Jonathan Barcan

Portland-based Jonathan Barcan is a printmaker, painter, draftsman, and mixed media artist. The backbone of his work is drawing, however, today, he commonly focuses on the art of etchings and mixed media works on paper. His work is inspired by, and driven by the wish to understand the relationship between the idea of ‘nature’ vs. the idea of ‘progress’.

In this instance, the term ‘nature’ acts as a mirror to humanity’s intricate thoughts, emotions, aspirations, and tendencies, and is entwined with the earth’s primordial rhythms and roots. “It’s this intertwining that underscores the inseparable bond between our inner landscapes and the external world,” says the printmaker. On the other hand, ‘progress’, refers to a hyperreal spectacle, infinite growth, digital totems, pushing boundaries, and the understanding that there are both utopian and dystopian aspects of this reality. 

Jonathan completed both a Masters of Education from Portland State University, and a Masters of Fine Arts from State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as a Bachelors of Art from San Francisco State University. When he was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, he worked for San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, and California College of the Arts- among academic institutions. Today, he lives in Portland, Oregon, and teaches High School Art in the Portland Metro Area. 

An avid art lover, Jonathan has a long list of lifetime inspirations and influences. Some of his favourites currently include the likes of @mullowneyprinting, @jennyrobinsonprints, and @carrieannplank. Like many visual artists, he is also a huge music fan. Jonathan tells us; “Music can be really important in helping facilitate my studio practice mood. For years now, I have been making seasonally inspired music playlists that I listen to in the art studio- mostly for myself, but that I also enjoy sharing with friends and other creatives that I think would appreciate them.” Some examples of these playlists are Fall 2018, Winter 2023, and Spring 2017.

Jonathan approaches his printmaking practice by creating multiple images, from which he will get a handful of prints that he is happy with. Often, he will rework an image over and over, scraping/burnishing, adding/subtracting, until it is finished. He comments; “I like to experiment a lot with different types of mark making, and new types of etching processes, and I love to create within the touch points of digital technologies and analog art processes.” For example, over the last few years, Jonathan has experimented with and developed a process where he makes digital illustrations using the adobe suite and the illustration app Procreate. He then screen prints the negative of that to the surface of his etching plate. That layer of water-based ink acts as an acid resist for an aquatint layer that he then etches to a rich, true black. From there, Jonathan can add more hand drawn imagery, or scrape back greys and highlights. “The act of bridging digital processes to an otherwise analog art medium has led to a boon of creativity for me, because you can really incorporate any iconography you want- text, pattern, figures- whatever you can think of,” states the printmaker.

He has just completed a large body of work, Billions and Billions, which includes a series of monoprints made out of 30-70 individually etched plates, which he inked up and printed on the same sheet of paper, to make 1 image. More recently, he has been experimenting with how to translate digital drawing to traditional intaglio etching. He is currently in the midst of a new ongoing series, Tomorrow May Not Be Like Today, where the majority of the imagery begins as a digital illustration in the app Procreate. Then, he exposes the imagery to a screen, screenprints a water-based ink layer to the surface of the copper etching plate, and then etches the negative of the image with a dark, rich aquatint.

Jonathan also recently received a grant from the city of Portland to acquire some screen printing equipment for his home art studio, which will enable him to experiment more freely with the screenprint acid resist. Over the next couple of years, he hopes to uncover new methods and processes to incorporate this technique more seamlessly into his art practice, as well as become a better screen printer in general. He is looking forward to hosting printmaking workshops from his home studio to teach other people what he has learnt. 

@jonathanbarcan_arts
jonathanbarcan.com

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