The Monoprint

 The Monoprint is just as it sounds. One print pulled from a plate, be it copper, zinc, or, in this artist’s case, glass.

For me, the monoprint has always been an anchor in my work, constantly bouncing back and forth between the canvas and the prints. Why? Making paintings is a long, fluid and sometimes endless process, adding, scraping away, creating the layers in color, destroying and recreating. Hopefully ending with a success.

The monoprint, however, is a one-shot deal. I work the monoprint with black ink. This eliminates the color.  It is only about drawing, creating these wonderful textures and lines.

For subject matter, I almost always refer to the “Great Masters” Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, etc.  This allows me to concentrate solely on the drawing, the forms, the atmosphere, and, of course, the narrative of the piece I am working from.

One only gets one chance to get it right, although one has a little bit of time to work the plate. But not much time, as the ink hardens quickly making it impossible to pull a print.

This is what makes this process so much fun. There are a lot of wonderful textures and lines that occur accidently, making the final outcome always a surprise. Some are successful, the rest go into the rubbish.

-Mark Sweeney, February 2013