MF MORISON
Printmaking
The desire to work both intuitively and spontaneously and to be a printmaker almost seems a contradiction in terms, but that is very much my intention. The very nature of printmaking, such a sequential practice, as well as sometimes seeming counterintuitive in nature, does not engender spontaneity.
Specifically, I etch copper plates with additional elements of chine colle and debossment. The preciousness of copper, including financial expense, but primarily the cost to the environment, is significant. Mining, refining, milling, packaging, and transportation all have an impact. These considerations influence the artist to work very carefully, diametrically opposing the intuitive/spontaneous impulse. To tip the scale towards the expansive side, I create ‘story boards’ before beginning work on a new plate, repeatedly playing with imagery, mood, and elements of design.
Another tactic for courting spontaneity is the process of chine colle—the addition of thin organic papers that are dampened and placed atop the already etched and inked copper plate prior to going through the press.
Intention as Image
Image is communication
As a visual artist, I feel reluctant to expand on the intention of my work verbally. It is my opinion that words often cannot express what is communicated through the image.
