MARY CRENSHAW
Four 80 x 60 cm. polymer plates by artist Mary Crenshaw printed on Hahnemuhle white and ivory 300 gsm. paper each in edition of 5 + about 20 mono-prints. Etching, chine collèe and spot inking.
The framework for this series was to print in black, using the same size matrix for all four. Once we made the first print, Glen suggested adding chine collé, bits of colored Japanese washi paper and subtly blending color into the black ink. This breathed life into the print. We also used chine collé in other works that followed.
I appropriated a painted photograph by Picasso for the first image. I wanted to use the head as a representation of humankind, thinking about the recent global pandemic and how everyone has been touched. In the etchings that would follow, imagery began as loose figuration, transforming into abstraction, with shapes and marks taking over during the process of making.
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Including content– in this case disjointed arms and hands–is in keeping with notions of insurrection and revolt, something that has appeared previously in my work, only not as obvious. My abstract works are not intended to be merely formal, but to also reflect my own life experiences. Nochlin’s premise that depicting body parts can indicate cultural upheaval has led me to think about ways I can include elements of figuration that reflect our times.
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The final edition was a photopolymer etching plate combined with gum print and chine collé. What I imagined to be marks we would add to the other imagery ended up being a plate. The gestures repeat certain marks and splatters in the other works. There is still the same energy and space that the blue and gray rectangular areas help define. The singular marks boldly stand out, as do the two askew rectangular colors. The pieces of beautiful gray paper we used for the chine collé are as old as yours truly.
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see more at https://www.marycrenshaw.com/