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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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