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Embossed Jugs

Gratitude

Iris Sings The Blues

Iris Jazz

Over My Mountain

The Other Side

Over My Rainbow

My Little Red Boat

The brilliance that characterizes my prints is created by the intensity of the underlying inks blending with the texture of the oil pastel on the surface. With giclee process, I use pigment-based archival inks. These inks differ from other inks in that their color range has the same color intensity and permanence (200+ years) as the pastel pigments that I use. My giclee press is an Epson 7500. I print on Arches 140# cold press watercolor paper. Its soft white, slightly toothy surface allows me to use the print as under painting, and work my oil pastels back into the surface. Oil Perfect Afternoon pastels are made with pure ground pigments, blended with linseed oil and a little beeswax. They are formed into sticks that have a soft, buttery consistency.

Approach:
My approach to giclee printmaking is very different from that of most artists. Rather than reproductions, I see my giclees as works of art unto themselves. I look at giclee printmaking with my training in etching, lithography and woodcut—as a way to instill my prints with the vibrant energy of my pastel paintings—something etching never could do. This process of working back and forth between two disciplines works for me in a much broader sense, as well. It allows me to explore and image very extensively over a long period of time—each print becomes a study for a large scale oil painting which may not come to fruition until many years later.

Technique:
To create my print, I begin with a pastel drawing. I transfer this image to a digital plate. I develop my image by running a series of trial prints—adjusting the darks and working with the colors until they print in a way that is pleasing to me—not necessarily trying to match the pastel drawing, rather looking for what I would like the "underpainting" of my print to be. (The pastel drawing may go back into the studio for additional work or may be framed in is present state.) All of this work is done in my own giclee printmaking studio. My husband assists me with this time-intensive process—providing me all the time and control of the process I could possibly require to create each print exactly the way I want it.

Once the print is pulled, I take it into the painting studio and mask the edges in preparation for oil pastel. As I begin this last part of the process, I stand quietly and imagine myself stepping into the image before me—as if seeing it for the first time. Using my oil pastels, I complete the image, then sign and number it. I log its edition number and date in my record book, where I can refer to it weeks or months later when I am ready to create the next print in the edition. When the edition is complete, I destroy my digital plate.

Inspiration:
My prints are inspired by the peace and beauty I see in the landscape. I am especially moved by the way sun lights a grove of trees or reflects the clouds in the water. Seeing these things makes me feel as though I am glowing inside. I am always trying to capture this radiant feeling in my paintings—as if I could somehow give permanence to my own inner glow—or the light of God's presence on earth.