Blog Archives

2017 Governor’s Arts Awards

04/05/2017 | Comments: 2 | Posted by: JT | In: Art, awards, Exhibits, Pattern, Printmaking

I am extremely honored and thrilled to announce that my work Grand Variations I was selected (along with 8 other artists) to be given as an award to one of the recipients of the 2017 Governor’s Arts Awards by Arizona Citizens for the Arts. The big event is May 4 at the Phoenician Ballroom. I have no idea who will be given my print as their award. That information is top secret–no one knows until the awards are handed out at the event. I do know it will go to a very good home–every single person or organization up for the 2017 Governor’s Arts Awards is truly amazing in their commitment to and love of art.

Grand Variations I (see above) was printed by Brent Bond of Santo Press. It was created by layering a laser-etched linoleum block print over an digital inkjet print of one of my manipulated photographs. Grand Variations I was printed in an edition of 10; image size 16″ x 16″ on 23″ x 22″ paper; (there are also Grand Variations II, III and IV).  Similar prints (Universal Variations) were created using the same technique in a variable edition of 14. They are smaller in size of 10″ x 10″ on 14.5″ x 13″ paper and feature an array of colors with different background layers. Contact me for pricing if you are interested in adding one to your collection.

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Jan 01 2017

Kaleidoscope at Andaz Scottsdale

01/01/2017 | Comments: 7 | Posted by: JT | In: Art, Pattern, Printmaking

My art is now in every room of the most fabulous new resort in Scottsdale. Andaz Scottsdale Resort and Spa recently opened featuring work by the artists of the Cattle Track Arts compound. Mark McDowell and Brent Bond were both instrumental in getting my work seen and selected by the designers of the Andaz property. I have them to thank for this wonderful opportunity to have Kaleidoscope and a lot of other work featured at the resort.

Kaleidoscope began life as a simple drawing of triangles and lines in a tiny sketchbook. I then enlarged the drawing by mirroring it and flipping the orientation into a larger and more complex symmetrical composition. This iteration of the drawing was made into a series of etchings with Cindi Ettinger of C.R. Ettinger Studio of Philadelphia. Some of the etchings were purely line etchings while others combined line and aquatint in several colors. Additionally some of the prints were hand-worked, adding color and texture through collage and/or watercolor.

Kaleidoscope was selected by the designers of Andaz Scottsdale to appear in all of their 206 guest rooms. The work chosen was a unique print created by hand-painting areas with iridescent copper watercolor, collaging triangles of textured brown Japanese paper and drawing lines with graphite (see image below). I photographed the hand-worked print and digitally manipulated the colors in Photoshop. This provided the Andaz design team with a wide range of color stylings to choose from that would compliment the color palette of Alexander Girard’s mid-century textiles that appear throughout the property.

The four different color stylings of the manipulated unique print were digitally printed (archival inkjet) by the amazing Carlos Mandelveitia and mounted on Masonite board. The Andaz quartet of Kaleidoscope prints are available for purchase unmounted. They may be special ordered in two sizes: Approximately 15.5″ x 24″ and 36″ x 48″. Prices upon request.

Kaleidoscope AKaleidoscope A; 36″ x 48″, archival inkjet print; 2016.

Kaleidoscope BKaleidoscope B; 36″ x 48″, archival inkjet print; 2016.

Kaleidoscope CKaleidoscope C; 36″ x 48″, archival inkjet print; 2016.

Kaleidoscope DKaleidoscope D; 36″ x 48″, archival inkjet print; 2016.

This is the original drawing made in a small sketchbook:Kaleidoscope (original sketch)

And a larger study of the drawing mirrored and flipped 4 times:Kaleidoscope Drawing

The unique print selected by the Andaz design team with a detail below:Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope (detail)

Kaleidoscope is a series I have been working on for close to a decade. There are many different states of the print in editions as well as a dozen or more unique works. Many may be seen here on my website.

 

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Jul 09 2016

Rule of Thirds

09/07/2016 | Comments: 1 | Posted by: JT | In: Art, drawing, How To's, Printmaking

This week marked the completion of a suite of 6 new prints at Santo Press. The process was quite involved and complicated. I first made a series of 11 gouache paintings using a rainbow of colors in series of 3 bands of stripes. This led me to consider making a print of the bands of stripes. I carved a piece of linoleum with 30 stripes and printed it by hand in my studio in black ink. The flat color looked very nice, but it didn’t have the texture/tonality I wanted to achieve.

I decided to make a rubbing of the linoleum block (with a black crayon) which gave me the texture I wanted. Several rubbings of the linocut were made and then photographed and stacked vertically in Photoshop. They were then manipulated and cleaned as much as possible. My manipulations looked good to me, but when it came time to actually create high res digital files to use as the cutting matrix for both laser-cut and photpolymer plates they were not usable. Brent took over and did a much better job. No mystery there…he has mad computer skills and I am merely a novice.

There are two suites of Rule of Thirds prints; each set has a 1-color print (black and white) and two multicolor prints. Rule of Thirds I, II and III are printed with a key block (laser-cut MDF) printed on top of 3 different colored bands of flat color. Rule of Thirds IV, V, and VI are 3-color photopolymer relief prints. All 6 are printed in an edition of 10, image size 12″ x 18″ on Somerset paper 22″ x 15″.

Below are some photos to give you a sense of how this suite of prints developed from paintings to finished prints.

Painted Stripes by Janet TowbinOne of a series of 11 gouache Stripe paintings.

stripe linocut hand print The first hand-pulled linocut I printed in my studio. Unique print, 2016, 12″ x 18″ on Kitikata paper.

stripe rubbingOne of the many rubbings made from the linocut. Don’t even ask how many of these I made before I was satisfied!

2 colors printed on key 2 (of the eventual 3 colors per print) to proof at Santo Press. The color bands were printed on top of the key to aid in registration and to get a good sense of what the colors looked like with black.

color mixing printColor mixing at Santo Press for Rule of Thirds III.

color matching More color mixing at Santo Press for Rule of Thirds editions V and VI shown in conjunction with striped gouache paintings.

Rule of Thirds grid of all 6 editions by Janet Towbin

Rule of Thirds I, II, III, IV, V, VI; 2016. Grid of all 6 editions.

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