Member Spotlight: How Has Quarantine Influenced Your Artistic Practice?

In South Florida, it’s been five months (and counting) of quarantine for most. While the extra down time would seem to be a dream come true for many creative types, it clearly presents new challenges for those practicing printmaking or any disciplines reliant on specialty tools and equipment. Personally, I’ve found myself with an unexpected creative block. With all the added pressure of making this time “count” comes this strange inability to seize the moments that you always thought you would if only you had the opportunity. Surprisingly, what I have been able to turn my creative energy towards is focusing on how to better set up and outfit my at home work space to be successful… and maybe a paint-by-number or two. It’s taken time, nearly five months, but I’m finally starting to gain some momentum - and just start making.

For some of us, our practice is a strictly solo endeavor, but for most, feedback and collaboration is an integral part of the process. Printmaking has always been one of the more social disciplines as artists are forced to negotiate press time, often working side by side in the studio and making peer feedback more readily accessible. Without the usual in-person workshops and rubbing elbows around the work table during our Open Studio nights, I wanted to check in with some of our studio members and regulars to ask, How has quarantine influenced your practice?

And I’m so glad I did. I’ve learned about hidden member talents like DIY tattooing and some really creative solutions to studio limitations. But aside from the insights, I also got to reconnect with a few of you in the process which has subsequently inspired a new endeavor in development, Virtual Print Club (more on that soon)! So with that, we welcome you to get to know five of our members, their work and humbly offer a chance to reconnect for those of you who are missing the collaborative studio environment.

TIN LOHR

Tin is a badass relief carver who started coming to the studio as part of our 2019 Print Club programming. It’s been a pleasure getting to see Tin hone their craft through a series of wildlife woodcut and linocuts over the past year and half, often pairing wolves and various species of birds with delicate, textured line work.

Moment From the Mountains of Puerto Rico, Relief Print

”Just before the quarantine started, I had finished up a sketchbook for Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project. I filled my sketchbook with watercolor portraits of family and friend’s beloved pets. I really enjoyed the process of painting again and filling a sketchbook allowed me to really loosen up and play with the paints. It was easy to continue painting as I hunkered down with the family. It was something I could easily work on throughout the day while also attending to my son, chores, naps, cooking, dog walks, etc.

So, I began painting bird portraits. (Some of which could evolve into nice reduction prints down the line!) During that time, carving and printing were on my mind, but I didn’t feel motivated [to work in those disciplines] until mid May when I saw an opportunity to join the Emerald Print Exchange out of Oregon. I will be mailing out an edition of 12 prints in the next few days based on a moment I experienced while in the mountains of Puerto Rico in 2005. Additionally, I made a simple ‘No Justice No Peace’ carving that I then hand printed on some denim to make patches. I began a simple reduction carving, which is still in process. I have also been working on a tattoo flash page as well as some drawing ideas for tattoos for friends. I started a tattoo on myself, just below my knee”.

Bird Portraits: Some In Progress

Black Lives Matter Print/Patches

“Our dining table has become a hub of activity during the quarantine. We most often have a 1000 piece puzzle going and that is also where I have done much of my painting - mainly because it’s an air conditioned environment. I have a pretty decent studio set up in our garage as well [which includes] a large work table with a decent sized piece of glass for rolling out ink and another table to spread things out a bit. I also have an easel with an in progress painting on it, and my supplies and tools nearby.”

Tin’s Home Studio Space

“Once we are able to get back to IS Projects, I am extremely excited to continue the reduction carving I started under the tutelage of Raj Bunnag in March. I had carved and printed the first layer and sadly haven’t been back since. I am also looking forward to using the IS Projects space and press to reprint a larger 2ft X 4ft carving I had done in the past. I feel like I have been fairly productive on my own during this strange time, but I miss being surrounded by the creative energies and ideas of the folks who frequent IS Projects, as well as the energy of the space itself. I am grateful to have found IS Projects!”

JAY SYLVESTRE

Jay joined the studio this January as a 2020 Print Club member and was just getting to know the IS Projects community and a handful of printmaking techniques before quarantine. The very last technique Jay learned, screen printing, seemed to build a bridge between his existing paper cutting practice and inspired some of the work he’s done while in quarantine.

“[During Quarantine,] I've been continuing to do paper cuts. I've decided to take on some larger and more complicated projects since having the time at home to work on them. The first project I worked on was a combination of photographs I took while living in Alaska [which I then] cut out on a sheet of rubylith. The last print club workshop we did was screen printing and I was really intrigued by the possibility of doing a paper cut that I could convert into a print. It was definitely one of the more detailed and involved cutting projects that I've done. I'm really pleased with [the cutting] and I'm looking forward to burning it onto a screen and seeing how the prints turn out. It's the biggest and most original work that I've done and I really want to see how it all comes together.

Inspired by some dark humor I found on Facebook, I also did a paper cut of a plague mask reminding people to ‘wash your damn hands’. It still needs a frame but will likely find a home hanging in the bathroom.”

hand-cut rubylith ready to be burned onto a screen

paper cutting

“I recently finished work on a topographic and hydrographic map of the Florida Keys and Atlantic Ocean depth. The map ended up being about 30 layers and was a lot of fun to cut and assemble.”

paper cutting detail of the topographic and hydrographic map of the Florida Keys and Atlantic Ocean depth

“[As a workspace,] I have a 5ft x 3ft countertop that I have supported by two open Ikea bookshelves. The countertop provides a nice wide space for my cutting mat and tools. The bookshelves hold all manner of papers and works in progress. The workspace has been great for my projects, but also served double duty as my work from home space at the start of the pandemic. It wasn't great ergonomically for work and mashed up a relaxing hobby with work. Thankfully, I was able to find another desk so that my paper cutting area is just for my projects.

I miss the IS Projects community! It's such a nice midweek break to learn a new technique with people I was just getting to know. I look forward to learning new printmaking techniques and seeing where they take my work.”

SHANNON WALL

Shannon has been a regular at the studio since taking a few workshops back in 2018. Up until recently, Shannon was visiting the studio almost every Wednesday to explore different binding and printing techniques through a series of journals and books made from repurposed materials. Just before quarantine, she dove into the exciting world of eco-printing after taking a series of workshops with visiting instructor, Merike Van Zanten.

“During quarantine, I’ve been working with eco-printing on paper & fabric – both were very successful.  Eco-printing on leather was not as successful and I look forward to working again with Merike in the future to figure out why I didn’t enjoy as much success with leather. I also finished (my previously unfinished) leather travel journals which were all sent out as gifts. [Through virtual workshops,] I learned monoprinting, which I’m enjoying tremendously in addition to learning how to make a basic accordion book and basic drum leaf binding.”

Eco printing on fabric

Monoprints from a gelLi plate

”Thanks to the Accordion Book workshop, I have been able to make some accordion books with the eco printing I had done.  I also did some Drum Leaf binding so I could practice what I had learned.  The geli plate printing is my current interest and I’m curious what I will do with all the prints I’m making”

Drum Leaf book with eco prints

Accordion book with eco prints

“[My at home studio set-up consists of] a tower of plastic bins with materials that if I ever clean off the dining table, I’ll have a full table to work on. Because my condo is small, everything must be put away at the end of the day. But [similar to working at IS Projects] I have to take all my stuff with me when I leave. The most challenging part has been not having ready access to feedback and input. I have to do my own troubleshooting when I screw up. This is a mixed blessing. I have to think about things a bit more than I would if Sammi was right there to ask and this forces me to slow down a bit… which is something that is helpful to learn.

I would like to get back to IS Projects to use the presses, the microwave to make my Lean Cuisine pizza and to see everyone - but not necessarily in that order!”

RON SYDOW

Ron had also just joined on as a 2020 Print Club member this past January as a way to connect with other printmakers and refresh various printmaking techniques. Separately, Ron has a thriving screen printing practice and as you’ll soon learn - a very nifty print studio on wheels!

“My studio was an otherwise unused room in a commercial gym! Even before gyms were closed in Broward county due to Covid 19, going to my studio seemed unwise under these pandemic circumstances. But this presented an opportunity to explore a possibility I had daydreamed about for many years... I purchased and customized a small enclosed trailer. It's a screen printing studio on wheels!”

Ron’s studio on wheels

Screen Print by Ron

“[During quarantine,] I continue to practice screen printing. This was the first work generated entirely in my rolling studio!”

MICHELLE LOPATE

Michelle joined IS Projects as a Print Club member when we first kickstarted the program back in 2018. Since then, she’s gone on to develop a personal practice which hybridizes printmaking, painting, photography and digital media. She’s been quite busy during quarantine and still manages to find opportunities for collaboration in the face of physical absence.

“In the beginning of the lockdown I was so focused. It felt like I was given a gift of time that I don’t often have. I am exploring different mediums and loving the results. I feel my practice has been a reaction to personal and communal needs and I have been more inclined to [using] text and soft colors.

I created a poetry piece for the ‘Cut and Paste Collage Poetry’ Book (The Pandemic Project) from current news headlines, and published by the National Society of Collage Artists (Read more). Then I tried some flat lay photography and hand painted digital art.”

Digital art using flat lay photography

“I began sewing masks and embellishing with vintage fabrics, embroidery and tie dye...”

“[I’m] currently participating in ‘Call and Response Project’ by Shoebox PR. Artists are paired up and challenged to create a back and forth digital exchange. The first artist sends artwork and the second artist creates a response to that within a 24 hr time frame. We have exchanged one piece so far. The ‘Call and Response’ is an ongoing project I found online and so far I am really enjoying the collaboration. After exchanging up to 28 pieces they host an online exhibit.”

Call and Response Project, Kayla Cloonan’s first piece titled “My Therapist told me not to Future Fantasize”

“Managing a family and my own stress levels has been challenging. I have always had a small space I work from so that hasn’t changed much. The bigger challenge has been not meeting up and being stimulated by the energy and exchange of collaboration.”

Michelle’s response piece, “Music Keeps me in the Moment”

So whether navigating the often stressful emotional landscapes of today or just lacking in the collaboration and feedback we’re used to, I hope that we can take some comfort in knowing that we’re all breaking new ground in our practice together. And if you aren’t creating anything at all, that’s fine too! Go easy on yourself and know that when inspiration strikes, there’s a virtual community growing for you.

If you’re an IS Projects member or studio regular, we would love to see what you’re working on! Please email me at sammi@isprojectsfl.com if you would like to be featured in a future member spotlight.

Thanks for reading!
Sammi