candyverandavintage: conte '50s happy housewife

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Friday, October 2, 2009

conte drawings on silk scraps

some inspiration on printing techniques from a thrifty artist

Most of the techniques described in the book can be done with inexpensive supply substitutes: Instead of printing paper I print on “found paper” – anything from old atlases to painted papers or cheap copy paper and wallpaper samples. The ink can be substituted with paint in many cases. My favorite way of saving time and money is to reuse some of the less successful prints and incorporate them in my collage or other mixed media art by tearing and re-treating them with paint, ink, or stitching.

CPS: What inspires you?
DE: I am mostly inspired by seeing textures and colors in my daily surroundings. Thermal on Formica I live in an area that is rich with different ethnic cultures, and just walking the street or the market really makes me want to run to my studio and start a project. My home and studio are packed with colorful papers, fibers and decorative items that I have collected and those also trigger my creative juices. Collaborating with other artists is a huge inspiration as well.

CPS: Do you have a favorite project or technique?
DE: I don’t have one specific favorite. I like to change the media or form I am working on every once in a while. Recently I worked in a book form, creating mixed-media artist books that included printmaking on fabric and stitching. Before that I worked in a box form, creating three-dimensional assemblages. There is one aspect that is common in all my projects – recycling and re-purposing. I rarely buy art supplies in the art store and most of my art ingredients come from flea markets, thrift stores and other recycling resources.