Foray into Printmaking

These are some of my attempts at printmaking. I have found the etching process incredibly challenging. My friend Ann says she sees only possibilities in the printmaking process, while I tend to see only limitations. I get intimidated and totally loose my spontenaity -- something I struggle with in general anyway (control freak, control freak!). I'm thinking about hand coloring and/or incorporating them into mixed media pieces, as a way to salvage all the work that goes into printmaking.

[Titles: Clemencia, and Buen Dia!]

For some reason I have felt more comfortable with relief prints -- linocuts, woodblocks -- and have had a better response to them. The piece, Lagarto Maya sold at the Grace Gallery this September. Maybe because relief is more direct and simple and I know more or less what the outcome will be. More than anything intaglio printmaking has made me aware of how much I still need to try to work with a given medium -- let it lead me to discoveries instead of trying to control it.

For those of you who are more proficient at printmaking then I am, Washington DC has a wonderful printmaking cooperative in Dupont Circle -- The people there are very knowledgable and the artists are committed to community education and sharing their expertise with other artists. Check out:
Very, very cool stuff!!