Ronna Katz

At the age of 5, I began painting (on the walls) and have never really stopped. There were long pauses (like an MBA and a few corporate jobs) but now I’m a full-time artist and draw my inspiration and palette from the subtle colors of the southwest landscape. My monotypes and monoprints reflect a fascination with the human figure, birds, and landscapes, and mostly the abstraction of these subjects. My techniques for printmaking involve building up areas of color through the application of layers of oil based ink applied (using brushes & brayers) directly on a plate. This allows for spontaneous involvement with the 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 and this is hand-cranked through 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.