Art Entrée on line
The Studio outlet of Katherine Hagstrum and Alvin Sandler
WHAT IS A MONOTYPE?
A monotype is both a painting and a print. it is a painting because it is a unique piece.
It is a print because the picture is made on one surface and transferred to another.
Hagstrum creates her images by placing various objects, papers, and masks on a zinc
or high-impact polystyrene plate. She then applies oil-based inks with rollers, brushes,
fingers -- any way which allows her to capture the texture and tones she desires. She
uses three colors, closely related to the three primaries. These are mixed to different
viscosities. One is runny like salad oil, another is like mayonnaise; the third is like
peanut butter. The different viscosities allow her to control where the colors will fall.
A runny oil will stick to a drier oil and not vice-versa. When the image is completed she
transfers it from the plate to a sheet of paper by means of an etching press.
During a work session she may make several variations on a theme, but each print is
unique. Since there is no permanent marking on the plate, there are never any identical
prints. Hagstrum has developed a rich and expressive vocabulary of techniques in this
medium, which allows her to combine both atmospheric tones and intricate details.
All art on this page is copyrighted by Alvin Sandler, 2003.
All rights reserved.