image and
evaluates what idea the image portrays on its own and with the other prints.
Whether the print is bold enough on its own or has a relationship with others.
She also analyses whether the image should be repeated or not. Nicola gathers
all of her plates and wood blocks and prints them onto paper or frosted Mylar (a
strong bendy material that holds its shape). Her methods include cutting the
images out and removing the negative space with an Exacto knife. Nicola then
spreads her work on the floor carefully piecing a cluster.
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The meanings behind Nicolas work bring the idea of
instant communication by people in our society who are
obsessed with being rich and wealthy, And also wanting
the latest technology. Her main focus is the MODERN
WORLD. This is shown through prints of satellites,
skyscrapers, power lines, the wheel (start of technology) ,
roads and buildings, aeroplanes, machines and power
plugs. Individually these symbols represents a piece of
technology whether in the modern world or what has
been forgotten or developed from the past. Coming
together in a cluster which all connects the pieces
together. Nicola also prints smoke that come out of her
clusters to convey the idea of pollution from this
technology. Her printmaking reflects the ‘industrial
revolution.’
Nicola likes the get the idea of a visual map that
‘represents how the world is structured’ but not a
realistic geographical map, which is why she uses large
spaces – floor, wall and ceiling – in presenting her prints.
Ideas
Nicola Lopez
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Influences
Nicola Lopez
Nicola is interested in technology and the way it has dramatically
changes over the years. Through her grandparents times or even
before that to the way it is developing everyday towards our
future. This change influences Nicola in wanting to show the
world through her clusters and prints what the world looks like
and that we are full of skyscrapers, electricity etc. and it is all in
clusters affecting the world by giving off pollution. Lopez is also
influenced by science-fiction and that certain perspective on
things, looking at technology in a different way and from the
science point of view and how it affects our planet.
A promising tomorrow – 2004/05
This is one of Nicolas installations ‘A promising
tomorrow’ which fits well with the imagery as it is of
enhancing technology used and developed in every day life.
She has created several prints on wood block and silkscreen
on paper or Mylar.
Nicola searches further into technology and looks at the world
differently. She sees technology as a cluster, saying there is
too much of it and we are going overboard. She likes to
describe herself as designing maps which shoes how the
world is structured – so in this case, a big messy jumble which
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everyone thinks is improving our world but is slowly ruining
This second piece of Nicola’s work is also an
installation, but it hangs from the ceiling
and falls right to the floor which is a big
amount of scale.
It forms a bland, sad look which
fits well to the idea of technology and how it is dying out, some areas
faster than others which is also a good reason for the range of blue.
The strands of prints seem as if more technology is piling up into the
clusters day by day and the background jumble looks as if its
becoming overwhelmed with images. This seems like the scene where
the world starts falling apart, giving a message as if to show the
people what could happen, in a very surreal installation that also has
3D affect. The composition and layout of the clusters brings balance
overall and helps the eye to flow easily around the installation.
Vertigo - 2005
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Similarities and Differences
Swoon
Jim Dine
Jim Dine and Swoon are very similar in the way
they are expressive with their printmaking
because they use etching processes such as
woodcuts which gives a very rough imperfect
line. Both artists also do not use any
programmes on the computer for their work, it
is all hand carved with use of a printing press. A
process Swoon is famous for is installing her
prints where as Dine does not do this, however
he is known for 3D art when it comes to his
sculptures. Both works have the figure of a girl
and use the colour red within the background.
The ideas within each artwork is also fairly similar. In Swoons piece the girl is looking off into the
distance as if to be unhappy with what she has in life and dreaming of some place else. In Jim Dines
piece the figure of the woman dancing, looking down to the ground with the red in the background
suggests she is unhappy also with her life as she struggles to make ends meat.. Similarly both Jim
Dine and Swoon are influenced by poverty, despite as Jim Dine looking more at the gypsy provinces
and Swoon more on the Urban Life of young girls/women.
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Similarities and Differences
Jim Dine
Nicola Lopez
Jim Dine and Nicola Lopez similarly use printmaking processes such as woodcuts and other etching
techniques which is the main similarity they have in common, but they both use these processes in
completely different ways . Both use layering successfully in their work, Nicola Lopez develops
individual prints and puts them together in a cluster, where as Jim Dine prints the images on top of
each other. Lopez installs her prints onto walls/floors and ceilings in galleries where as Jim Dine does
not. Differences in their work include the scale of their work, Nicola’s prints can individually reach
human size and bigger where as Jim Dine prints are always smaller than that. Both artists have a
different view on their art as Jim Dine is more expressive and free form where as Nicola appears more
structured with simple clusters. Ideas and influences expressed in both artists work are also different
as Nicola looks more into the industrial world with map forms where as Jim Dine focuses more the
concept of death and youth.
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Similarities and Differences
Swoon
Nicola Lopez
Swoon and Nicola Lopez use similar
printmaking processes such as woodcuts
and also both tend to use cut outs within
their work successfully. Both artists install
their work but in completely different
environments, Swoon installs her work
outside cities/towns/installations on
boats. where as Nicola installs her work
onto walls/floors/ceilings in galleries.
Both artists use scale to their advantage, ranging up to human size and beyond which enhances their
idea and makes it apart of the environment in swoons case and makes Lopez’s work seen as a visual
map. The ideas within these art work are both different but make you think about ideas such as
death, Nicola Lopez looks into the industrial world, how the world is mapped out and how it has
changed over the years where as Lopez wants you to think about what is happening to the worlds
biggest industries which is where the idea of our dying planet comes to mind. Swoons art is
portraying death with the use of skeletons as Swoon being influenced by poverty and death
addresses everyone's lives. Nicola is influenced by the Industrial world which is where she portrays a
relationship between the digital and dying world.
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Bibliography
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Installations and Experimental printmaking Alexia Tala A and C Publishers limited
Swoon By Abrams
Jim Dine Prints A Catalogue Raisonne Elozabeth Carpenter with an essay by Joseph Ruzicka
Published by the Minneapois Institute of Arts.
Jim Dine By Jean E Feinberg Published by Abbeville
Jim Dine – www.artinfo.com/news/story/16853/jim-dine/
Swoon - http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/swoon.html
Http://www.bitrebels.com/design/new-york-city-street-artist-swoon
Nicola Lopez – http://nicolalopez.com/
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