Ronna Katz

At the age of five, Ronna Katz began painting (back then right on the wall) and has never really stopped. She’s a second-generation art fair artist exposed to selling handmade work as a child while helping her parents at art & craft festivals along the east coast. There were a few pauses away from art such as studying biochemistry, getting an MBA and stints working in health care and soul-draining business gigs. She has been a full-time artist since 2001. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Marquette, Michigan, Ronna draws her inspiration and palette from the subtle colors of the landscape.

Her monotypes and monoprints reflect a fascination with the human figure, elements of nature, and the landscape… and mostly the abstraction of these subjects. Her techniques for printmaking involve applying layers of oil-based ink (using brushes & brayers) directly on a plate. This allows for spontaneous addition and removal of ink. Monotypes are created by freehand painting on a completely blank plate. Monoprints are created by combining an inscribed image carved onto the surface of a plate using a drypoint tool and the freehand application of ink. Either way, the plate temporarily holds layers of ink. Dampened paper is placed on top of the painted image and this is hand-cranked through the high pressure of an etching press. A lot depends on how the ink is applied, how it is removed, how it is layered and the pressure level of the etching press as to the outcome. This process called “pulling the print” results in a unique surface as the ink is transferred to paper under the high pressure of the press. Sometimes a piece of handmade paper (i.e; mango or rice paper) is collaged or incorporated into the printing process resulting in a chine colle’ print. Once dried some prints are further worked with ink washes or pencil. Each hand-pulled print is an ‘edition of one’ and is presented with acid free materials. ‘Double drop’ monotypes get additional layers of ink transferred from multiple plates onto the same piece of paper in the same way.