In December 1990 I was invited to spend five days in New Mexico to make monotypes. I am a painter, so it seemed natural to me to approach the monotype process as I would a painting. A paper's whiteness can sometimes seem overwhelmingly stark and so I began by laying on a transparent ground of color – golden ochre, cerrulean blue, or Venetian red. I tried to create depth by layering multiple tones of each comor, and out of this pastiche I would pull shapes – arches, vessels, human and winged forms.

Each workday lasted from early morning until 7 or 8 p.m. Everyday I worked on a different series. The process itself is so engaging that I simply lost track of time, focusing on the image I was working on, anticipating what would come next. The prints often required seven or eight passes through the press. With Larry Fodor assisting me with inking and registration, I didn't have to break my concentration. By the third day I was able to "see backwards" so as to better plan for each new run. By the end of my stay I was exhausted. I had worked on fiveseries, forty pieces in all and there was a continuity of spirit running through all the work.

Mary Heebner
Black Mesa Press
Escalante, New Mexico
Dec 1990

back to Italy

back to Places