Highpoint Editions

Highpoint Editions Project Updates

Todd Norsten

Known for his unique use and exploration of text in his recent prints and paintings, Norsten just completed the prints Something Real, Authentic, True and JFK in “64” at HP Editions this summer.

The print references an image of a campaign poster captured in No Direction Home, the Bob Dylan documentary by Martin Scorsese. Norsten found the poster in the footage to be a subtle yet poignant reminder of the loss of American innocence after JFK’s assassination in 1963; the artist noted “the phrase JFK in ‘64 made me think about how history was abruptly interrupted and about what could have been had things gone differently.”

The political poster image is a key part of the lexicon of the 1960’s. Its straightforward yet potent message has become a powerful iconic touchstone of that time, one that still resonates with fascination, portent and longing. To stay true to the concept, the print has been produced on 2-ply museum board with seven layers of gloss and one layer of green ink to echo the look and feel of a poster printed at that time.

Willie Cole

HP Editions has begun to work with artist Willie Cole on a series of large-scale prints. Cole spent a week at HP in Spring 2011 to get the project going. The new works are in the early stages, but we can confirm that the artist has returned to his well-known and iconic ironing board imagery. Cole has garnered many awards and exhibited widely. He uses discarded everyday objects — such as irons, blow dryers and high-heeled shoes—to create iconic sculptures, installations and prints that present social, political or cultural perspectives of the urban African American experience. Some of Cole’s signature images are his iron-burn prints, which he began making in the late 1980s, where the scorches from a scalding iron are imbued with metaphorical meaning. HP Editions is looking forward to the artist’s next visit this fall to continue his work and exploration. More project details to follow on HP’s website, so stay tuned.

Carter

HP Editions has been collaborating with the artist Carter over the past year on the creation of three new print editions.

Carter, a 2006 Whitney Biennial Fellow, works in varied mediums including painting, drawing, film, photography, sculpture and video. In his drawings, paintings and sculptures, Carter collages and overlaps images of body parts and facial features to create what he calls “anonymous portraits.” The artist is interested in challenging notions of self by making work that acts as a stand-in for an idea of someone. The three new prints are layered with emotional and psychological complexity and reflect the artist’s interest in perception. They will be released this Fall 2011. Contact HP for more information and pricing. Also a filmmaker, Carter’s most recent film Maladies, starring James Franco, Catherine Keener and David Strathairn will be released this Fall 2011.

David Rathman

David Rathman returned to Highpoint Editions during summer 2011 and finished up work on a spectacular large-scale diptych of a demolition derby car and truck. The images are lithographs in black and are hand water- colored by the artist. Both vehicles are tiled into multiple prints, emphasizing their quirky, deconstructed/reconstructed quality and the scale reflects the physicality of their subjects. A variant edition of seven unique diptychs has been produced and will be released this Fall 2011. The car and truck are available separately, or as a set.

Those familiar with Highpoint Editions will remember Rathman’s Five New Etchings (sold out) from 2002; a suite of intaglio prints featuring Western scenes and darkly humorous bits of text. More recent prints created in 2009 at HP include etchings: “It seldom matters, the words you say” and “The way we get by.” A limited number of these prints are still available; contact HP for current availability and pricing.