Patrick Merrill has a long history in printmaking working as an artist, master printer, and curator. Therefore it is no wonder that his works should be noted for their technical proficiency as well as their conceptual nature. Working in relief processes Patrick makes huge prints, proving his prowess as a printer and taking his images to a new level as his figures confront the viewer in a life size scale. Patrick is not afraid of presenting political issues in his work and he does so with a complex and sophisticated voice. Reflecting back to the prints of Durer, Patrick’s work is visually intricate filled with metaphor and allegory giving a reading that is dense and lush.(Note I am posting both an image of the entire print as well as a detail so you get a sense of the amount of information in this print. The size is 10'x10'.)
Robynn Smith like Merrill also deals with political issues in her work, but in a very different matter. Working at a smaller scale Smith uses photographic processes to seam together images of war monuments, victims, and items of personal artifacts and devotion. Working with contrasting images, she presents the full scene of our world, sad, horrific, yet beautiful and sublime. She gives a subtle critique of war and politics for those who look to find it.
Melissa Kaup-Augustine presents works for the exhibition that are collaborative is nature. Her books present how a variety of artists interrupt concepts such as spirituality. With a variety of imagery and page layout, Melissa, a master of letterpress, uses the book form to bind together the similarities in these worldviews.
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