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 The ART SANTA FE PRESENTS Keynote Speaker was New York Times Art Critic, ROBERTA SMITH |
HOW THINGS ARE MADE: |
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Fair-goers raved about the debut of How Things Are Made at Art Santa Fe 2009, proving it to be a tremendous success. In fact, feedback was so positive about Landfall Press’s lithography demo last year that in 2010 the program was expanded to include multiple demonstrations. This year's special exhibition transformed visitors into participants of the creative process. Thanks to the luxurious footprint of the brand new Santa Fe Convention Center, fair goers enjoyed the ability to move around the demonstration areas, seeing the nitty-gritty of production from every angle. This year Landfall Press offered a new technique for view — the ancient and complex art of etching. |
Steve wipes a Joel-Peter Witkin plate. |
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Landfall Press, founded by Jack Lemon, is dedicated to preserving the art of traditional printing methods. With an impressive forty years of experience, over 650 editions, and a reputation as a leader in the development of innovations in printing and presentation beyond two-dimensions, Landfall Press has become something of an institution. Their work has been recognized nationally by retrospective exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Art Museum, and New York's Museum of Modern Art. Working with artists such as Christo, Robert Cottingham, Vernon Fisher, Charles Arnoldi, Claes Oldenberg, Judy Chicago, and Leslie Dill, Landfall Press continues to offer inventive collaborations. |
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The history of etching goes back as far as the Middle Ages, when techniques similar to those used in the decorating of armor were transferred to use in printing with iron plates. The switch from iron to copper plates was a revolution that allowed etching to surpass engraving as the most popular of artistic printing techniques. Unlike engraving, which required a detailed knowledge of metal-working, etching opened up printing to a wider range of artists. |
Steve Campbell palm wipes a Sol LeWitt plate |
Though there are a variety of techniques, the basic principle of etching is that an acid-resistant material is placed over a metal plate, prepared, and then the design is drawn (in reverse) with an etching needle, or échoppe, through the ground, revealing the plate beneath. The exposed areas are what are eaten away when the plate is put into an acid bath. When the plate is ready for printing, ink is applied and then wiped away. The lines incised in the plate hold a reserve of ink that is transferred to the paper. Variants in the technique allow for a wide array of effects. Art Santa Fe 2010, With its new larger venue and expanded program provided viewers an opportunity to peek inside the vivid worlds made by art. |
Steve Campbell and Kara Walker |
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Bullseye Glass Company joins As part of its expanding How Things Are Made program this year, ART Santa Fe welcomed, for the first time, the innovative works of Bullseye Glass Co. They shared their unique kiln-forming glass program with demonstrations by Ted Sawyer, Director of the Research and Education Department at Bullseye Glass Co. Mr. Sawyer demonstrated the various methods of glass application on-site as well as the use of sample glass panels to represent the range of stages and finishes obtainable through their unusual kiln-forming process. Bullseye Glass Co. started 36 years ago as an artist cooperative and became the first company in the world to manufacture what is called "tested compatible" glass. Over the years Portland, Oregon-based Bullseye Glass Co. has been acknowledged internationally as a pioneer on the cutting-edge of the field of kiln-forming, a low temperature glass-working process. They not only supply a whole palette of colored studio glass to artists world-wide but have developed a dynamic system to support these artists through publications, workshops, gallery exhibitions, educational outreach, and a residency program. They are pleased to be expanding their operations with their first satellite resource center opening in Santa Fe this summer. Sticking to its roots as an artist-based operation, Bullseye Glass Co. remains dedicated to bringing in talented artists from around the world to work on-site and it is their collaboration with these artists over the years which has led to many of their unique materials innovations. This program was formalized twenty years ago with the creation of the Research and Education Department. The department now maintains a full-time staff of nine technicians and teachers. The use of glass in fine art has gained popularity in more recent years among numerous artists traditionally aligned with painting and sculpture. Artists Tony Cragg, Mona Hatoum, Roni Horn, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, and Kiki Smith have found new success working with glass as a medium. The process of kiln-forming differs from traditional glass-working processes in that it uses a "low" temperature. Glass sheets are fired at a range of 1200 to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit -- as opposed to the temperatures of over 2000 degrees used by glassblowers. In this process a sheet of glass itself becomes the canvas on which different colored glass elements, powders and small grains of glass called frits, are applied and fused by use of kiln firing. There are numerous techniques for application, including sifting, brushing, and drawing, as well as many variants possible in the effect and texture of the final piece based on the temperatures and techniques used. Please visit us on facebook or on our website for news about the fair and for travel and tour information or call us at 505.988.8883 |
Glass powders, sifted and brushed onto glass sheet.
Printmaker Tom Prochaska works powdered glass on clear sheet glass.
Sheets of glass covered in glass frits and powders are fired in kiln. Ted Sawyer, Director of Research and Education at Bullseye Glass Co. oversees the firing.
Once fired, glass powder adheres to clear plate, with more or less texture based on firing temperature.
Ted Sawyer checks the textural surface that remains on large colored pieces after firing.
Reviewing various pieces of fired glass plates. |
Andrew Young works on a plate with printer, Steve Campbell.
