2022 residency artists
Donna Brown at The W.O.R.K.S.
Left: Before Social Media, screenprint, 22” x 16”. Right: Donna Brown creating a print in residency at The W.O.R.K.S.
I consider myself very lucky to have been chosen for the CSP Residency, and to have been given the chance to work with Thomas Wojak in his Vallejo studio. I have admired his work for many years and I have valued this unique opportunity to learn from a master printer.
Thomas started by showing me works he has printed for other artists, which gave me insight into the many possibilities of screen print. We discussed what I hoped to accomplish. I wanted to develop a body of work dealing with ancestry and memory. He gave me vital guidance to help me develop a successful approach.
I was initially inspired to apply for this residency after my cousin showed me a photo album created by our grandmother. The experience made me look closer at old family photos again. As an only child, I found my parents family photos very engaging, allowing me to speculate about unknown family history. These old photos were my inspiration, and I learned that Thomas has also worked from old family photos and was interested in exploring this area. With Thomas’ help I was able to bring new images to life.
Although new to screen printing, I have worked in a variety of printmaking processes, primarily reduction woodcuts and etching. My work is generally figurative in nature. The compositions are intuitive and generally progress as I work.
I was able to create three pieces while at The W.O.R.K.S. Great Grandmother Liked to Fish has six layers is 22” x 16” and is an edition of 15. It was my first screen print piece and was a learning experience. The second, Before Social Media has four layers is 22” x 16” and is an edition of 15. The last piece is incomplete and currently untitled. It is 18” x 20” and will be finished with two more colors done by hand.
I learned so much from Thomas during our sessions together, and the experience has been invaluable. I hope to put what I have learned into my practice going forward, and I plan to create many more screenprints.
Left: Great Grandmother Liked to Fish, screenprint, 22” x 16”. Right: Thomas Wojak and Donna Brown holding one of Donna’s residency prints.
Luz Marina Ruiz at The In Cahoots Residency
Resiliency II, Carousel Book, 12.5 x 36 in, printed in black on arches, hand-colored with gouache and watercolor.
Over the years my creative practice has focused on printmaking, book arts, and installation with themes relating to water. The works are visual journeys not literal representations of water. They are meant to remind us of the fragility of our planet and our essential connection and dependence on water for our survival. Although I work with challenging themes, the work is meant to focus on the beauty, mystery, whimsy, and power that water holds. It’s a way to hang on to optimism and honor what is at stake.
The initial concepts for Resiliency were formed during the political turmoil, ardent division, and uncertainty in this country brought on by the previous administration. I began to make sketches as a way to process these difficult times. The sketches made their way on to a 36” square sheet of linoleum: a boat wrapped in turbulent waters, a mast/white flag for optimism, and birds as messengers of peace and hope.
In the summer of 2022, I was awarded a grant through the California Society of Printmakers AIR program to work at In Cahoots Residency (ICR) to complete my Resiliency projectfor the Art of the Book 2023 exhibit. While at ICR, I finished carving the linocut. My previous linocut based artists’ books were printed in black and white and hand colored with watercolor and gouache. During my residency, I chose a different approach with color. I printed elongated, colorful stencil monotypes to be printed under the linocut. The under prints were loosely created with organic shapes that support the graphic quality of the carved linoleum.
To be continued when I resume printing and begin to make the book structures.
Left: Resiliency, linocut carving process, 36 x 36 in linoleum. Middle: Resiliency, tunnel book, 23 x 11 x 10 in, printed with dark blue over monoprints on Okayama paper. Right Luz Marina Ruiz printing at In Cahoots Residency.
