By Friday Jeffrey was finishing up his final pieces, making monoprints by using three different solar plates and layering them with different combinations of watercolor as well as oil painted on vellums. There were many "ah-ha" moments as we pulled each print off the press.
In the morning, the advanced art class at Steamboat Springs High School came for a visit, through the Center for Visual Arts in SS. Sue demonstrated the printmaking techniques we had been utilizing all week with Jeffrey, and he talked about the project.
Saturday was Jeffrey's last day in Steamboat and the official signing event followed by a private screening. All the prints had been cut down to size, chopped with the OG stamp, then all were signed by the artist. It was pretty amazing seeing all eighty-five pieces together, and recalling the hard work and energy put into each print.
Unfortunately Jeffrey had to leave early due to the stormy weather, but not before we pulled one last print as a demo to the visitors who came to see his work. In the foreground the this picture is a castle Jeffery built out of the corrugated cardboard pieces he used to paint with.
We are proud to have our first project under our belts! It was such a whirlwind going straight from construction, to opening party, to first project, but the momentum from such activity has given Oehme Graphics wonderful energy that we will carry throughout our first year.
Up next: Susan Hambleton
All of the work (as well as pricing and sizing information) created by Jeffrey Keith and produced by Oehme Graphics will be available to view on the Oehme Graphics website by the end of January. Please check it out!
This past week was extremely productive, and everyone was working hard. Jeffrey began using oil based inks, and for many of the prints we pulled he layered them on top of "ghost" prints of his watercolor vellums. (A ghost image is the print made from the leftover ink on the plate after its first run through the press.) We were all surprised and pleased by the results--many complex and unexpected images.
Jeffrey's handmade palette knives and extensive, colorful palette.
With some tweaking still needed to perfect our solar plate making box, we decided to use the good old fashioned sunlight to expose the solar plates for Jeffrey's print. Finally, by Thursday it became sunny and we were able to make six solar plates using the bright Colorado sun. Sue and Julia worked together by passing the plate pack through the window, Julia exposing the plates and Sue preparing the plates and developing them.
Exposing the solar plate with a hand painted vellum on top, clamped together to prevent slippage.
Once the plates were developed, Sue and Julia inked up and wiped the plates for the first edition prints at Oehme Graphics! After printing a couple of runs on the press, Jeffrey and Sue played with color combinations and using various printing techniques until all the pieces of the print came together.
The party is over, now its time to get down to business...just kidding! It's always a bit of a party at Oehme Graphics, especially this first week of printing. Sue has been bouncing around, unable to contain her excitement, while Jeffrey and Julia try to keep up with the Printing Master! We are all equally enthusiastic, and energy is high.
Jeffrey delved right in, creating a steady pace of watercolor monoprints which have gotten us all fired up. Pulling the first few prints was especially exciting, as Sue and Julia have anxiously been waiting to run the lovely new press for weeks. I think Jeffrey has a new found love for printmaking, and the chemistry between all has added to the success of each day. Jeffrey has been producing beautiful work all week, and we can't wait to see what happens next as we experiment with solar plate prints and oil based inks!
Working late into the night..! Sue and Jeffrey pull one of his watercolor monotypes off the press.
Sue and Julia woke up Friday morning knowing the day would be long and busy, but we were so excited that everything was coming together. We were especially happy that we would get to show our new space and share it with friends and the community.
The day started off crazily for Julia, who went to buy the wine for the party and unknowingly walked into the most crowded store she had ever seen at 9 o'clock in the morning (there was huge weekend sale going on) and was quite overwhelmed by the situation and the prospect of buying so much wine at once! Back at the studio, Sue was scrambling to clean up after the 2 weeks of construction and dealing with phone calls that never seemed to stop coming while polishing the wood floors (on hands and knees!). JoAnn Baker Paul, one of the artist's that will be represented by Oehme Graphics, was busy cleaning the apartment, making it sparklingly beautiful (especially considering all the glass she had to toil with!) William Beity, from Denver, is also a saint. He came in, said hello, then rolled up his sleeves and got busy cleaning the entire workshop--including the bathroom. There is no way we would have been able to pull off the party on time(ish) without him.
By 3 o'clock the kitchen was bustling with food, Beth Banning had arrived with the catering goods. Everyone was pitching in and making adjustments until the final moments. The plumber even arrived at 5:30 pm to install the giant paper-soaking sink, which was a relief because we needed it to keep all the beer cold. Jeffrey Keith, our first visiting artist at Oehme Graphics, arrived just as the party got swinging. The party was so much fun; we are happy that people were interested and wanted to understand more about printmaking. Thanks to everyone for stopping by and sharing the special night with us. Sue and Julia also cannot thank enough everyone who helped make it a success.