4stones - Printmaking at the School of Visual Arts
To extend my printmaking practice, I started exploring silkscreen printing at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) a few months ago. I had the idea for a long time that this process would be a beautiful instrument to write a new chapter of 4stones, the project I started 20 years ago.
To create this new body of work, I started with cyanotypes, looking for nice textures, beautiful contours, and these imperfections that make all the difference in a picture.
After several weeks of experimentation, I found exactly what I wanted this new body of work to look like. Thanks to Alejandro Chen Li, instructor and printshop manager at SVA, for his permanent support. It was such a great experience to spend a semester working in the studio. As always, it’s so good to be part of a community and to evolve in a constructive environment.
To make these prints, I scanned my cyanotypes to generate two stencils, one for the stones and one for the background. Then, I applied the paint through a silkscreen onto fine art paper. I experimented with all kinds of papers: BFK Rives, Fabriano Artistico, Sommerset, Stone Henge, Arches 88. At this point, the first one seems to be my favorite.
To learn more about colors, I found inspiration in the work of Sanzo Wada, a Japanese painter who established a guide for color combinations.
4stones #86 - Aziz from Morocco - 3 colors test
4stones #97 - Mohammed from Morocco - Half tone test
4stones #97 - Mohammed from Morocco - Treshold test
4stones #55 - Valentin from France - Prints on the dryer
4stones #66 - Barry from USA - Prints on the dryer
4stones #10 - Stéphane from France - Prints on the dryer
