“Printmaking in and of itself is a very simple idea,” says Phil Sanders. “It’s the transfer of one image from one surface to another.” But this simple definition belies the true complexity and range of options available to the skilled printmaker—layers of ink and paper, levels of opacity, a myriad of textures and techniques. And if one thing is for sure, it’s that Phil Sanders is a skilled printmaker. Lucky for us, he’ll be coming to Penland this fall to teach an 8-week concentration on the ins and outs of his trade, including etching, aquatint, drypoint, and more. The course, as he says, “is a rare occasion to get an intaglio apprenticeship-style immersion.”

Space is still open in this print concentration, and some work-study scholarships are still available. Register here.

Printers in the Making

Phil Sanders – As a printer and a printmaker, I understand the difficulty of switching between “printer brain” and “artist brain.” The pull between “how to do” and “what to do” can leave you lost in the middle. Consider this class a technical apprenticeship combined with the creative space to experiment with your artistic voice. We’ll demystify all intaglio processes plus monotype, monoprint, and chine-collé. We’ll make ink, grounds, and drawing supplies, review tool maintenance, paper conservation, and more. We’ll tackle drawing, composition, design, and color theory through drawing calisthenics and composition exercises. This workshop is ideal for artists looking to hone their printmaking skills and artistic voice or working toward becoming professional printers. All levels. Code F00X

Phil Sanders is the director of PS Marlowe, a creative services consultancy firm. He is a former director and master printer at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop (NYC) and a former master printer for Universal Limited Art Editions (NY). Phil’s teaching experience includes Stanford University (CA), San Francisco State University (CA), and numerous courses at Penland.

phillipsanders.com

Two prints by Phil Sanders. At left, “Check Mate,” a lithograph with digital inkjet and watercolor. At right, “Black Star (IQ Test),” a six-color silkscreen.

Phil Sanders Print — “Presence of Another,” a four-color letterpress print by Phil Sanders.

In a 10-Minute Talk created for MoMA, Phil emphasizes that printmaking is a very old and diverse field—humans have been making prints ever since the first footprint in the sand. “One of the major reasons that printmaking has survived and continues to thrive is its collaborative nature. Printmaking is never done wholly within in a vacuum. It’s a cumulative knowledge process that we add to as participants in it.” If you want to be part of that rich history, eight weeks of instruction and experimentation with a master printer might just be your chance.

As for the rest of us, we can at least get a taste by watching Phil in this short video on intaglio processes!

Phil Garrett, Thistle II Hunting Island2003, Monotype, Chine Colle, 30 x 22" on paper — Phil Garrett, *Thistle II Hunting Island*, 2003. Monotype, chine collé, 30 x 22″ on paper

“My work is informed by nature, a kind of mythical nature. The power of storms, the spiritual quality of the elements, the beauty, grace and ferocity of animals–something greater than myself, something I can’t comprehend. Painting and making monotypes is my search for the mystery within the subject, within myself.”

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In 1998, Phil Garrett acquired a large Intaglio press and founded King Snake Press in Greenville, South Carolina. The press “grew out of Garrett’s love for the monotype process, and is dedicated to encouraging other artists to experiment with the painterly print.”

Memento /Jones Gap Monotype Chine Colle' Phil Garrett, Memento /Jones Gap Monotype Chine Colle' 2007 12 in by 10 in Image Size 21 by 17 in Paper Size — Phil Garrett, *Memento /Jones Gap*, 2007.
Monotype, chine collé, 21 x 17″ on paper

Phil Garrett – Intuition, Ink, Paper: Monotype
October 20-26, 2013
in the printmaking studio:

This workshop will explore the dynamic medium of monotype printmaking. This user-friendly, spontaneous method allows images to be developed and printed in a short time. Because the plate retains a thin layer of ink after being printed, it lends itself to varying the image and working sequentially. After a discussion of ink, plates, presses, and paper, the class will begin with simple, reductive methods of inking on single plates and then progress to multi-plate color prints incorporating chine collé. The workshop will include demonstrations, presentations, and critiques. All levels.

Phil Garrett completed his undergraduate work at the University of South Carolina and the Honolulu Academy, studying with the late Gabor Peterdi. He received his BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1974 and lived and worked in the Bay Area until 1979, when he returned to South Carolina where he presently resides. He founded King Snake Press in 1998 for the production and promotion of monotypes. His works on paper and paintings included in public collections of the South Carolina State Museum, the State of Hawaii, and Greenville County Museum, as well as in corporate and private collections in the USA, Europe and Japan. Garrett is represented by Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC and If Art in Columbia, SC.

To find out more and register for this workshop, click here.

Phil Garrett at Penland

Printers in the Making | Fall Concentration with Phil Sanders

Printers in the Making

The Mystery Within the Subject: Monotype with Phil Garrett