The Printmakers:
Abstract Prints from the 60’s ad 70’s
Interpretive Guide
Silence, by Maxwell Bates
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Travelling Exhibition Program
Generously Supported By
The Printmakers:
Abstract Prints from the 60's and 70's
Interpretive Guide
Table of Contents
Press Release.....................................................................................3
TREX Information Sheet......................................................................4
The Printmakers Introduction...............................................................5
Artworks Inventory...............................................................................6
Artist Biographies and CV's................................................................13
Crate Lists...........................................................................................36
Education Package
Educator’s Guided Tour.....................................................................38
Tabletop Monoprints (Kindergarten to Grade 6)……….....……….…..40
Styrofoam Block Prints (Grades K to 9)..............................................43
Warm and Cool Reflective Landscapes (Grades 7 to 12)...................45
Lino Block Print (Grades 9 to 12)…….................................................47
How to Look at Art Handout................................................................50
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Travelling Exhibition Program
Press Release
The Printmakers:
Abstract Prints from the 1960’s and 70’s
This exhibition presents 21 artworks by Alberta printmakers who were influential during
the print movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. This was a very prolific time for these
artists who were specialists in the art of printmaking and who worked in several
disciplines of printmaking. Some of these would include woodcut, block print, lithograph,
silkscreen, etchings, clay print, linocut, and mono print. These artists all had their own
unique style with the focus of this exhibition on abstract imagery.
The artists represented in this exhibition are John K. Esler, Marion Nicoll, Maxwell Bates,
Deli Socilotto, Ted Faiers, A.S. Kozub, Aurdy, Carol Breen, T. Sasaki, Toshi Yoshida, Lucien
Compernol, Vivian Lindoe, E.J. Ferguson, Kay Angliss, Kenneth Samuelson, and John Snow.
Curated By Todd Schaber
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Generously Supported By
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The Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Travelling Exhibition Program
The Printmakers: Abstract Prints from the 60’s and 70‘s
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is proud to present The Printmakers: Abstract Prints from the 60’s and
70‘s. The mid-20th century was a time of social, political, and artistic change, in Alberta and the rest of
the world. After fighting its way into artistic legitimacy, straying from notoriety of the typical Canadiana
style of landscape painting, in the 1960’s and 70’s abstraction and printmaking had become more popular
modes of artistic practice. Sixteen artists are represented in this exhibition: Aurdy, Kay Angliss, Maxwell
Bates, Carol Breen, Lucien Compernol, John K. Esler, Ted Faiers, E.J. Ferguson, Alexander Kozub, Vivian
Lindoe, Marion Nicoll, Deli Sacilotto, Kenneth Samuelson, Terry Sasaki, John Snow, and Toshi Yoshida.
The twenty-one unique, abstract prints in The Printmakers come courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for
the Arts collection. They were created using a wide variety of printmaking methods: woodcut, linocut,
clay print, silkscreen, etching, monoprint, and lithography.
Many of the artists in The Printmakers were forerunners in the printmaking genre. Calgary-based artists
Marion Nicoll, John K. Esler, Maxwell Bates, and John Snow were educators and artistic leaders who,
throughout their careers, would help put Alberta on the map as an international centre for the practice
of printmaking. Overcoming the trails and tribulations in a male dominated field, Marion Nicoll was the
first female art instructor ever to be hired at the Provincial Instititute of Art and Technology (now the
Alberta College of Art and Design). John K. Esler, while teaching art at the University of Calgary, opened
Alberta’s first public press and printmaking studio, the Trojan Press (which later would become Studio
JKE). Maxwell Bates taught workshops and lessons in printmaking and painting, and was also a prolific
architect. Bates would collaborate with John Snow, who would teach himself about lithography and then
teach other Alberta artists how to practice it as well. Snow was not only influencial as a printmaker, he
contributed largely to Calgary’s theatre and music scenes as well.
Many of the artists in The Printmakers were only temporarily in Alberta, either teaching or learning here
at some point. Lucien Compernol (from Montreal) and Kay Angliss (from British Columbia) would both
teach at the Alberta College of Art before returning to their respective provinces. Terry Sasaki, educated
in Alberta, continues to make art out of his own gallery, the Sasaki Art Gallery, in Vancouver. Ted Faiers
went to the University of Alberta then moved to Tennessee where he taught at the Memphis College of
Art and Design. Famous Japanese woodcut artist, Toshi Yoshida, travelled the world and came to Calgary
to teach woodcutting workshops. Deli Sacilotto studied and taught in Alberta, but settled in Florida
where he, with Donald Saff, wrote a compendium of printmaking processes for printmakers,
Printmaking: History and Process (Rinehart and Winston, 1978), which is still widely refered to today.
Sacilotto also helped run Graphicstudio, a professional and educational printmaking studio that has
revolutionized the practice of printmaking in North America.
For reference material, and for more information on some of the artists, please refer to the biography
and curriculum vitaes located after the Artworks Inventory section.
Curated by Todd Schaber
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Generously Supported By
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#1. Carol Breen, Moon People
woodcut on paper, 1967
16”x 14” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#2. Aurdy, Two on the Side
woodcut on paper, 1967
22”x 14” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#3. T. Sasaki, Kokeshis
linocut on paper, 1965
12”x 20” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#4. A.S. Kozub, Sun and Earth
woodcut on paper, 1967
18”x 20” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#5. Marion Nicholl, Play
clay print on paper, 1963
16”x 22” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#6. Ted Fraiers, Jive
linocut on paper, 1965
18”x 23” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#7. Vivian Lindoe, Woodland Dance
silkscreen on paper, 1970
21”x 25” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#8. Marion Nicholl, Birth of a Legend
clay print on paper, 1971
21.5”x 26” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#9. Toshi Yoshida, June B
woodcut on paper, 1962
27.5”x 20” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#10. Kay Angliss, Red and Blue Landscape
silkscreen on paper, 1968
22”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#11. Deli Sacilotto, Orange and Black
woodcut on paper, n.d.
22”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#12. Vivian Lindoe, Tree Cats
silkscreen on paper, 1971
22”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#13. Lucien Compernol,
Showdown in the Labyritn
etching on paper, 1972
22.5”x 27.5” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#14. Maxwell Bates, Silence
monoprint/silkscreen on paper, 1961
25”x 30” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#15. Deli Sacilotto, Untitled
lithograph on paper, 1966
33.5”x 26” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#16. E.J. Ferguson, Morning
silkscreen on paper, 1973
39.5”x 31.5” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#17. Kenneth Samuelson, Resonance
silkscreen on paper, 1973
28”x 39.5” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#18. John Snow, Dancer
lithograph on paper, n.d.
36”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Presents
The Printmakers
Artworks Inventory
Courtesy of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
#19. Deli Sacilotto, Untitled
lithograph on paper, 1966
36”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#20. John K. Esler, Conquered Mountain
etching on paper, 1973
36”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
#21. John K. Esler, Tree, Stars
etching on paper, 1973
36”x 28” framed, Courtesy the AFA Collection
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The Printmakers: Abstract Prints from the 60’s and 70‘s Selected Biographies and Curriculum Vitaes Kay Angliss (1923-­‐2004) Kay Angliss was born in 1923 in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. After graduating from Vancouver Art School in 1946, Angliss continued to take workshops at Emma Lake, Saskatchewan, and classes at the University of Calgary and the Alberta College of Art. In the 1950’s, Angliss began using whatever inexpensive supplies she could find to create her art, such as house paints and refuse from art shop garbages. In 1960 she began teaching children’s art classes at the Allied Art Centre in Calgary, and continued to do so part-­‐time until 1974. From 1965-­‐1980, Angliss taught also art classes at the Alberta College of Art (now ACAD). In 1989 Angliss moved back to British Colombia and continued her art practice. Angliss is best known for her serigraph, collagraph, and relief printing, but she also worked in watercolour and fibre arts. Education: -­‐ 1942-­‐1946, Bachelors Degree, Vancouver Art School -­‐ 1963, Emma Lake Workshop -­‐ University of Calgary -­‐ Alberta College of Art Employment: -­‐ 1965-­‐1980, Alberta College of Art, Calgary, art instructor -­‐ 1960-­‐1974, Allied Arts Centre, Calgary, children’s art instructor Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout her career, including: -­‐ 1977, Artists Greetings, Art Gallery of Memorial University, St. Johns, Newfoundland -­‐ 1977, Alberta Society of Artists: A Juried Exhibition, Glenbow Museum, Calgary -­‐ 1971, Environment ’71, Calgary -­‐ 1969, Burnaby Print Show, Burnaby Art Gallery -­‐ 1969, 10th Annual Calgary Graphics Exhibition, Nickle Gallery, Calgary Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton Awards: -­‐ Royal Canadian Academy Trust Fund, 1994 Publications: -­‐ Tuele, Nicholas. British Columbia Women Artists, 1885-­‐1985. Victoria: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1985. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ “Angliss, Katherine Margaret (Kay).” http://cwahi.concordia.ca. Canadian Women Artists History Initiative, n.d. Web. 3 August, 2014. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta: 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts, 2005. -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 13
Maxwell Bates (1906-­‐1980) Maxwell Bates was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1906. He was the son of an architect, William Stanley Bates, and on his own he would teach himself to draw and paint. After his graduation from Calgary’s Central High School, Bates worked at his father’s company, W.S. Bates, from 1924-­‐1931. While working, Bates attended evening classes at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (now the Alberta College of Art and Design) in Calgary, from 1926-­‐1927, and also joined the Calgary Art Club. During this time, he would begin to hone his craft not just as a draughtsman and architect, but also as an abstract and expressionist painter and printmaker. In 1931 Bates moved to London, England, working his way across the Atlantic on a cattle boat. In London he sold vacuums before gaining a position at the architectural firm of J.H Gibbons and Harold Davies. While there Bates joined and exhibited with an art association called the Twenties Group. In 1939, during World War II, Bates enlisted in the British Territorial Army, where he was stationed in a machine gun regiment. In 1940 he was captured by Nazis at Dunkirk, France, as a prisoner of war, and spent the next five years working the salt mines of Germany. After his release in 1945, Bates returned to Calgary and resumed work at his father’s architectural company. Along with J.W.G. Macdonald, he was a founding member of the art club called the Calgary Group. From 1948-­‐1949 Bates took an evening teaching position at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, where he would meet student John Snow. The two would become good friends, later learning together the process of lithography. From 1949-­‐1950, Bates attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School in New York, and when he returned to Calgary he formed an architectural partnership with A.W. Hodges, with whom he would design buildings such as Calgary’s St. Mary’s Cathedral. In 1961 Bates suffered a severe stroke that left him partially paralyzed on one side. Shortly after this, Bates retired from architecture and moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where he continued to create bold and expressive art, despite his ill health. In 1971, he cofounded, and became president of, Victoria’s modernist art group, The Limners. During his retirement, Bates’ work was shown extensively throughout Canada, earning him an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary in 1971. Prior to his death in 1980, Bates was awarded membership to the Order of Canada. Bates created colourful, expressionistic, and romantic street scenes, landscapes, still-­‐lifes, figures, and portraits. He participated in many exhibitions throughout Canada, and would join and be a member of many art and architectural associations. His media included oils, watercolours, gouache, chalks, pencil, and pen and inks. In printmaking he worked chiefly with lithography. Not just an artist and architect, Bates also published two books. His first book, in 1964, was a collection of his own poetry entitled Far-­‐
Away Flags (published independently by Bates). In 1978, Sono Nis Press published a memoir Bates wrote about his experience as a prisoner of war, entitled A Wilderness of Days: An Artist’s Experiences as a Prisoner of War in Germany. Education: -­‐ 1949-­‐1950, Brooklyn Museum Art School, New York -­‐ 1926-­‐1927, Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, Calgary Employment: -­‐ 1951-­‐1957, A.W Hodges, Calgary, architect -­‐ 1948-­‐1949, Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, Calgary, art instructor -­‐ 1946-­‐1950 and 1924-­‐1931, W.S. Bates, Calgary, architect -­‐ 1939-­‐1945, British Territorial Army -­‐ 1934-­‐1939, J.H Gibbons and Harold Davies, London, architect 14
Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: -­‐ 2006, Maxwell Bates (1906-­‐1980), Winchester Gallery, Victoria, BC -­‐ 1992, Alberta Society of Artists: Sixty Years, Edmonton Art Gallery -­‐ 1989, Christmas Cards, Triangle Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1983, Winnipeg West, Edmonton Art Gallery -­‐ 1973, Maxwell Bates in Retrospect, 1921-­‐71, Vancouver Art Gallery -­‐ 1972, The Limners, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria -­‐ 1969, Maxwell Bates: A Retrospective, Feature at the CGSA 36th Annual Exhibition, Robert McLaughlin Gallery and Civic Center, Oshawa, Ontario -­‐ 1968, Directions in Western Canada Printmaking, Winnipeg Art Gallery -­‐ 1967, Painting in Canada, Canadian Government Pavilion, Montreal -­‐ 1964, Surrealism in Canadian Painting, London, Ontario -­‐ 1963, Master Canadian Painters and Sculptors, London, Ontario -­‐ 1960, Second International Biennial Exhibition of Prints, Tokyo National Museum of Art -­‐ 1955, First Canadian Biennial, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa -­‐ 1953, Progressive Painters of Western Canada, Winnipeg Art Gallery -­‐ 1951, Western Canadian Artists, Dominion Gallery, Montreal -­‐ 1950, Directions for 1950, Laurel Gallery, New York -­‐ 1949, Western Canadian Painters, Calgary Allied Arts Centre -­‐ 1948, Summer Exhibition, Indiana University -­‐ 1947, Maxwell Bates, Canadian Art Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1937, Artists International Exhibition, Paris, France -­‐ 1932, Three Painters and Three Sculptors, Bloomsbury Gallery, London -­‐ 1930, Exhibition of Canadian Painting, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Glenbow Museum, Calgary -­‐ Vancouver Art Gallery -­‐ University of Victoria -­‐ Canada Council Art Bank -­‐ Art Gallery of Greater Victoria -­‐ Department of External Affairs, Ottawa -­‐ National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa -­‐ Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto -­‐ Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina -­‐ Confederation Art Centre, Charlottetown -­‐ Winnipeg Art Gallery -­‐ Memorial University, St. John’s -­‐ National Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand -­‐ Tate Gallery, London, England -­‐ Wertheim Gallery, Manchester, England Awards: -­‐ 1971, University of Calgary Honorary Doctorate -­‐ 1967, Centennial Medal 15
Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Order of Canada -­‐ The Limners -­‐ Royal Canadian Academy -­‐ British Columbia Society of Artists -­‐ International Society of Plastic Arts -­‐ Alberta Association of Architects -­‐ Member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada -­‐ Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour -­‐ Alberta Society of Artists -­‐ Canadian Society of Graphic Artists -­‐ Federation of Canadian Artists -­‐ Calgary Group (founding member) -­‐ Twenties Group, London (1932-­‐1939) -­‐ Calgary Art Club (1926-­‐1928) Publications: -­‐ Ainslie, Patricia and Mary-­‐Beth Laviolette. Alberta Art and Artists. Calgary: Fifth House Ltd, 2007. -­‐ Page, P.K.“The World of Maxwell Bates.” pp 98-­‐100. The Filled Pen: Selected Non-­‐Fiction. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. Maxwell Bates: Canada's Premier Expressionist of the 20th Century, His Art, Life and Prisoner of War Notebook. Calgary: Snyder Hedlin Fine Arts, 2005. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta, 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts, Inc., 2005. -­‐ Bovey, Patricia E. A Passion for Art: The Art and Dynamics of the Limners. Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1996. -­‐ Snow, Kathleen M. Maxwell Bates: Biography of an Artist. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1993. -­‐ Bates, Maxwell. A Wilderness of Days: An Artist’s Experiences as a Prisoner of War in Germany. Winlaw, BC: Sono Nis Press, 1978. -­‐ Maxwell Bates in Retrospect, 1921-­‐71. Exhibition catalogue. Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery, 1973. -­‐ Bates, Maxwell. Far-­‐Away Flags. Victoria: published by the author, 1964. -­‐ Canadian Art. Magazine, March/April 1961. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ Zemans, Joyce. “Maxwell Bates.” www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 11 June, 2014. Web. 31 July, 2014. -­‐ MacDonald, Colin S. “Maxwell Bates.” www.robertsgallery.net. Roberts Gallery, Toronto, n.d. Web. 31 July, 2014. -­‐ “Maxwell Bates: Artist Biography.” www.virginiachristopherfineart.com. Virginia Christopher Fine Art, Calgary, n.d. Web. 31 July, 2014. -­‐ “Maxwell Bates (1906-­‐1980).” http://uvac.uvic.ca/gallery/spreitz. Karl Spreitz and Collaborators Archival Film Collection, University of Victoria, n.d. Web. 31 July, 2014. -­‐ Amos, Robert. Artists in their Studios: Where Art is Born. Victoria: Touchwood Editions, 2007. -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 16
Carol Breen (b.1943) Carol Breen, formally Carol Mullinger, grew up in Canmore, Alberta. She was a student the Alberta College of Art in Calgary, graduating with a diploma in Textiles and Applied Arts. After working for two years as a custom weaver at Douglas Motter and Associates, Breen took a position teaching textiles, design, drawing, and watercolour at the Alberta College of Art. While teaching she completed two more diplomas (in Speech Arts and Drama) from the Toronto Conservatory and Mount Royal College. Breen has been living and working in Fort McMurray, Alberta since 1989, where she taught watercolour and drawing at Keyano College. Breen is currently the curator at the Frames and More Gallery and continues to create colourful and imaginative pieces, usually incorporating nature and northern symbols. Education: -­‐ Diploma in Drama, Mount Royal College -­‐ Diploma in Speech Arts, Toronto Conservatory -­‐ 1967, diploma in Textiles and Applied Arts, Alberta College of Art and Design Employment: -­‐ 2011-­‐Present, Frames and More Gallery, Fort McMurray, curator -­‐ Keyano College, Fort McMurray, watercolour and drawing instructor -­‐ Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, instructor -­‐ 1967-­‐1969, Douglas Motter & Associates, custom weaver Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout her career, including: Selected Solo Exhibitions: -­‐ 2001, Talking about Angels and Other Winged Creatures, The Collector’s Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1999, Search for the Great Athabasca River Whale, The Collector's Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1996, Counterpoint: A Garden of Sorts, The Collector's Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1995, Between Borders, Karuna Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1994, Recent Works, Oppershauser Gallery, Stoney Plain and Tamarack Gallery, Fort McMurray -­‐ 1993, A Diary of Sorts, Keyano College Gallery, Fort McMurray -­‐ 1983, Recent Works, Lefebvre Gallery, Edmonton Selected Group Exhibitions: -­‐ 2014, Time For Spring, Frames and More Gallery, Ft. McMurray -­‐ 2013, YMM ArtFest, Frames and More Gallery, Ft. McMurray -­‐ 2006, States of Being, Keyano College Gallery, Ft. McMurray -­‐ 2004, Visions: Northern Impressions, Artworks Gallery, Ft. McMurray -­‐ 2003, Magical Places and Things, Artworks Gallery, Ft. McMurray -­‐ 1968, Western Crafts, 1967, Central Gallery, Calgary Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Alberta House, London, England -­‐ Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, ON -­‐ Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan -­‐ Confederation Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown, PEI -­‐ Good Shepherd Elementary School, Edmonton, AB -­‐ Howard Mackie, Calgary, AB -­‐ Imperial Oil Limited, Toronto, ON 17
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Keyano College, Fort McMurray, AB New York Office of Economic Development and Investments, New York, NY Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Grande Prairie, AB Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Fort McMurray, AB Rodman Hall, St. Catherine's, ON CSPWC Diploma Collection Suncor, Fort McMurray, AB Syncrude Canada Research Centre, Edmonton, AB Fort McMurray Public Library, Ft. McMurray, AB Publications: -­‐ Richardson, Amanda.“Bringing Diverse Art Together.” www.fortmcmurraytoday.com. Fort McMurray Today, 19 May, 2014. Web. 2 August 2014. -­‐ “Visions: Northern Impressions.” http://members.shaw.ca/artworksgallery. Artworks Gallery and Framing Centre, n.d. Web. 2 August, 2014. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta: 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts Inc, 2005. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ “Carol Breen.” www.collectorsgalleryofart.com. The Collectors’ Gallery, n.d. Web. 2 August, 2014. -­‐ “Gallery at Frames and More.” www.facebook.com. Frames and More Gallery Facebook page, n.d. Web. 2 August, 2014. -­‐ Sawyer, Jill. “Carol Breen, Visions: Northern Impressions.” www.gallerieswest.ca. Galleries West, 31 August, 2014. Web. 2 August 2014. -­‐ Breen, Carol. “Carol Breen.” http://framesandmore.ca. Frames and More Gallery, n.d. Web. 19 August, 2014. 18
John K. Esler (1933 -­‐ 2001) John K. Esler was born at Pilot Mount, Manitoba in 1933. He studied art at the University of Manitoba, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1960 and a Bachelor of Education in 1962. After spending a year abroad travelling Europe, Esler took a teaching post at the Alberta College of Art (now Alberta College of Art and Design), where he was instrumental to the success of the college’s printmaking program. In 1968, he accepted a position at the University of Calgary, where he taught intaglio, lithography, and drawing. Esler encouraged his students to experiment and to create art with a mind open to the unexpected. He retired early, in the 1980’s, so he could focus more on his own art practice. In 1978, while working at the University of Calgary, Esler and fellow artist Ken Webb founded the Trojan Press. Extremely important to print artists at the time, the Trojan Press was the first of its kind in Alberta, providing studio and press privileges for artists, as well as a meeting place and collaborative, educational environment. The name changed to Studio JKE in 1981 and continued to run until 1988. Esler closed the press, deciding to move his studio to his acreage outside of Calgary. Esler’s early prints focused mainly on landscape, especially on areas of the Red River Valley and Pembina Hills. He soon began to incorporate his love of texture and added a more dynamic colour palette. He favoured the intaglio process, but also created etchings, collagraphs, and mixed media experimentations that could showcase his increasing interest in more tactile processes. For example, Esler’s print Relic of 20th Century (Lunch Kit), 1965, was an object he found on the streets of Calgary (a crushed lunch kit) that he used like an etching plate. His subject matter would vary throughout his career, but his explorations of space, juxtapositions of objects, and size and pattern experimentations all show outstanding technical workmanship. Esler won numerous awards for his contributions to the arts, including the C.W. Jefferys' Award from the Canadian Society of Graphic Arts and the G.A. Reid Memorial Award from the Canadian Painter-­‐
Etchers and Engravers. He exhibited widely in Canada and abroad and his works are represented in permanent collections in Canada, the U.S., England, and France. Education: -­‐ 1962, Bachelor of Education, University of Manitoba -­‐ 1960, Bachelor of Fine Art, University of Manitoba Employment: -­‐ 1951-­‐1956, Royal Bank, accountant -­‐ 1968-­‐1985, University of Calgary, printmaking instructor -­‐ 1964-­‐1968, Alberta College of Art, printmaking and drawing instructor Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: -­‐ 2001, Con Memoriam: Eve Koch & John Kenneth Esler, Triangle Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1994, 35 Years, 15 Minutes: prints by John Kenneth Esler, The Nickle Arts Museum, Calgary -­‐ 1978, Graphex 6, Art Gallery of Brant, Brantford, Ontario -­‐ 1978, Archives Collection of the Society of Canadian Painters, Etcher, and Engravers Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario -­‐ 1978, Laing, Sawaii, Esler, Graphica, Edmonton -­‐ 1978, 15th Anniversary Exhibition, Gallery Pascal, Toronto -­‐ 1978, Canadian Print and Drawing Council’s First Biennial Exhibition, Alberta College of Art, Calgary 19
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1976, 3rd Biennale Internationale de l’image, Epinol, France 1974, Centennial Graphics Exhibition, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1974, Canadian Society of Graphic Art 41st Annual Exhibition, Art Gallery of Toronto 1974-­‐1977, Burnaby National Print Show 1967, Tenth Winnipeg Show, travelled to multiple locations in western Canada 1963, Canadian Society of Graphic Art 30th Annual Exhibition, Art Gallery of Toronto 1963-­‐1972, Burnaby National Print Show, Burnaby Art Gallery 1962, Calgary Graphics Exhibition, Nickel Art Gallery, Calgary 1962, First Biennial Winnipeg Art Show, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Government House Juried Collection, Edmonton -­‐ Museum of Modern Art, New York -­‐ Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England -­‐ Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa -­‐ National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa -­‐ Canadian Consulates, multiple locations: Ohio, Massachusetts, France, Haiti -­‐ Canadian Embassy, Guatemala Awards: -­‐ C.W. Jeffreys’ Award, Canadian Society of Graphic Arts -­‐ G.A. Reid Memorial Award, Canadian Painter-­‐Etchers and Engravers -­‐ Purchase Award, 3 Biennale Internationale de l’image, France, 1976 -­‐ Purchase Award, Centennial Graphics Exhibition, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1974 -­‐ Purchase Award, Canadian Society of Graphic Art Annual Exhibition, 1974 Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Royal Canadian Academy of Arts -­‐ Print and Drawing Council of Canada (first chairman) -­‐ Malaspina Printmakers Society -­‐ Graphics Society of New Hampshire -­‐ Art Gallery of Brant, Brantford, Ontario (trustee) -­‐ Trojan Press / Studio JKE (founder) 1978-­‐1987 -­‐ Seventh Burnaby National Print Show (juror) -­‐ Graphex (juror) 1975-­‐1977 -­‐ Imprint ’76 (consultant) 1976 -­‐ Polish International Print Exhibition (coordinator) 1972 Publications: -­‐ Ainslie, Patricia and Mary-­‐Beth Laviolette. Alberta Art and Artists. Calgary: Fifth House Ltd, 2007. -­‐ Ford, Susan. 35 Years, 15 Minutes: prints by John Kenneth Esler. Calgary: The Nickle Arts Museum, 1994. -­‐ Devonshire Baker, Suzanne. Artists of Alberta. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1980. -­‐ Greenfield, Val et al. Graphex 6: 6th Annual Juried and Invitational Exhibition of Canadian Prints and Drawings. Brantford: The Art Gallery of Brant, 1978 -­‐ Esler, John K and Carol M. Zemel. The 7th Burnaby Biennial Open Juried Show of Art. Burnaby: Burnaby Art Gallery, 1973. -­‐ Prints by John K. Esler: 1963-­‐1972. Toronto: Erindale College, 1973 20
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Eckhardt, Ferdinand. Experimental Prints by John K. Esler: 1964. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1964. Additional Publications/Bibliography -­‐ “John K. Esler.” www.gallery78.com. Gallery 78, Fredericton, n.d. Web. 29 July, 2014. -­‐ “Lunch Kit, by John K. Esler.” www.glenbow.org/artpad. Glenbow Museum, n.d. Web. 29 July, 2014. -­‐ “John K. Esler.” www.zoominfo.com. Zoom Info, 27 May, 2014. Web. 29 July, 2014. -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 21
Ted Faiers (1908-­‐1985) Edward (Ted) Faiers was born in Newquay, England and grew up in Western Canada. He was a salesman in Lethbridge before studying drawing and painting at the University of Alberta from 1941-­‐
1946. Faiers taught there as a part time instructor the following year. In 1949 Faiers was appointed as a member of the Government of Alberta’s Cultural Activities Board. He stayed at this position for a short time before moving to New York to study with the Art Student’s League in 1951. In 1952 Faiers moved to Tennessee and taught at the Memphis College of Art until his retirement in 1977, taking various summers and sabbaticals to teach workshops across the United States. All the while he made art (paintings, drawings, woodcuts and lithographs) and participated in many exhibitions. Faiers style changed much over the decades. His works from the 1940s are western landscapes. His paintings from the early 50s are primarily studio paintings – still-­‐lifes, portraits, and street scenes – with a limited palate and a modernist technique. The rest of the 50s found him under the influence of artist Will Barnet. His work became distinctly abstract with a flattened sense of space and shape. Those shapes became very minimal and fluid in the early 60s and shortly thereafter morphed into stylized figures. With the advent of pop art in the later 60s, Faiers’ figures gained a cartoonish sensibility and became more pictorial and narrative. In the mid-­‐70s, he began constructing attachments so that objects and body parts protruded right off the canvas. In 1979, after many exhibitions and his retirement from teaching, Faiers was commissioned to produce a 16,000 square foot, 51-­‐panel mural depicting Tennessee history. He used a technique he had established of stretching canvas over three-­‐dimensional, low-­‐relief wood sculptures prior to painting. Faiers died of a heart attack in 1985 before the completion of the mural. His former student Betty Gilow and local artist Arnold Thompson finished the piece in his honour, which was unveiled on September 15th, 1987, and today still can be seen at the historic First Tennessee Bank in Memphis. Education: -­‐ 1951, Art Students League, New York -­‐ 1941-­‐1946, University of Alberta, Faculty of Extension (drawing and painting) Employment: -­‐ 1952-­‐1977, The Memphis Academy of Arts, instructor of drawing, painting, printmaking -­‐ 1968, University of Mississippi, artist in residence -­‐ 1973, Arkansas Arts Center, print instructor -­‐ 1966, Pratt Graphic Centre, New York, art instructor -­‐ 1952-­‐1956, Allison Wells’ Art Workshop, Mississippi, art instructor -­‐ 1947-­‐1948, University of Alberta, art instructor Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: Selected Solo Exhibitions: -­‐ 2012, Ted Faiers: Flat Space, Paintings and Works on Paper, 1953-­‐56, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis -­‐ 2010, A Groovy Kind of Love: The 1960s part II, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis -­‐ 2006, Just When You Think, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis -­‐ 2006, Pattern Recognition, The Powerhouse, Memphis -­‐ 2004, Art Students League Work, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis -­‐ 2003, She, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis -­‐ 1988, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill -­‐ 1987, Schmidt Bingham Gallery, New York 22
1985, Edward Faiers: A Retrospective Exhibition, Tennessee State Museum (Nashville), Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and Memphis College of Art Selected Group Exhibitions -­‐ 2008, M3D, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Memphis -­‐ 2007, Southern Living's 2007 Idea House, Watersound, FL -­‐ 2005, The Art of Performance, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art -­‐ 2003, Art of Tennessee, First Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville -­‐ 2002, The Symbolic Heart/Garden of Eden Suite, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art -­‐ 2002, 20th Century Painting in Tennessee, Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville -­‐ 1979, Two From Memphis, Theo Portnoy Gallery, New York -­‐ 1959, 4th Annual Mid-­‐South Exhibition of Paintings, Memphis -­‐ 1949-­‐1950, Western Canadian Painters, travelling exhibition -­‐
Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock -­‐ AT&T Collection, Chicago -­‐ Baker Donelson, Memphis -­‐ C & I Bank, Memphis -­‐ EVS Corporation, Memphis -­‐ First Tennessee Bank, Memphis -­‐ Glenbow Museum, Calgary -­‐ Hyde Foundation, Memphis -­‐ Malone & Hyde, (now AutoZone), Memphis -­‐ Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis -­‐ Methodist Hospital, Memphis -­‐ National Bank of Commerce, Memphis -­‐ National Canadian Railroad -­‐ Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge -­‐ Tennessee State Museum, Nashville Awards: -­‐ Purchase Prize, 4th Annual Mid-­‐South Exhibition of Paintings, Tennesee (1959) -­‐ Scholarship, Banff School of Fine Arts (1942) Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Cultural Activities Board, Province of Alberta (1949-­‐1950) -­‐ Alberta Society of Artists (1946) Publications: -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta: 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts Inc, 2005. -­‐ Van West, Caroll. A History of Tennessee Arts: Creating Traditions, Expanding Horizons. Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press, 2004 -­‐ Hicks, Robert et al. Art of Tennessee. Exhibition catalogue. Nashville: University of Tennessee Press, 2003. -­‐ Edward Faiers: A Retrospective Exhibition. Exhibition catalogue. Nashville: Tennessee State Museum, 1985. -­‐ Newsom, Barbara and Adele Silver, eds. The Art Museum as Educator. California: University of California Press, 1978. -­‐ Canadian Art. Magazine, pp 190. Ontario: Society for Art Publications, 1955. 23
Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ Ted Faiers. tedfaiers.com. Faiers estate website, n.d. Web. 1 August, 2014. -­‐ “Ted Faiers CV.” davidluskgallery.com. David Lusk Gallery, n.d. Web, pdf document. 1 August, 2014 -­‐ “First Tennessee Heritage Mural Celebrates 25 Years”. www.commercialappeal.com/news. The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, 23 September, 2012. Web. 1 August, 2014. -­‐ Moore, Elizabeth H. “Edward Spencer Faiers (1908-­‐1985.” http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net. The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 5 January, 2010. Web. 2 August, 2014. 24
A.S. Kozub Alexander (A.S.) Kozub was born in Calgary, Alberta of Ukrainian decent. He was raised in Drumheller, Alberta, and spent most of his time outdoors. He graduated with a bachelor degree from the Alberta College of Art, during which he received multiple rewards for his paintings and prints. After college, until 1978, Kozub worked as a head artist and then art director for Lawson Graphics in Calgary. He then opened his own graphic arts company called Alexander Graphics, while also teaching evening art classes for the Calgary Board of Education. Alexander Graphics was well known in the cartographic and oil industries; he created maps and annual reports for oil companies, designed for and built many exhibits for petroleum shows, and was even honoured with an Alexander Graphics section in the cartographic division of the National Archives in Ottawa. In 1988, prior to the Calgary Winter Olympics, Kozub was commissioned by the Royal Bank of Canada to design an Olympic pin and to design the display that held all the Olympic medals, which were exhibited at the downtown Royal Bank window in the Olympic Plaza. Kozub, since his retirement in 1990 from Alexander Graphics, has focused more on his art. His love of nature is evident in his paintings, where he portrays colourful and idyllic scenes of the natural environment. He is currently a member of the Calgary Sketch Club, the Calgary Artists Society, the Calgary Community Painters Society, and exhibits with a Calgary artists group called The Art of Eight. On the Art of Eight website (theeight.ca), Kozub explains, “My desire is to bring the beauty I’ve experienced into other peoples lives. I hope that they will appreciate what I have tried to portray and see nature’s treasures as something to be preserved and valued.”
Education: -­‐ Bachelors of Fine Art, Alberta College of Art, Calgary -­‐ University of Calgary Employment: -­‐ Calgary Board of Education, art instructor, evening classes -­‐ 1978-­‐1990, Alexander Graphics -­‐ 19? -­‐ 1978 Lawson Graphics, head artist and art director Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Art of Eight, Calgary -­‐ Calgary Sketch Club -­‐ Calgary Artists Society -­‐ Calgary Community Painters Society -­‐ Interpretations Artists’ Association Publications: -­‐ “Alexander Kozub.” www.calgaryartistssociety.com. Calgary Artists Society, n.d. Web. 2, August 2014. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ “Alexander S. Kozub: Biography.” www.calgarysketchclub.com. Calgary Sketch Club, n.d. Web. 2 August, 2014. -­‐ “Alexander Kozub.” http://theeight.ca. Art of Eight, n.d. Web. 2 August, 2014. 25
Marion Nicoll (1909 -­‐ 1985) Marion Nicoll was born Marion MacKay in April, 1909 in Calgary, Alberta. Nicoll’s artistic endeavours began during high school, when she took extra curricular painting classes at St. Joseph’s Convent, in Red Deer, Alberta. She attended the Ontario College of Art from 1926-­‐1929, and then from 1929-­‐1932 she studied painting and printmaking at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary. She spent her summers studying at the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1933, Nicoll became the first female instructor hired at the Provincial Institute of Art and Technology, where she would teach art, craft, and design. Nicoll took a hiatus from teaching during 1937-­‐38, where she studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, in London, England. Nicoll’s work evolved and changed over her career as an artist. In 1946, Nicoll became fascinated with automatic drawing, a technique of drawing without intention. In 1957, Nicoll attended a workshop in Emma Lake, Saskatchewan, where she was introduced to abstract artist Will Barnet and began to introduce abstraction into her paintings and prints. From 1958-­‐59 she studied at the Art Students’ League in New York, after which she would return to Calgary, again teaching at the Alberta College of Art (formally the Provincial Institute of Art and Technology). She remained there until 1966, when her arthritis became so bad she was no longer able to teach. As an artist and educator with many solo and group exhibitions, Nicoll is a widely acknowledged Albertan painter, printmaker, and mentor, and one of a dedicated few that brought abstraction into practice in the province. She is the first Albertan woman to be elected into the Royal Canadian Academy, and has received many other honours and awards for her abstract paintings and prints. Education: -­‐ 1937-­‐1938, Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, England -­‐ 1929-­‐1932, Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (Alberta College of Art), Calgary -­‐ 1929-­‐1932, summers, Banff School of Fine Arts -­‐ 1926-­‐29, Ontario College of Art, Toronto Employment: -­‐ 1933-­‐1966, (with various hiatuses) Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (Alberta College of Art), Calgary, craft and design instructor -­‐ 1943, Central Alberta Sanatorium, Bowness, teaching art and craft as occupational therapy -­‐ 1946, Banff School of Fine Arts, extension classes, art instructor -­‐ 1937 and 1938, University of Alberta, summer school art instructor Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout her career, including: -­‐ 2014, Fine Lines: Drawings from the Nickle Collection and the Mackie Donation, The Nickle Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 2013-­‐2014, Portraiture, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, TREX travelling exhibition -­‐ 2012, Marion Nicoll: A Retrospective, Nickle Art Gallery, Calgary -­‐ 1986, Marion Nicoll, Art and Influences, Glenbow Museum, Calgary -­‐ 1975, Marion Nicoll: A Retrospective, 1959-­‐1971, Edmonton Art Gallery -­‐ 1971, Jim and Marion Nicoll: Paintings, University of Calgary and the Glenbow Museum -­‐ 1963, 1965, 1967, (5th, 6th, and 7th) Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting, National Gallery of Canada, but also traveled throughout Canada and England -­‐ 1959, Abstract Paintings by Marion Nicoll, Alberta College of Art, Calgary 26
Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Memorial University, Newfoundland -­‐ University of Alberta, Edmonton -­‐ Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton -­‐ The Civic Art Collection, Calgary -­‐ Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba -­‐ Edmonton Museum, Poole Collection -­‐ National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Awards: -­‐ 1966, Senior Fellowship and Honours Certificates, Royal Drawing Society, England -­‐ 1958, Canada Council Grant Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Alberta Society of Artists -­‐ Royal Canadian Academy Publications: -­‐ Ainslie, Patricia and Mary-­‐Beth Laviolette. Alberta Art and Artists. Calgary: Fifth House Ltd, 2007. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. “Marion Nicoll: Art of Metaphor” pp 141-­‐181. A History of Art in Alberta, 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts Inc, 2005. -­‐ Nicoll, Marion and Christopher Jackson. Marion Nicoll: Art and Influences. Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1986. -­‐ Devonshire Baker, Suzanne. Artists of Alberta. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1980. -­‐ Payne, Anne. “Jim and Marion Nicoll.” Arts West 2:3 (1977): pages 7-­‐15. -­‐ Barnet, Will. Marion Nicoll: A Retrospective, 1959-­‐1971. Edmonton: Edmonton Art Gallery, 1975. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ “Marion and Jim Nicoll.” http://impress.ecentricarts.com. Impress: Prints and Ideas, Glenbow Museum, n.d. Web. 30 July, 2014. -­‐ Salahub, Jennifer, et al. Marion Nicoll: Silence and Alchemy. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2013. -­‐ Heller, Jules and Nancy G. Heller. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc, 1995. -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 27
Deli Sacilotto (b. 1936) Deli Sacilotto was born in Kimberley, British Columbia. In 1958 he graduated from Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta College of Art and Design). Sacilotto then moved to New York and studied painting at the Art Students League from 1959 through 1960, and then studied printmaking at the Pratt Graphics Centre in 1961. He returned from New York in 1961 to work at the Alberta College of Art, where he would help set up the school’s print department and teach printmaking part-­‐time until 1964. From 1964 to 1965, Sacilotto studied at the Instituto Statale di Belle Arte, Urbino, Italy. During his fellowship there, Sacilotto met engineer-­‐turned-­‐printmaker Donald Saff, who would invite him to move to Florida. Together they wrote two texts, the most notable being Printmaking: History and Process (Rinehart and Winston, 1978) that serves as an illustrated how-­‐to bible of most printmaking processes, and the histories to go along with them. They followed this with Screenprinting: History and Process (Rinehart and Winston, 1978). On his own, Sacilotto wrote Photographic Printmaking Techniques (Watson-­‐Guptill Publications, 1982). Saff eventually invited Sacilotto to work full-­‐time with him at his print studio, the innovative Graphicstudio (circa 1968), at the University of South Florida campus in Tampa. He would stay at Graphicstudio until his retirement in 2007. During his time at Graphicstudio, Sacilotto worked with many photographers and artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, William Wegman, and Chuck Close. He and Saff also spent time discovering and refining old printmaking processes. For example, they reestablished the photogravure process invented in the 1850’s to allow for the hand printing of unusually large images, as well as the ability to create four-­‐colour prints. They also invented a process known as helio-­‐relief, which uses photo emulsion to cut extremely detailed images onto wood surfaces. Education: -­‐ 1964-­‐1965, Instituto Statale di Belle Arte, Urbino, Italy -­‐ 1961, Pratt Graphics Centre, New York -­‐ 1959-­‐1960, Art Students League, New York -­‐ 1954-­‐1958, bachelor degree, Provincial Institute of Technology and Art Employment: -­‐ c.1968-­‐2007, Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa, director of research -­‐ 1961-­‐1964, Alberta College of Art, printmaking instructor Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: -­‐ 2006-­‐2007, Technology Into Art, Florida Museum of Photographic Art, Tampa -­‐ 1974, Deli Sacilotto and Justin Schorr, Westbroadway, New York -­‐ 1972, Prints by Deli Sacilotto and John Palchinski, Ashley and Crippen Gallery, Toronto -­‐ 1972, Eight Canadian Printmakers, Confederation Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown -­‐ 1961, Albertacraft ’61, Calgary and Edmonton Publications: -­‐ Castleman, Riva. Seven Master Printmakers: Innovations in the Eighties. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1991. -­‐ Sacilotto, Deli. Photographic Printmaking Techniques. New York: Watson-­‐Guptill Publications, 1982. 28
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Sacilotto, Deli and Donald Saff. Screenprinting: History and Process. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979. Sacilotto, Deli and Donald Saff. Printmaking: History and Process. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1978. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ Ainslie, Patricia and Mary-­‐Beth Laviolette. Alberta Art and Artists. Calgary: Fifth House Ltd, 2007. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta: 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts Inc, 2005. -­‐ Gilpin, Francis X. “Graphic Situation.” http://graphicstudiosf.files.wordpress.com. Creative Loafing, 10 November, 2001. Web. 1 August, 2014 -­‐ “About Graphicstudio.” www.graphicstudio.usf.edu. Graphicstudio, n.d. Web. 2 August, 2014. -­‐ Ross, John et al. The Complete Printmaker: Revised Edition. New York: The Free Press, 2000. Original edition, 1972. 29
Kenneth Samuelson (b.1936) Kenneth Samuelson was born in 1936 in Calgary, Alberta. He graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1958. After graduating, he was the co-­‐owner of K-­‐B Graphic Designers Ltd, a commercial art business that he remained at for 11 years. In 1969 Samuelson took a job teaching in visual communications at the Alberta College of Art, where he would stay for over twenty years. Samuelson is known for creating hard-­‐edged, geometric, and brilliantly coloured prints. Very design oriented, he would do much pre-­‐planning, creating detailed coloured sketches to scale and hand cutting any necessary stencils. Samuelson has said, “I like to make people happy. I don’t like to produce art that makes people angry or sad” (University of Alberta Press, 1989). Education: -­‐ 1969, Andrew Stasik’s lithography and serigraphy workshop, University of Calgary -­‐ 1958, bachelor degree, Alberta College of Art Employment: -­‐ 1969-­‐1989, Alberta College of Art, art instructor -­‐ 1958-­‐1969, K-­‐B Graphic Designers Ltd, owner/operator/designer Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: -­‐ 1973, Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers, Toronto and London, England -­‐ 1972, Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers, London, Ontario -­‐ 1970, Canadian Painter, Etchers and Engravers, Toronto -­‐ 1970, Canadian Society of Graphic Artists Exhibition, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Alberta Society of Artists -­‐ Canadian Society of Graphic Artists Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 30
John Snow (1911-­‐2004) John Snow was born in Vancouver in 1911. Shortly after his birth his family moved to England, where they would stay through the First World War. While there, Snow learned from his aunts how to paint with watercolours, and he also studied cello and violin. When they returned to Canada in 1919, Snow’s family settled on a farm west of Innisfail, Alberta. In 1929 Snow began working at the Royal Bank in Calgary, a career that would last 43 years and would allow him to create art in the evenings and on weekends. During World War II, from 1939-­‐1945, Snow served overseas as an air force navigator for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Afterwards, Snow moved to Calgary and decided to take his art more seriously. He joined various art classes, including an evening drawing class at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (now the Alberta College of Art and Design) taught by artist Maxwell Bates, who would become his good friend. Snow also became active in Calgary’s film scene, founding the Calgary Film Society in 1946. In 1953 and 1954 Snow visited Seattle print artist Glen Alps who recommended he try lithography. When he got back to Calgary he purchased two old lithography presses for $15, which Western Printing and Lithography had thrown out and had sitting in the back alley. In Snow’s basement, he and Bates taught themselves how to make lithographs, producing hundreds of moody, contemporary, and richly coloured prints dealing with a variety of subjects, from figures and still-­‐lifes to landscapes. Kind and generous, Snow became helpful to other artists in the Calgary community as well by not just creating prints for himself, but also printing images for other artists such as Illingworth Kerr, W.L.L. Stevenson, and Peter Daglish. In the 1960’s, Snow began to experiment more with oil painting and sculpture, and even began working with set design and construction for a Calgary theatre company. After retiring from the Royal Bank in 1972, Snow began working full time on his artistic career, now adding rug-­‐hooking and film making to his repertoire. He was an avid supporter of the musical arts as well, and in 1982, with his wife Kathleen, Snow founded the New Works Calgary Society, which commissioned and presented works by Calgary composers. In 1984 Snow received multiple distinctions for his artistic contribution, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary and the Alberta Achievement Award. Snow continued to make art until 1992, when he completed what is considered to be his finale, a mural in Calgary (on 17th Ave and 14th Street) called Themes. In 1996 Snow received the Alberta Order of Excellence for his contributions to the Alberta art and cultural communities, the first and only artist who has done so. It is thought that, without Snow’s generosity regarding the arts, Alberta would not have reached the creative reputation it sees today, especially in regards to printmaking. Education: -­‐ 1948-­‐1949, Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (ACAD) Employment: -­‐ 1929-­‐1972, Royal Bank, Calgary, assistant manager -­‐ Royal Canadian Air Force, flight navigator Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: -­‐ 2011, John Snow Centenary and Alberta Art Days, John Snow House, Calgary -­‐ 2011, John Snow: Centenary Exhibition, Scott Gallery, Edmonton -­‐ 1989, John Snow: A Retrospective, Edmonton Art Gallery 31
1967, Illustrating Man the Creator, Expo ’67 Art Gallery, Montreal 1963, John Snow Exhibition, Dorothy Cameron Gallery, 1963 1962, Montreal 79th Spring Show, Montreal 1961, 7th Winnipeg Show, Winnipeg Art Gallery 1957, 1st International Graphics Biennial, Tokyo 1957, Western Print Exhibit, Hart House, Edmonton 1958, 5th International Biennial of Contemporary Color Lithography, Cincinnati 1953, Canadian Society of Graphic Art, Art Gallery of Toronto 1952, Calgary Art Show, Coste House Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Alberta Government House Foundation, Edmonton -­‐ Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto -­‐ Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa -­‐ Carleton University Art Gallery -­‐ Collectors Gallery, Calgary -­‐ Edmonton Art Gallery -­‐ Glenbow Museum, Calgary -­‐ MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina -­‐ Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery, Victoria -­‐ Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery -­‐ Museum London, London, Ontario -­‐ National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa -­‐ Nickle Arts Museum, Calgary -­‐ Royal Bank, Calgary -­‐ Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto -­‐ University of Guelph, Ontario -­‐ Vancouver Art Gallery -­‐ Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England -­‐ White Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff -­‐ Winnipeg Art Gallery Awards: -­‐ The Alberta Order of Excellence, 1996 -­‐ Centennial Award of Merit, Calgary, 1987 -­‐ Alberta Achievement Award, 1984 -­‐ Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, University of Calgary, 1984 -­‐ Jessie Dow Prize, (Montreal 79th Spring Show), 1962 Associations/Affiliations: -­‐ Alberta Society of Artists -­‐ New Works Calgary Society, 1982 -­‐ Calgary Film Society,1946 Publications: -­‐ Herbert, Elizabeth. The Art of John Snow. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2011. -­‐ Ainslie, Patricia and Mary-­‐Beth Laviolette. Alberta Art and Artists. Calgary: Fifth House Ltd, 2007. -­‐ Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta, 1905-­‐1970. Calgary: Bayeux Arts, Inc., 2005. -­‐
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Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ Brennan, Brian. “John Snow, an Homage.” www.gallerieswest.ca. Galleries West, 31 December, 2002. Web. 31 July, 2014. -­‐ “Dr. John Snow.” www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/AOE. The Alberta Order of Excellence, n.d. Web. 1 August, 2014 -­‐ “John Snow and His House.” www.thenewgallery.org. The New Gallery, Calgary, n.d. Web. 1 August, 2014. -­‐ “John Snow RCA.” www.willockandsaxgallery.com. Willock & Sax Gallery, Banff, n.d. Web. 1 August, 2014. -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 33
Toshi Yoshida (1911-­‐1995) Toshi Yoshida, son of artists Hiroshi and Fujio Yoshida, was born in 1911 in Tokyo, Japan. He learned the art of printmaking and painting from his parents at an early age, completing woodcuts at the age of 13. He studied oil painting at Taiheiyo Art School from 1925 to 1929, and when he was finished, at just 19, Yoshida went with his father on a long, grueling sketching and painting trip to India, where the goal was to create as many pieces of art as possible. After World War II, Yoshida traveled all over the world, all the while sketching, exhibiting, and lecturing about the process of woodblock printing. He primarily created landscapes or animal based woodcuts, documenting his travels with art. After his father’s death in 1950, he experimented in creating abstract art, a style his father had dissuaded him from trying. After creating about 300 non-­‐objective prints, Yoshida returned to his signature realistic, illustrative style. In 1954 he took a job teaching printmaking at the Art Institute of Chicago, and afterwards he continued to travel extensively while creating art and teaching workshops. Yoshida taught woodcut workshops at the University of Calgary in 1967 and 1974, which were attended by professional Alberta printmakers like John K. Esler, Susan Ford, Velma Foster, Barbara Leighton. In the 70’s Yoshida taught printmaking at various locations within Japan, including Tokyo’s International Hanga Academy. By 1980 Yoshida had opened his own printmaking school in Nagano, which was attended by many international students. Yoshida also spent much of the early 80’s writing and illustrating a series of children’s books on African wildlife, which included books like Young Lions (Fukutake Publishing, 1984) and Rhinoceros Mother (Fukutake Publishing, 1984). Education: -­‐ 1925-­‐1929, Taiheiyo Art School Employment: -­‐ 1980, Nagano Printmaking School, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, owner/instructor -­‐ 1974, University of Calgary, woodcut workshop -­‐ 1967, University of Calgary, woodcut workshop -­‐ 1954, Art Institute of Chicago, printmaking instructor Exhibitions: Many exhibitions throughout his career, including: -­‐ 2014-­‐2015, Toshi Yoshida, Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg -­‐ 2002, A Japanese Legacy: Four Generations of Yoshida Family Artists, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts -­‐ 1974, Toshi Yoshida, Cushing Gallery, Texas Collections: -­‐ Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton -­‐ Boston Museum of Fine Arts -­‐ British Museum, London -­‐ Museum of Modern Art, New York -­‐ Sydney Museum, Australia -­‐ Cincinnati Art Museum -­‐ Art Institute of Chicago -­‐ Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art 34
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MOA Museum, Atami, Japan Portland Art Museum Paris National Library National Museum of Australia, Canberra Seattle Museum of Art; Krakow National Museum Los Angeles County Museum of Art Publications: Has been included in many publications, including: -­‐ “Toshi Yoshida.” www.williamzacha.com. Zacha’s Bay Window Gallery, California, n.d. Web. 3 August, 2014. -­‐ Patt, Judith. Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry. Portland: Pomegranate Communications, 2010. -­‐ Till, Barry. Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement of Japan. Portland: Pomegranate Communications, 2007, 2nd edition. -­‐ Allen, Laura W. A Japanese Legacy: Four Generations of Yoshida Family Artists. Exhibition catalogue. Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2002. -­‐ Skibbe, Eugene. Yoshida Toshi: Nature, Art, and Peace. Seascape, 1996. -­‐ Merrit, Helen and Nanako Yamada. Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-­‐1975. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 1992. -­‐ Yoshida, Toshi. Elephant Crossing. Okayama: Fukutake Publishing, 1984. -­‐ Yoshida, Toshi. The Rainbow. Okayama: Fukutake Publishing, 1984. -­‐ Yoshida, Toshi. Rhinoceros Mother. Okayama: Fukutake Publishing, 1984. -­‐ Yoshida, Toshi. Where is Your Mother? Okayama: Fukutake Publishing, 1984. -­‐ Yoshida, Toshi. Young Lions. Okayama: Fukutake Publishing, 1984. -­‐ Yoshida, Toshi and Rei Yuki. Japanese Printmaking: A Handbook of Traditional and Modern Techniques. North Clarendon, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Publishing, 1966. Additional Publications/Bibliography: -­‐ “Yoshida Toshi (1911-­‐1995).” www.myjapanesehanga.com. The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints, n.d. Web. 3 August, 2014. -­‐ Wancsura, Dieter. “Toshi Yoshida: 1911-­‐1995.” www.artelino.com. Artelino Japanese Prints, July, 2013. Web. 2 August, 2014. -­‐ Leissring, Jack. Woodcuts from the Collection of J.C. Leissring Fine Art. California: J.C. Leissring Fine Art Press, 2008. -­‐ Cochran, Bente Roed. Printmaking in Alberta, 1945-­‐1985. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1989. 35
Crate #1: The Printmakers Artworks : Courtesy the AFA Collection 1. Carol Breen: Moon People
Woodcut on Paper 2. Aurdy: Two on the Side
Woodcut on Paper 3. T. Sasaki: Kokeshis
Linocut on Paper 4. A.S. Kozub: Sun and Earth
Woodcut on Paper 5. Marion Nicoll: Play
Clay Print on Paper 6. Ted Fraiers: Jive
Linocut on Paper 7. Vivian Lindoe: Woodland Dance
Silkscreen on Paper 8. Marion Nicoll: Birth of a Legend
Clay Print on Paper 9. Toshi Yoshida: June B
Woodcut on Paper 10. Kay Angliss: Red and Blue Landscape Silkscreen on Paper
11. Deli Sacilotto: Orange and Black
Woodcut on Paper 12. Vivian Lindoe: Tree Cats
Silkscreen on Paper 13. Lucien Compernol: Showdown in the Labyrinth
Etching on Paper 14. Maxwell Bates: Silence
Monoprint, Silkscreen on Paper 15. Deli Sacilotto: Untitled
Lithograph on Paper 22,23. Didactics Labels and Interpretive Guide NOTE: FRAGILE WORKS- Carefully review how the works are packed.
NOTE: Only remove foam packing that is marked remove/replace.
Keep all packing with the crate.
Repacking – Line up the numbers.
Concerns Contact: The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Todd Schaber – TREX Curator, 780.357.7483
Region 1, AFA Travelling Exhibitions
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Crate #2: The Printmakers Artworks: Courtesy the AFA Collection 16. E.J. Ferguson: Morning 17. Kenneth Samuelson: Resonance 18. John Snow: Dancer 19. Deli Sacilotto: Untitled 20. John K. Esler: Conquered Mountain 21. John K. Esler: Tree, Stars Silkscreen on Paper Silkscreen on Paper Lithograph on Paper Lithograph on Paper Etching on Paper Lithograph on Paper NOTE: FRAGILE WORKS- Carefully review how the works are packed.
NOTE: Only remove foam packing that is marked remove/replace.
Keep all packing with the crate.
Repacking – Line up the numbers.
Concerns Contact: The Prairie Art Gallery,
Todd Schaber – TREX Curator, 780.357.7483
Region 1, AFA Travelling Exhibition
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Educator’s Guided Tour for The Printmakers
What is a print? A print is an image made on a block or plate that is covered with ink and pressed onto a
flat surface. Most prints can be produced over and over again by re-inking or printing the block or plate.
There are many different processes and techniques to make these multiple images. Print making was
traditionally considered a graphic arts medium, but the line between graphic art and contemporary art
has blurred nearly to the point of obscurity.
There have been many printmakers to leave their mark on Canada’s art history. Illingworth Kerr,
Thelma Menary, Margaret Chappelle, and Walter J. Phillips used this medium from the turn of the
century to portray Canada’s wild mystique (among many other things). Later on, in the 1960s and 1970s,
printmaking remained an integral part of Alberta’s art scene. The artists in The Printmakers were
leaders, teachers, and catalysts of change in realm of Canadian art. In 1967, the year of Canada’s
centennial, visual arts received a burst of recognition. “It was as if being 100 years old instilled a greater
self-confidence, self-worth and assuredness in the art community” (Roed Cochran, 2). Each of the artists
represented in The Printmakers were eager to explore new techniques of printmaking, and art making
as a whole.
The 60s and 70s were filled with changing attitudes and the art created in this era clearly denotes these
new ways of thinking.
“Social unrest, questioning of the status quo, redefinition of roles, and a push for human
rights were hallmarks of the 1960s and 1970s. The impetus behind the Counter Culture
Movement was spurred by the resistance to the Vietnam War (1964-1975), the Second Wave
Feminist Movement, and human rights issues, particularly the rights and freedoms of Black
Americans. Peace marches, sit-ins, hippies, free love, and psychedelic drugs were common.
Formerly taboo subjects such as abortion and domestic violence were out in the open” (UofA
Centenary).
Meanwhile, the economy in Alberta was rapidly growing. “Alberta was hit by a modern-day gold rush.
Oil prices soared and adventurers flooded into the province in a frenzied hunt to strike it rich” (CBC
Learning). This created a group of new art collectors, eager to make a big impression, but not always
willing to pay ‘big impression’ prices. Printmaking seemed to fit this niche perfectly as multiple prints
could be created and sold for a fraction of the cost of a painting. The booming economy also led to
more students in the art programs at the two main art institutes many of the artists in this exhibition
were affiliated with. The University of Alberta campus in Edmonton was bursting with life and
exuberant pupils, as was the Alberta College of Art in Calgary. Society was making a huge shift towards
peace and social justice, and the campuses were fertile soil for exploration of these new ways of
thinking and living.
The art of this exhibition points to the Counter Culture Movement or more natural themes. This era
brought a new tension between Alberta’s high rolling oil economy and the desire to live in harmony with
humankind as well as mother earth. Although this issue is one people have wrestled with for many
years, it remains one that is still in the process of being resolved. Natural colours, like browns, oranges,
greens and grays are prevalently used. Natural imagery as well as imagery borrowed from First Nations
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art also play a key role in the art made within this era. Marion Nicoll’s Birth of a Legend is one such
piece.
A few other pieces dealing with the natural world in this exhibition include A.S. Kozub’s Sun and Earth,
Vivian Lindoe’s Woodland Dance and John Esler’s Conquered Mountain. All three of these pieces are
filled with wonder at natures’ innate beauty yet seem to be rife with tension. While the dancers in
Woodland Dance move freely, their forms are taut, free yet jagged. In Kozub’s Sun and Earth the warm
sphere seems to be splitting the cool earth tones and setting them ablaze. Finally, in Esler’s
Conquered Mountain, the mountain appears to be stitched to the horizon and on tenterhooks. This
painting so clearly indicates the struggle between nature and the human will. To conquer is to vanquish,
control, or master. This print seems to be so carefully crafted, the mountain would have no choice but
to surrender.
The prints of this exhibition are such beautifully and carefully created gems. Each one shows the
uniqueness of each of the artists’ curiosity. They vary greatly between the extremes of organic forms to
geometric lines. The various techniques lend themselves to these wide-ranging approaches within
printmaking as a whole. Maxwell Bates spoke of one printmaking technique in this way, “it imposes no
discipline and because of its flexibility, great breadth of expression is possible” (Roed Cochran, 57). Bates
received many accolades in his lifetime for his willingness to explore many art techniques as well as the
human condition with open curiosity. Perhaps his time spent as a German prisoner of war gave him
added perspective. It is said that he would use any materials that would come to him in order to create
art. He was a strong leader within the print making community. His piece, “Silence” is a rarity as it lacks
the human form. The title suggests that the artist is present, however, experiencing the silence.
Each of the printmakers worked very hard at their craft. They were forerunners in the burgeoning
abstract art world and were all willing members of a larger community of artists. Their participation in
the culture of the 1960s and 1970s is evident in everything from their colour choices to their subject
matter. They were careful observers of the tension that existed between the status quo and the new
ways of thinking, creating and living that were so prevalent in the 1960s.
Sources:
Roed Cochran, Bente, Printmaking in Alberta 1945-1985, The University of Alberta Press, 1989
CBC Learning: http://www.cbc.ca/history/EPISCONTENTSE1EP17CH3PA1LE.html (August 7, 2014)
University of Alberta Centenary: http://www.ualbertacentennial.ca/history/boom/ (August 7, 2014)
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The Printmakers
Lesson Plan for Grades K-6
“Tabletop Monoprints”
Objective:
Look at the exhibition, The Printmakers. Ask each student to pick out a print that stands out the most to
them. Look for things like repetition, pattern, and movement. Some questions to consider could be
which particular prints appeal most to the students and how the students could implement some of
their favourite aspects into their prints. Encourage them to use similar colours or create similar patterns,
and then experiment using other ideas as well. Students will create prints from a painting on the plastic
surface of the table
Purpose:
Students will gain a basic understanding of mono printing techniques through creating paintings on
plastic and transferring them onto paper.
Materials:
-
Nontoxic paint, (tempura, acrylic)
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Plain plastic tablecloth or plastic drop sheet
Brushes, sponges
Heavier weight paper
Painter’s tape
Lesson Plan
1. Line student’s work spaces with plastic table cloths, and create squares (outline the paper used
to measure size) on the plastic with painter’s tape. (Ideally this would be completed before class
begins as it may take some time.)
2. Next, the students can begin painting inside the frame. Use paint brushes, sponges, or fingers to
create any design or picture they wish. (Realistic paintings may be frustrating as plastic is a
tricky thing to paint on. Encourage mark making above accurate representation).
3. When the picture is completed, place a piece of white paper over top of the painting and press
down.
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4. Peel off the paper to reveal a monoprint of the painting.
5. For more adventurous students, paper cut-outs can be added to the painting before creating the
print and then peeled off of the final print to create blank imprints. This process is referred to as
a “collagraph.” It is defined as a print made from a low-relief collage.
Lesson plan and images adapted from http://www.howweelearn.com/print-making-kids/ (July 19, 2014)
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The Printmakers
Lesson Plan for Grades K-9
“Styrofoam Block Prints”
Objective:
Students will gain a greater understanding of print making, especially how while multiple prints can be
created using the same template, while minute differences still exist between prints. Older students
may use multiple colours of ink for this process, while younger students will be encouraged to use just
one.
Purpose:
To continue to explore the basics of print making, this project goes a little more in-depth while multiple
prints may be made from the same template.
Materials:
-
Styrofoam meat trays (1-2 per student)
Brayers
Water based print ink
Pencils
Thin paper (copy or printer paper, for the initial drawing)
Old baking sheet for spreading ink
Sturdy paper, such as watercolour paper
Spoon
Lesson Plan
1. Cut the thin paper to the same size as the Styrofoam sheet you’ll print with
2. Draw a picture on the thin paper first. This step optional, but it means you can draw a few
different images before choosing which one you want to print. It also makes it easier for
younger children to transfer their image to the Styrofoam
3. Hold the drawing in place over the piece of Styrofoam and trace the drawing with a pencil. Press
down firmly but evenly while tracing the image.
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4. Squeeze some ink onto the plate and spread it around with the brayer. Once the brayer is
coated with an even layer of ink, roll it over your Styrofoam drawing.
5. Position the Styrofoam on your paper or a blank card and use a spoon to rub over the paper to
help transfer the design.
6. Allow to dry.
Images and lesson plan from http://artfulparent.com/2009/12/styrofoam-printing-more-christmascards.html (July 19, 2014)
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The Printmakers
Lesson Plan for Grades 7-12
Warm and Cool Reflective Landscapes
Objective: Students will create cityscapes using Styrofoam printing templates.
Purpose: To explore the colour palette as well as print making techniques.
Materials:
-
Watercolour paper 12x18
Watercolour paints
Water based printing ink
Old baking trays to spread ink
Styrofoam meat trays
Pencils
Scissors
Brayer
Lesson Plan:
1. Fold watercolour paper in half horizontally (Like a hot dog)
2. Paint warm coloured tones above the fold and cool tones below.
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3. Allow to dry while creating printing plates from Styrofoam trays. Using a pencil, draw or etch the
skyline. Cut away negative space, leaving only the buildings.
4. Roll water based ink over the printing plate
5. Print the first print in the warm coloured section (the sky) and a ghost print in the lower section
(the water).
Lesson and images adapted from:
http://ourartlately.blogspot.ca/2012/10/hot-and-cool-reflectivelandscspes.html (July 19, 2014)
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The Printmakers
Lesson Plan for Grades 9-12
“Lino Block Print”
Objective: Students will carve their own reusable printing plates using linoleum (lino) and wood blocks.
Purpose: Students will gain a greater understanding of print media by creating lino block prints that can
be used on fabric or paper.
Materials:
-
Lino block carving tools of various sizes
Linoleum, print-specific lino can be purchased through art supply shops or can be sourced
through floor covering stores. Un-textured (industrial) lino will give the greatest freedom to
student designs.
Wooden board, precut to slightly larger size than lino blocks
Wood glue
Scissors
Tracing paper
Pencils
Brayer
Tea towel or plain cotton fabric
Fabric ink
Lesson Plan:
1. Start by creating a simple design on tracing paper (Carbon paper would also work well for this
step)
2. Transfer design onto lino. If some lines do not transfer well, students can redraw them with a
pen.
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3. Take a few practice cuts before beginning carving the design. Practice slow, steady movements.
Always cut away from yourself, work from inside to outside of your block. Begin to carve the
main lines. Use a fine tipped tool and trace around the edges of the design, followed by a wider
one once the design has been carefully outlined.
4. After the main lines have been carved, it is time to clean out the unwanted lino. The negative
space that the student does not want showing in the final block print. For this, tools with wider
blades will be used. Do not pull, tear or pluck unwanted lino, use a sharp tool to cut away
unwanted bits of lino instead so that the lino does not snag your finished design.
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5. Glue finished lino block onto a wood block, this step should be completed at the end of your
first lesson and left weighted down overnight so that the glue can dry.
6. Pour fabric ink onto baking tray and spread with brayer
7. Apply fabric ink in an even layer over the stamp
8. Lay fabric on a flat, drop clothed surface, and press stamp onto fabric, making sure to distribute
pressure evenly over the stamp.
9. Iron with a hot iron to set the ink into the fabric.
Lesson plan and images adapted from http://tanygina.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/lino-stamp-fabricprinting-tutorial/ (July 19, 2014)
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How to Look at Artwork
Based on the Four Stages of Criticism
Age levels:
K-Grade 3 – Do stage 1 and possibly stage 2
Grade 4-6 – Do stage 1, 2 and possibly 3
Grades 7-12 – Do all four stages.
Stage 1: Description
What do we see when we look at a work of art?
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-
List or describe all that you see. Hint: start with what you know!
Describe subject: What is this a picture of? Landscape, nature, people, animals, flowers, etc.
Describe the materials used to make this art (materials): what is this work made of? Oil painting,
clay sculpture, photograph, etc.
Describe the elements of design (line, shape, colour, texture, value) What colours are used?
Describe the types of lines. What kind of shapes are used, natural or geometric? Is there texture,
rough/smooth, dry/wet? Does the work have dark and light areas/values?
Describe the style of work: Is the work representational or abstract? Does the work have a
subject or theme or is it non-objective? Can you describe a style that it resembles? For example
impressionism, expressionism, surrealism.
Stage 2: Analysis – Observing Relationships
How is this artwork (composition) arranged?
-
List and describe the principles of design (movement, contrast, unity, balance, emphasis,
rhythm, scale and space)
Are there contrasts of dark and light colours?
Are colours or shapes repeated to create unity or rhythm?
Is there one object that stands out and is more emphasized than other objects?
What type of balance is it, symmetrical or asymmetrical?
Is there a sense of motion, something moving?
Do the objects seem to be close up and in a shallow space or move far back to create deep
space and distance?
Stage 3: Interpretation
What meaning or reasons did the artist have in making this artwork?
This stage is a statement to help make sense of all the observations made in previous stages. It is the
most difficult, yet most creative stage. It is the process that makes connections between the work of art
and the viewer’s personal experiences.
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What do you think this work is about?
What mood or feeling do you get from this work?
Why did the artist create this work?
What do you think the artist thinks or feels about their world?
Give an explanation of the work or describe the problem the artist is trying to solve. Remember
there are no right and wrong answers in the interpretation, each viewer will bring their own
ideas and life experiences into their explanations
Stage 4: Judgement: Conclusions about the work
What do I think or feel about this work?
Decide what you like about the work or what you dislike about the work. This is purely subjective,
however the decision should be backed with valid explanations and possible ideas as to how the artist
could have changed it to make it better.
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Do you like the work? Why or why not?
What are the strengths about this work?
What are the weaknesses and how would you change them?
Has your impression of the work changed after observing and analyzing the piece?
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