I was invited to an afternoon of printmaking at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum and decided to make a series of monotypes. I consider this body of work to be one gesture, because the rhythm I established with an assistant, of working at a very fast pace unfolded like a narrative that began as images of landscape and segued into images more referent to the body.

I worked on a plexiglass plate. I tore pieces of handmade Sekishu Japanese paper to the exact size of the plate and, using the process of chine colle, printed onto a larger sheet of Rives rag paper the color of newsprint, and I worked with a limited palette that included metallic bronze and gold inks.

detail of:
Ceiba Tree Angkor
photo ©2001 Mary Heebner