BLUE MOUNTAIN GALLERY

HELENE MANZO    Artist Statement

My paintings and prints begin with observation of the natural world.  Mountains, water and skies have been continuous sources of inspiration.  All are powerful life forces, ever changing, yet constant.  They serve as a point of departure for my exploration of form and the movement color and light. The visible material world is transformed, evoking an emotional reaction to light, color and space.

Monotypes are a unique one-of-a-kind print. The process begins with a smooth plexiglass surface and continues with etching ink that is applied by rollers and other implements to create an image.  The image is transferred to acid-free paper by one pass through an etching press.  Hence the name “monotype,”  as only a single print can be made, an edition of one unique print.

As a painter/printmaker, the qualities of these prints inform my work, blurring the line between painting and printmaking.  The pressure of the press facilitates the transfer of the image and also adds to the energy and spontaneity with the uncontrolled movement of the inks. I agree with Roberta Smith, a New York Times art critic, who refers to Monotypes as “the most seductive of all print mediums.”

Work has been included in the following exhibitions and venues:

Boston Printmakers Print Biennial awarded a Juror’s Prize by the juror, Jim Dine, artist
Third National Juried Monotype/Monoprint Exhibition, juror Mark Pascale, curator
Department of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago, awarded a Juror’s  Prize
National Juried Print Show “Ink Press and Repeat,” William Patterson University, Wayne, NJ
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
Parkside National Print Show, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, Wisconsin
Blue Hill Art & Cultural Center, Pearl River, NY