Plates

Collagraph plate made of cooked and uncooked spaghetti


Considering a composition...



Test Print

TA thoughts week 4

We continued preparing the screens this week which included applying water tape to cover the stapled areas and coating the wooden frame with polyurethane to keep water from absorbing into the wood so they will dry quicker and not warp. Kathy also did the first printing demo of the semester. Everyone had one chance to practice with the squeegee. This demo seemed fast to me, but most of learning is through trial and error. I was thinking about how repetition is a large part of teaching, Kathy has this class back to back so I could see how doing a demo and the explanation can be sooo redundant, maybe this could be the reason for breezing through the demo. She said some days are worse than others, which is like anything you have to do. Also she mentioned changing the classes you teach every few years keeps things fresh and on your toes in certain disciplines, especially something so technical like printmaking. This class is quite different than my undergrad experience with screen printing, mainly because we started printing in the first week and made temporary "quick" stencils out of tape, paper, ect. just to get the feel for it. I find it strange that the first assignment isn't due until midterm. I am also unsure of the value of having students build these silkscreens, it takes up so much time in a class that is already only 1.5 credit hours. It is of course nice that students get to take the screen they make with them, but how many ever use it again?

TA thoughts of Week 1 and 2

I am interning with Kathy McGhee, my advisor from last semester, in the silkscreening class. The first week was an average first day of class where we introduced ourselves, read the syllabus, looked at slides, and assigned students screens. It is funny how most classes, no matter what they are about, begin at the same slow pace and follow these same guidelines. Students sometimes intentionally skip the first class, knowing it is kind of a wasted day. However reading through the syllabus and discussing materials with students is a must because the majority will lose the syllabus right away and be confused.

This week's class was the polar opposite, expanding energy that is. We jumped right into the first project, building a silkscreen in the woodshop. This seemed chaotic at first, especially because Kathy was rushing, everyone seemed to be rushing. It is a huge task to get twelve students cutting wood on one machine at a time, so the rush was necessary. I had never made a screen myself, so I was making one as well. I was in the role of a student, half guessing I was doing things correctly and trying to answer all the questions I was asked. I stayed calm, took my time, and helped the students before working on my own screen. Even though it was hectic the class managed to finish half of the project. Kathy has done this assignment so many times she has the timing, tools, and teaching, down perfectly...what a good mentor to have! I was amazed at the success of the students putting together a tedious project in three hours.

Texture Box


First test plates

My studio this semester

New Textures

I found a bunch of old lace at my grandparent's house this winter, some really nice patterns. The thinner pieces on the left I bought at a market in Amsterdam. I am going to be making some test plates this week for these new textures.