Lorna Nakell

On May 11^th I went to a state of the art print facility here in Portland called Atelier Meridian. I was there because I was included as one of about 40 artist taking part in a three day print making event called Monothon PDX. Each artist was given a session consisting of four hours of assisted printing time – all supplies provided and full use of the presses. The goal for the artists was to experiment with the process of monotype and see what we could come up with keeping in mind that one print from each artist would be donated to Print Arts Northwest for their fundraiser.

For those of you who don’t know what a monotype is, I copied a definition I found on the Monotype Guild of New England website: “The terms monotype and monoprint refer to a form of printmaking whereby an original inked or painted image is transferred from a plate onto paper by means of pressure. Unlike edition printing, each print is a unique work and the final printed image cannot be repeated. Unique prints are sometimes enhanced by the artist with collage materials or direct drawing or painting on the print surface. The technical possibilities are endless and when combined with the individual visions of artists, the results are amazingly diverse and interesting. Unique prints are denoted by the words “monotype” or “monoprint” or by the symbol “l/1”.”

Before going to the printmaking studio I had an idea for the design of a print I wanted to make. My plan was to combine pencil drawing, stencils and the use of a paintbrush and roller to create a surreal sort of landscape with a boy, a clothesline and a bird. When I arrived we were given a short tutorial on how to work with oil based inks then set free. As soon as I started trying to execute my plan I realized how out of my element I was. I have only taken one intro to printmaking class, and that was over twelve years ago. Confident in my abilities as an artist, I had planned (like many other artists) to come out of the studio with several fabulous prints (maybe a whole shows worth). I ended up with only two and one half - like many other artists.

The project was fun and challenging and I would do it again. Jane Pagliarulo, Atelier Meridian’s master printer and studio manager, was great at helping with questions and running our prints through the presses. Apparently you can rent studio space there with and an assistant or w/out. I highly recommend giving this studio a try.

Below are photos from my adventure at the print studio:

Tools of the trade: rollers, ink, plexiglass, stencil, brushes, etc.

Me hard at work painting my Bee Eater bird.

Work in progress. My plexi plate inked up and ready to go.

One print down - or more like, hung up to dry.

My last print. Jane is pulling it off of the press for me to look at before she runs it through again.

First finished print, “Stiff Sunshine and the Collector.”

Second finished print, “The River’s Edge.” This is the one that was chosen for the fundraiser. It will be for sale at the the Print Arts Northwest preview party Friday, May 30th from 7-10pm for $400. Location:

All proceeds go to Print Arts Northwest.