Valerie Willson

I have always been fascinated by printmaking; the intriguing shift that happens when pigment is transferred from one object to another. From an early obsession with classic etching and lithography, I developed an interest in the freedom and serendipity of monotype. Over the years as a monotype artist and teacher I found myself wanting to create artwork which did not have to be shown under glass and allowed development of intense surface texture. The work I have come up with is a continuing adventure as I stretch the techniques that have interested me for years.

I work on both heavy printmaking paper and sealed wood panels. I prepare both surfaces with several coats of acrylic gessoe. Then I finish the paper by drying it in blotters, creating a very flay surface that will take a lot of abuse. Using oil paint mixed with dryers and magnesium carbonate (to make the paint stiffer), I create the image in many layers, using both subtractive and additive processes. Beginning with a brilliant undercoat, I build textures and colors slowly, using stencils (lace, Japanese papers, Mylars), hand carved linoleum blocks, commercially made patterns, and other transfer processes.

By allowing one layer of paint to dry before adding another, I can use the blocks and stencils to subtract as well as add, thus exposing the rich layers of texture beneath. By printing these intricately carved blocks over and over I am attempting to build up layers of complex patterns that evoke a meditative contemplation of nature and the sense of seeing something identifiable differently every time you look at it. When the pieces are finished I add a coat of varnish to give the surface an overall luster. The paper pieces I frame while the wood panels with two inch sides stand on their own.