Artist's Statement on the Monotype
"My monotypes are the result of printmaking for the
past 25 years. The last twelve years I have worked solely in this medium,
concentrating on the process of creating a single print at a time, the
monotype. I attribute much of the quality of the prints to the fact
that I have been focused on this specific form of artistic expression.
Had I done this as an adjunct to other media, I may not have discovered
the techniques that are the signature element of my prints.
I enjoy working in monotype because of the interplay of spontaneity
and split-second decision-making. This aspect, and the fact that there
is a limited amount of time to complete a work, provides a challenge.
Since the ink starts drying during its application, I must work fast,
finishing the entire image in one to two hours. Also, there is an economy
of tools and studio materials. For example. I have used the same printing
plates hundreds of times. I use oil-based inks because I find they have
a luminosity that water-based inks don't have. The black and white prints
are made by painting ink on either zinc or copper plates, the color
work on opaque Plexiglas plates.
I print on a Takach intaglio press, and pull only one print per image.
No ghost impressions are taken, making these monotypes instead of monoprints.
The tools I use are brayers and brushes, a wooden stylus, hands, fingers,
and my imagination."
--Robert Pelegrin, 2007
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