Nineteen eighty-four series

So here is the final selection from my Nineteen eighty-four series of 5 colour lithographs along with one larger solo example.

Start the Presses!

After a three year hiatus from lithography I finally got back to it this week. To start, a choose this five colour non-registered varied edition based on an appropriated Orwell nineteen eighty-four book I found in the library.

(Sorry for the low resolution, I used my cell phone to take these pics)

Untitled Landscape #2

Here is my last offset litho of my undergrad degree. 

For this one I tried to work with subdued colors and include (a barely noticeable) white layer on tan/grey paper. Overall I like the quality of the print even though it does not stand out like the previous colored ones. The white is subtle but it does make a difference. 

At least I finally learned how to print clean with the plates. On the last official day of my undergrad degree i finally realized what I was doing wrong on the press.

I have yet to name this piece so for now we will call it "Untitled Landscape #2".

New project: Untitled Landscapes

For my new project, just started this week, I am going in a very new direction. I am creating line screened offset lithographs and polymer plate "Landscapes". As usual, my interests lie in the construction of images as they transverse different mediums and paradigms and so these particular landscapes come from digital gaming worlds and then get "translated" into traditional and older analog reproduction techniques. 

In all cases, I would like to preserve some of the unreal whimsy or romance of the original, while transforming it into something wholly ambiguous.

the only real issue right now, is that the outcomes are quite aesthetic, and as a general rule, i prefer when the aesthetics play a secondary role to the thought being generated.

I will have to try more and see how the process works as a generator of interesting questions.

This was also a practice run for me working with the large offset printer and though it was fun to learn, my body is still aching from the two days of printing with it. It does feel good to use my entire body to create something again, as sitting in front of a computer can sometimes be very alienating.

And again!

Since I felt the last 4 color litho was such a success i decided to up the challenge with a much finer dot resolution and try it again. Of course, I got myself completely in over my head and had no end of trouble printing this. Wasted films, plates, paper and time to finally end up with a paltry edition of 3! 250$ worth of material and perhaps 35 hours to get 3 prints that are not even that well printed. At least I ended last year with a valuable lesson in humility. 

Precious Grenade in CMYK

This 4 color offset lithography uses the concepts of commercial CMYK offset printing process and makes the color illusion created by half-tone patterns explicit.  Though the pattern is an obvious distortion, the image from far appears top be full color. Does exposing the illusion change the way we understand perception?