Spontaneous Image with Influences from Boom Babies, Old Advertising and SUNY Fredonia!!!

I am currently teaching a Mono Prints class at the Y Arts Studio, so I have been thinking more about how I use the mono print process and where it takes me in my creative work.

For me Mono Prints are a jumping off point toward creating an image. Although I have had a few mono prints which stand alone, as un-altered  images, for the most part I see the mono print as a beginning. I love the spontaneous look of the mono print, but I also love the contrast that comes with pairing that spontaneous image with words and forms defined by precise lines and modeled shapes.

Maybe the Blue was created in response to a themed juried show, but I can not remember what the theme was. I do remember that I was juried into the show, for this image which is based on a trip to Boom Babies to help my daughter choose a dress for her first formal. For my first layer I used a mixture of blue and purple acrylic paint printed on dark blue paper. After it dried, I added the green and yellow acrylic paint and bits of a powdered metallic gold paint. I printed that over the first blue/purple image. When I was sure everything was dry I went into my mono print with colored pencil to create the more precise lettering. The large bubble-like letters used in the word "blue" were inspired by a student graphic design project which I saw at SUNY Fredonia when I was touring the Art Department.  I worked the word "blue" in a diagonal pattern across the paper. The word is meant to be read, but I was really more interested in creating shapes from the letters.

The word "maybe" is an enticement to look closer into the image. An ambiguous word to grab our attention...maybe what???.  I love the lettering used here which reminds me of the fonts used in old-style sophisticated advertisements. The entire phrase "maybe the blue" is very small toward the bottom of the piece, with purple organic squiggles underneath and serves to balance and unify top, middle and bottom of the piece.

I love it when people ask where the inspiration comes from. Sometimes, as in this piece the inspiration comes from several places. Images, colors, forms are stored in my memory waiting to be called upon. In creating an image like this, I am telling a story, but not in an illustrative way. I am using the elements and principles of design to best suit my needs, but not always conscious at that time of where I have pulled a certain influence from. Working with this balance of intuitive and planned is what excites me when working with Mono Prints.