We’re proud to present a selection of monoprint projects by members of our printmaking community. From lockdown experiments, to care packages, and prints raising awareness of important causes, our People of Print Members have shown excellence and innovation when working with the monoprinting technique.
Soul Traits Studio
This monoprint by print studio, Soul Traits, was created without emulsion on the screen, using only masking tape to create a rectangle. As the squeegee passed through the screen the colours blended together, creating a stunning effect. Due to the nature of printing in this way it wasn’t possible to predict the result, but for the team, putting the inks on the screen and embracing the randomness was all the fun. The piece was printed on high quality, 300gsm Munken stock using eco-friendly, water-based inks.
Hannah Brown
Whilst in lockdown, screenprinter Hannah Brown’s print studio was closed. With everything at home to be able to print from her kitchen, but no emulsion or exposure unit, Hannah decided to give monoprinting a go. She enjoyed playing with shapes and overlays, after experimenting for a few weeks she started to love the results she was creating. When it comes to screenprinting, Hannah describes herself as “too much of a perfectionist“, but using a stencil and cut out method, she has embraced the mistakes, changing the way she approaches her work. This method of printmaking has slowly taught Hannah to work in a looser way. She has identified that certain papers work much better than others for monoprinting; “which just goes to show that if you throw yourself into something new and unknown you might just learn a few things along the way“. Hannah hopes to continue to experiment with monoprinting, with an aim to plan a home exhibition of lockdown prints.
Montez
As she has been unable to get to the studio and expose screens and work in her usual style, Sara Jardine, aka Montez, has found herself at home with some old screens, and a blank unused screen. “I have always been a little scared about the freedom of monoprinting as all my past work has been very precise” explains the printmaker. Deciding that monoprinting was the only way during these strange times that she was going to be able to create something, Sara didn’t have a concrete plan, and instead tested and experimented. She enjoyed the freedom and possibilities that monoprinting provided her with. “I think that going forward monoprinting will definitely be a part of my future processes and combining that and the intricacies of found images is definitely something I want to explore further when I can get back into the studio” concludes Sara.
Samantha McLean: Belongings 
These monoprints come from Samantha McLean’s series; Belongings. The project hybridises photography and printmaking through laser cutting technology, and treats an intaglio plate as a reproducible object. “Belongings archives personal ephemera as I treat receipts, returned letters and handwritten lists like vessels, bearing the weight of lived experiences” explains Samantha. The imagery was scanned, laser etched onto acrylic, and then cut into fragmented shapes. The drypoint plates were then hand wiped, and arranged on the press into varying compositions. Each composition provides an opportunity for information to be revealed and concealed, mimicking the act of remembering and forgetting.
Mary O’Connor: DLR Artworks Home
Mary O’Connor was invited by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office to create 25 A5 sized artworks. These artworks were to be included in care packages that were being gifted to members of her community who were self-isolating. In response to this Mary created a series of mono silkscreen prints. She cut each one down to A5 size, and then overlaid it with collage pieces made from cutting shapes from repurposed old screen prints she had in her plan chests.
Michael van Kekem: Frozen in Solitude
This screenprinted, monoprint series, Frozen in Departure, by Michael van Kekem portrays a period of grief, loss and recovery. It looks at what happens when someone close to you decides to end their life, as Michael describes, “it freezes your whole being“. In an emotional state of being, Michael bought these works to life. He painted straight on to the screen using just a brush, ink, and a screen. The resulting twelve monoprints tell a story. Check out the #bethereforyourmate project that shines a light on the topics of mental health and suicide.
Jemma Gunning
During lockdown, the process of monoprinting has provided Jemma Gunning escapism into a world of ink, rollers, rags, and spirits, re-igniting her practice after a lull at the beginning of the global pandemic. Whilst taking isolation walks, Jemma began recording gritty urban spaces which she later responded to in her studio through the act of monoprinting. Her process involved a combination of drawing and painting, which created unique and impulsive marks. “The beauty of this tangible activity is speed and spontaneity, offering a sensation of freedom” describes Jemma. She found this to be a useful method to implement at the beginning of a new project, as the process becomes a tool for contemplating etchings and lithographs. “It is also a welcomed, wonderful distraction from the real world, which I am learning to embrace” exclaims the printmaker.
Browse a directory of all of our Verified Members at www.members.peopleofprint.com. Do you work within the field of printmaking? Our membership is all about supporting and promoting print both creatively and industriously. APPLY HERE to learn more.
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