Last Friday, I took a friend with me to view the exhibition of Sarah Anderson’s newest work - Circle of Friends currently showing at New Grounds print workshop. The gallery was filled with excitement and energy among those that attended. Anderson’s work is much admired for both its emotional expression and its bold simplification in hues of red, orange and purple.
The evening included a live monotype demonstration by Anderson. She explained that monotyping is a type of printmaking made by drawing or painting on a smooth, nonabsorbent surface such as glass. Using nontoxic ink, Anderson inked the entire surface and then, using brushes and Q-tips, she removed some ink to create a subtractive background and added other ink to create her subject. She then positioned the glass on a printing press and transferred the image onto a sheet of paper by pressing the two together. Monotyping produces a unique one-of-kind print, or monotype; most of the ink is removed during the initial pressing. Although subsequent reprintings are sometimes possible, they differ greatly from the first print and are generally considered inferior. These prints from the original plate are called "ghost prints."
Anderson’s figurative and Matisse-like monotypes are an extension of herself and people she knows. The essence of her figurative work is to capture the mood and character of her subjects who are not intended to be perfect; instead, they are ordinary women in everyday situations. Anderson explores implied narratives and intimate settings to establish a connection with the viewer’s personal experience. Vibrant color sets the mood, while line and contour establish a rhythm to bring shapes together.
Sarah Anderson is a printmaker and painter who currently lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She grew up in Silver City, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico. Anderson is a full time artist; her monotypes and watercolors have been exhibited internationally in France, Japan, Canada and India. They are also in numerous public and private collections around the world, including Buenos Aires, Argentina and Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
Circle of Friends - monotypes by Sarah Anderson will hang through September 27th at New Grounds print workshop and gallery, 3812 Central Avenue, SE, Suite 100 B, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (505) 268-8952, Tuesday 10 - 4, Wednesday - Sunday, 9 - 6pm, http://newgroundsprintshop.com/anderson-sarah/.
