So a little bit about PrintAustin from the people at PrintAustin (because they are way better at words than I am):
PrintAustin's mission to the Austin art community and galleries is to share our enthusiasm for printmaking by helping galleries curate, exhibit, and promote works on paper and to engage a wider audience through in-house artist talks, signings, panels, printmaking demonstrations, and print-focused art happenings. PrintAustin
And this is exactly what PrintAustin does. It started a few years ago as a small group of galleries and print shops in Austin hosting different exhibitions, demonstrations, and a juried show. Now the event has now grown to an international juried exhibition, multiple galleries showing arts on paper, demonstrations, panels, and artist-talks, all promoting prints. I feel that the month long event has grown for the good. Not only has brought in a larger audience for print related arts but it also makes it easier for emerging and all ready established print-based artists to show, share information, and generally come together.
My print, Solis, was also chosen for all the promotional work for the show!
Which made me pretty excited when my piece was chosen to be apart of a group exhibition at the Art.Science.Gallery.
So a little bit about the Art.Science.Gallery: its a space that shows artwork steeped in and reflective of scientific ideas. They strive to show work that integrate scientific knowledge discovery through artistic processes.
The premise for SOLAR was prints that were either about, made by or for the sun. Which immediately made me think about my print, Solis.
Solis comes from an ongoing body of work, The New Frontier, that I started in 2015. I'm inspired by the scientific endeavors to fully comprehend the different planets, stars, moons, and other entities in our universe. Solis (in reference to the sun), is part of this body of work, that is my interpretation of a full reconnaissance of our solar system (I'm still on Jupiter's moons, there is 69 of them). Current space missions such as New Horizons, Mars Curiosity, and Juno bring forth a plethora of imagery and information from space. Some of these missions' concerns are the surface properties and atmospheres of the outer reaches of space. Solis speaks on the intensity, radiation, and brightness of the sun's photosphere and while the science behind the new discoveries may not be apparent in my work there is an integration of landscape, cartography, and the impression of looking through a micro or telescope in the prints.
But that is enough about me.....
The other great opening of the weekend was TAMUCC own Silas Braux's solo exhibition, Misremembrance at Slugfest Printmaking Workshop and Gallery. Slugfest holds a place dear to my heart (mostly because I printed there for close to four years). While you may go there for the awesome art or the cooperative workshop, you stay for the company, crazy bathroom, cats, and wine.
Silas was chosen by Tom Druecker and Margaret Simpson of Slugfest from the Full Court Press Juried Exhibition last fall. His work comes from his observations of the relationship between natural and built environments. It is a stunning show of 2D and 3D works, and Silas' hard work has paid off!
All in all it was a great art filled weekend! I'll be back in Austin for ESCAPE FOR PRESSURE ISLAND on February 10th! All the work featured are from artists from the printmaking department at TAMUCC.