Ellipsis Interrupted

ellipsis
plural: ellipses i-ˈlip-ˌsēz 
1 a: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete
b: a sudden leap from one topic to another
2: marks or a mark (such as … ) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause

These prints represent moments where the pause will not hold. They are a way of processing overwhelming emotion. Arcs and ellipses emerge and explode within fields of entropy. There are three moments in the making of an artwork — Conception, Execution, and Evaluation. As a painter, I tend to conceive and then execute. Any abstract in-the-moment marks are made in service to the initial conception. As a printmaker, I’m working to get some distance between those moments and perhaps mix up the order. Each of these prints is a crop from larger print matrices.

A range of techniques are employed in the printing — relief, intaglio, and lithography. I write my own drawing software that allows me to use a digital stylus, responding to variables such as pressure, tilt, speed, and direction. I’ve coded a database to store the drawing data which can be further manipulated through SQL (Structured Query Language). There is often a perception that digital tools take control and opportunity from the artist. Here, I’m asserting as much control as possible, coding the very mathematical mechanisms that make the mark. From these digital drawings, I use a combination of digital and traditional fabrication tools to create the print matrices. All the printing is done by hand with oil based inks using centuries-old techniques.