January's Prints - Michael Angelis and Christopher O'Flaherty

        

Captain's Desk - Michael Angelis

 This print incorporates three historical objects: a nautical inkwell, a quill and a knife with a whalebone handle. I often tend towards nautical themes with woodblock prints, perhaps related to the tactility of the material and the traditions of wood building, handmade tools, carved idols, scrimshaw, etc. The knife and the quill relate to the anecdote concerning the pen and the sword, as the quill is made using a knife to carve and shape it. The ink connects to the print itself, as the image carved in the block is impressed using printmaking ink. Woodblock, although it thrives as a fine art medium, is not an everyday occurrence and neither is the practice of ink and quill. The block is carved from poplar and the print is Gamblin oil-based ink on Arnhem 1618 cotton rag paper. Signed edition of 20. Printed by the artist. 

Michael Angelis is a painter and printmaker based in New Haven, CT. He received his BFA from Purchase College, SUNY in 2001 and MA in Art Education from Teachers College in 2005. He maintains a studio in the Mill River District in New Haven, and primarily works in oil and relief printmaking. He is represented by Fred Giampietro Gallery in New Haven. 

 

Will you still like me in the morning?

Lying on top of a brightly patterned polka dot blanket, a figure extends an invitation after a night of house partying. Behind him rests a painted copy of Kirchner’s Female Artist. This somber portrait depicts a girl wearing a colorful stripped dress staring off into space. The young artist is accompanied by a few empty bottles scattered around the picture. Inspiration for this piece came from this painting as well as the memory of a friend. 

The majority of the woodblock was carved using traditional tools and techniques, but the polka dot pattern filling a large portion of the picture was carved using an electric drill. The bright repetitive pattern adds a sense of color. Although the style can feel cartoonish, its subject matter grounds it in a gritty reality. The block is carved on birch plywood, and is hand printed with oil-based inks on Mulberry paper. This edition of 20 is signed and printed by the artist.


1 comment

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