Ellen Kieffer – Monotype
The processes of printmaking have fascinated me since I was a child pressing inked leaves into white paper. After exploring etching, lithography,serigraphy, etc., I discovered the monotype process and knew it was the perfect match for my personality. The process is spontaneous, but the form requires discipline and knowledge of materials. All the techniques and elements oof making monotypes – from adjusting the amount of pressure on the press to applying different types of inks – demand skill and precision.
The process of making a monotype has much more in common with painting and drawing than with traditional printmaking. I love that freedom. I also enjoy the graphic elements of the process by printing multiple layers to achieve more complex and exciting impressions.
My goal is not to reproduce a vision already imagined but rather to discover the image through the process. Harmonizing each work individually, and oon its own terms, is important to me. my imagery is diverse and the work comes from my personal reaction to sources ranging from political to spiritual. By mirroring and refining my own experience into an externalized visual form, I experience the work as an authentic embodiment of my inner vision.
Phone: (408) 356-3736 email: Ellen Kieffer purple@netgate.net
© Copyright 1996-2005 Ellen Kieffer. All rights reserved worldwide.