Mezzotint: Engraving Light out of Darkness

with Carol Wax
April 10/11, 10-5
$275

The focus of this two-day workshop is mezzotint engraving, a method for engraving luminous prints with rich tones and dramatic lighting effects without the use of acids or other toxic substances.  It’s the drypoint equivalent of drawing by blackening a white sheet of paper with charcoal and erasing the image areas. In mezzotint, a “rocker” tool churns a copper plate into a black background on which images are drawn with scrapers, burnishers, and various polishing materials. Traditional mezzotint methods presented include the most efficient way to prepare a mezzotint ground, proper care and handling of tools, image-making and printing techniques.  Mezzotint accommodates all artistic styles; one-on-one instruction addresses use of mezzotint and related engraving techniques to enhance one’s imagery and overcome common intaglio problems. Mezzotint rockers are supplied.  Prior printmaking experience is helpful, but not necessary. 

Carol Wax, author of The Mezzotint: History and Technique, is an internationally recognized artist whose award-winning prints are in numerous museum collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Museum of American Art, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Among the honors she has received are: two Artist Fellowships and a Concordia Career Advancement grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts; The Louise Nevelson Award for Excellence in Printmaking from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. In addition to mezzotint workshops presented throughout the country, she has been on the faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design, New York University, and The State University of New York at New Paltz.

Spit Bite Aquatint

with Anita Hunt
April 24/25, 10-5
$275

Painterly intaglio! This workshop is an update on the traditional method of spit bite, using acrylic resist in place of rosin for the aquatint. The resist is sprayed on the copper plate with an airbrush then ferric chloride is brushed on, dripped on, or applied with a squeeze bottle to create soft tones and painterly marks. We will explore the many possibilities of this beautiful technique through the use of color, transparency and the overprinting of multiple plates. We will experiment with alternative materials for stopping out the plates prior to etching such as markers, litho crayons, and gouache to attain a greater range of tones and marks. Further development of the plates with scraping and burnishing will also be encouraged. All levels of experience are welcome. 

Anita S. Hunt has been an active printmaker for more than 25 years. Her prints and artist's books are regularly included in national and international printmaking biennials. She is a member of the Boston Printmakers and the Past President of the Monotype Guild of New England. Her work is held in dozens of private collections and in the permanent collections of the Portland Museum of Art (Maine), Smith College Museum of Art, Arkansas State University, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, and the Boston Public Library Print Collection.

Japanese Waterbased Woodblock - in 4 evenings

The Aquatinted Drypoint: a two-plate process

with Mark Zunino
May 22/23, 10-5
$250

This workshop will involve combining the expedient and versatile process of drypoint with the subtle, yet potentially rich, technique of aquatint.  These methods seem, at first, to be at opposing ends of the Intaglio drawing spectrum.  Drypoint is a dry, direct process that is traditionally very linear in quality and generally related to drawing.  Aquatint, on the other hand, is a tonal process that is characteristically painterly in its ability to cover large areas with a full range of grays.  However, it is precisely these differences that allow them to complement each other perfectly; what one lacks the other offers.  Participants will use two plates.  The first will carry the drypoint ‘key image’ which will be developed over the course of several states.  This key will then be transferred to the second plate, and this will be aquatinted to introduce the tonal structure of the print.  Both plates will be printed in black over each other.  Other issues covered include: plate wiping, reductive techniques, multiple plate registration, spit-bite and step etching using stop-out. 

Painterly Monotypes with Mixed Media

with Lynn Peterfreund
June 12/13, 10-5
$250

One of a kind prints offer the artist many ways of creating images that combine basic printmaking techniques with more familiar drawing and painting skills. In this workshop, we’ll use oil based inks and a variety of tools to create prints by rolling out ink, adding and removing it for marks and textures, and by using stencils and trace methods. Besides learning how to layer prints to achieve complex value and color relationships, we’ll explore ways of integrating pastels and drawing inks directly onto the print. Participants can be new to or already skilled in printmaking as the emphasis in this class will be on how to work in an improvisational way to develop images that come from drawing, photos or the imagination. 

July 5-9: Beginning Printmaking Samplers
For the absolute beginner or those wanting a refresher
Take just one or as many as you choose!
$130 per day (or $550 for the week)

Monotype

with Lynn Peterfreund
Monday, July 5, 10-5
$130

One of a kind printmaking offers the artist a wide variety of familiar drawing and painting techniques to make images. In this introduction to monotype printing, we’ll use oil based inks to roll and paint on ink (additive), and then a variety of tools to remove line and texture (reductive.) Ink mixing, paper handling, the use of the press are the fundamentals for the rest of your week that we’ll cover, in addition to exploring the versatile character of monotype printing.  

The Transfer Drawn Line

with Joyce Silverstone
Tuesday, July 6, 10-5
$130

Do you love the direct fluidity of drawing? This very simple method of transferring ink through the touch of a tool to the surface of the paper is full of expressive possibilities. Subtle, immediate, mark-making is the pleasure of this printing technique. Students will learn how to make an at-home registration system that allows for multiple color drawing and creating prints without a press. You don't have to know how to "draw", just bring a willingness to see what a line feels like.

Line Etching

with Liz Chalfin
Wednesday, July 7, 10-5
$130

Do you love to draw? Etching is a print medium made for the artist who loves to draw. This workshop will teach basic line etching. In this process a copper plate is coated with an acid resistant ground, the ground is drawn into with a stylus and then the lines are etched into the plate. Once etched, the ground is stripped off and the plate is inked up and printed on dampened paper. You will learn the acrylic resist technique of line etching, a non-toxic approach to traditional etching and create a small edition of prints.

Drypoint

with Anita Hunt
Thursday, July 8, 10-5
$130

We will explore direct drawing on copper using a variety of additive and subtractive techniques to produce line and tone. The focus of the workshop will be to evolve the drawing beyond the initial marks. Students will take their plates through several states, pulling prints along the way to create a series of progressive proofs. Participants will have access to the studio's large selection of tools to use throughout the day. Through group demonstrations and personal guidance from the instructor, there will be ample time for all to become more comfortable with the tools and materials and gain an appreciation for the flexibility and immediacy of the drypoint process.

Linoleum Printmaking

with Neil Brigham
Friday, July 9, 10-5
$130

As in the tradition of woodcut printmaking, we will explore the direct, graphic and fun aspects of relief printmaking using linoleum. A relief print is created by inking the raised surface of the linoleum after other areas of the block have been carved away. The ease of working with linoleum offers opportunities for bold, decorative designs as seen in the linocut prints of artists like Picasso and Matisse. In this workshop, we will start with a simple drawing that will then be transferred onto the linoleum block. Using this line drawing as a guide, students will then prepare the block for printing by carving away areas of linoleum using the cutting tools. Each student will create multiple prints using the oil-based inks on specialty papers as well as card stock to make his or her own cards.

Etching 101

with Louise Kohrman
July 12-15, 10-5
$475

Learn the basics of non-toxic etching on copper for the beginner student or advanced student needing a refresher or time to work in a supportive environment. This workshop will cover line drawing (hard ground and drypoint) and tonal work (aquatint). The following will be covered: plate prep, image development, working a plate, wiping skills, importance of proofing, printing techniques, including multiple plate printing and image registration. Students will complete and a small edition.

Engraving

with Barry Moser
July 18-20, 10-5
$375

Barry Moser will conduct another amazing workshop on wood and relief engraving at Zea Mays Printmaking. Mr. Moser has mastered this medium which ranks with mezzotint and fresco in its degree of difficulty. He will be present the process in as clear and simple terms as possible. We will begin with a slide presentation to give an overview of what we will be doing and explore a bit of history and the work of some master engravers. We will then discuss, explore, and learn the rudiments of how to draw for the engraving process, how to prepare a block, how to transfer images, how to hold and sharpen the tools, how to engrave an image, and finally how to pull a proof by hand. You will work with Resingrave, a material that Moser has used exclusively since 1995.You’ll also have the opportunity to see Mr. Moser’s original prints and blocks.

Spontaneous Prints and Simple Books

with Meredith Broberg and Joyce Silverstone
July 22-24, 10-5
$400
   
Join us for an action-packed three days of creating richly colorful and subtly drawn prints with an eye toward transforming them into beautiful books. Students will explorelayering spontaneous mark making including plastic drypoint, carborundum collotype, multiple color plates and monotype transfer drawing, with an emphasis on guided improvisation. Each of these techniques is relatively fast, direct and open to invention. Students will use these prints to create several books which are simple but still very satisfying, including origami variations and the “drum leaf” structure. You will go home with a handful of wonderful books and a brain full of inspiring techniques in mark-making, ideas about layering imagery and improvising visually, and the technical know-how to continue exploring on your own.

Photo-based Printmaking

with Nancy Diessner
July 26-30, 10-5
$600

Photography and Printmaking are not strangers to each other, and in fact can work together beautifully in several different processes. This workshop will introduce you to the magic of at least three distinct photo-based printmaking techniques: Gum Transfers using photocopied imagery, Pronto Plates using a lithographic process; and Photopolymer Intaglio, using a photo-sensitive polymer plate. All of these processes are much safer than traditional photo-etching, which relies on several hazardous chemicals. We’ll begin with the more direct processes of Gum Transfer and Pronto Plates, and work up to Photopolymer Intaglio, the process that has the potential to be the most refined of the three techniques. We’ll wrap up the workshop exploring ways to combine these processes together with other printmaking processes, to create startling and unique prints.

August 5-9: Master Classes
A series of workshops for the experienced printmaker, designed to add new skills to your repertoire or give you a chance to hone the ones you already have! take one, two or more…
$130 per day (or $575 for the whole series)

Essential Color

with Joyce Silverstone
Monday, August 2, 10-5
$130

This one day workshop will offer guided instruction in fundamental color theory principles applied to simple and direct printmaking techniques. The emphasis will be on spending time practicing mixing complimentary colors, using analogous colors, mixing gorgeous neutrals. There will be time to look into relative values and explore the space of color relationships. Feel more confident about choosing and using color in your work.

Etching the Positive Mark - alternative sugar-lift ground

with Liz Chalfin
Tuesday, August 3, 10-5
$130

At Zea Mays Printmaking we have been researching alternatives to traditional sugar lift ground – a way to make positive, painterly marks in intaglio. We have finally discovered a simple method that is beautiful, easy to use and reliable. In this workshop students will learn our alternative sugar lift technique through demonstration and practice. You will make a plate, which can serve as a beginning for a complex image or as a finished print in itself.

Carborundum Intaglio

with Anita Hunt
Wednesday, August 4, 10-5
$130

This non-etch method is a fast and easy way to create a tonal image. Participants will learn how to use carborundum grits to directly roughen up the surface of the plate to achieve a rich dark tone. The ground is quick to apply and easy to alter with steel wool, scraper or burnisher. It is an exciting alternative to aquatint and is especially effective when partnered together with linear techniques, such as drypoint or etching. We will explore the use of masks and stencils and introduce color and multiple plate printing to expand the range of possibilities.

Wiping Skills Class

with Louise Kohrman
Thursday, August 5, 10-5
$130

In this one day class, artists are invited to bring plates (copper, photopolymer, etc) for a hands-on day of perfecting their wiping skills. Various techniques will be covered including proper tarlatan wiping, hand wiping, felt wiping and newsprint wiping. We will talk using ink modifiers, whiting, etc to aid in the wiping process. Techniques such as a la poupee using daubers and ink applicators will be shown, as will different ways of adding and subtracting tone from a plate using the retrosage technique. Prepare to spend the day wiping and printing!

Working with Delicate Papers

with Louise Kohrman
Friday, August 6, 10-5
$130

In this one day workshop, artists would be invited to bring finished or in-progress plates to experiment with various methods of printing on delicate papers. We will spend the morning talking about different papers, various ways to handle, dampen, and dry delicate papers, how to print on these papers with and without mounting, and tricks of the trade. The afternoon will be spent on individual hands on experimenting with one-on-one instruction available for individual printing and trouble-shooting.

Multiple Plate Color Intaglio

with Peter Pettengill and Liz Chalfin
August 9-12, 10-5
$475

This workshop will cover the traditional method of creating a color intaglio print using multiple plates. Under the guidance of Master Printer, Peter Pettengill we’ll begin with a “key” plate, and make new plates for each color, working with line (hardground, softground, lift ground, drypoint) and tone (aquatints and spit bite). Participants will learn about offsetting the image to create color plates, registration techniques, inking variations and printing multiple plates. As an added bonus, we’ll be doing all of this using acrylic resist etching techniques, and etching on copper in ferric chloride, making the whole process safer for the artists and less toxic for the environment. Liz Chalfin, Zea Mays Printmaking Director will demonstrate the studio's most recent research and discoveries in non-toxic intaglio printmaking. This workshop is designed for artists with some basic intaglio experience.

Intuitive Prints

with Meredith Broberg
August 13-15, 10-5
$375

In this workshop we’ll explore ways of using plastic plates to develop richly layered images which combine intaglio, collograph and monotype elements.  Plastic plates are inexpensive, easy to use and remarkably versatile--velvety drypoint lines and textured brushstrokes are possible on the same plate.  Their ease of use vastly simplifies printing with multiple plates and multiple colors, and combining intaglio with monotype layers.  Bypassing some of the technical aspects of traditional intaglio allows the artist to work more intuitively, with more immediate results and more scope for improvisation.  We’ll cover traditional drypoint techniques, use carborundum collographs to add texture and painterly marks, and incorporate drawn, rolled and painted monotype.   Exploring these techniques will help novice printmakers get a feel for the medium, and provide experienced printers with exciting new possibilities.

Reductive Linocut

with Susan Jaworski-Stranc
August 18-20, 10-5
$375

 In this workshop, participants will learn to print a small edition of a multi-color image from a single piece of linoleum. This method of working is known as the “reductive” method.  The color print is developed through successive cutting and printing of the linoleum block.  The workshop focus will be on image design and color planning, as well as linoleum cutting techniques and methods of registration. Printmakers of all levels are welcome.