Todd Norsten

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Wayland

Highpoint Editions is delighted to release Wayland, in which screenprinting and lithography simulate tape, scuffs, and dust on paper.

In modern and contemporary painting, tape has been used by artists as a tool for creating crisp edges. Owing to this history, this print is, to Norsten, “a picture of a paint material.” The conceptual basis for the work is rooted in an interest in drawing attention to this sometimes invisible tool. In Wayland, the evocative use of text speaks to the boundary-defining role tape historically served, creating a paradox wherein, as Norsten says, “words that claim to be one thing … are made by something that is designed to be its opposite.”

JFK in “64” & Something Real, Authentic, True

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.

Something Real, Authentic, True is the third in a series of trompe l'oeil prints depicting tape on paper expressing his notorious humor which verges on the sardonic and a transgressive approach to art making. It depicts a 'word drawing' in transparent (Scotch) tape with all the unwanted bits of lint, dust and finger prints included. The artist used actual lint, fibers and dust from the studio floor to make one lithographic drawing, and his own fingers for the lithographic finger print drawing. To further poke fun at 'high art' the artist had the prints printed on the back of the expensive French paper and cut each one using a template so they are ever so slightly out of square.

The print JFK in ’64 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.

Ceaseless, Endless, Timeless, Boundless

Announcing a new edition by Todd Norsten completed in late 2010 and featured on a Twin Cites Public Television segment of MN Original: (http://www.mnoriginal.org/art/?p=1241).

The new large scale work features a trompe l’oeil depiction of the words “Ceaseless, Endless, Timeless, Boundless” recalling his earlier sold out work “Endless, Ceaseless, Boundless Joy” and is printed in a combination of lithography and screenprinting.

Endless, Ceaseless, Boundless Joy and The Trouble with Romance

In February 2009, Todd Norsten completed two prints in Highpoint’s former Lyndale Avenue studio. The new works, Endless, Ceaseless, Boundless Joy and The Trouble with Romance, display his keen sense of ironic (sardonic) wit and exacting attention to technique. Endless, Ceaseless, Boundless Joy is a masterful trompe l’oeil screenprint that spells out the phrase “Endless, Ceaseless, Boundless Joy” in what appears to be common masking tape. Norsten’s second print, The Trouble with Romance, depicts a fallen snowman who virtually disappears into his wintery surroundings—except for a trickle of blood coming from his head.

ALLSOMENONE suite

With delicately rendered forms and subtle colors, this suite of prints reflects Norsten's interest in creating relationships between the formal elements in his work. The artist repeats motifs such as lines and dots to create images that stand alone yet benefit from proximity to each other. As Norsten explains, "The similar elements are configured in different ways with different colors and tones." The medium of printmaking allowed him to create serial work that will still be affordable.

A 1990 graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Norsten has been the recipient of Jerome and McKnight Fellowships. His work can be found in the collections of the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the British Museum, as well as in numerous galleries across the United States. Born in Sunberg, Minnesota (population 130) Norsten relishes the Minnesota landscape and natural habitats, elements which at times appear subtly in his work. Norsten gains inspiration from contemporary as well as historic artists. He is also interested in his daughter's drawing processes.

Norsten came to this project with a background in drawing, painting, and printmaking. By collaborating with Cole Rogers, Highpoint's Master Printer, Norsten was able to work with a large number of plates and explore unfamiliar technical possibilities such as spit bite. Rogers explained: "the spit bite technique is pretty straightforward. The artist paints a mordant (traditionally nitric acid, but we use Ferric Chloride) mixed with something to keep the mordant from beading up (traditionally saliva…but we use liquid dish soap!) directly on the plate to create nuanced tonal drawings that are fluid and soft."

During the project, Norsten worked on more than forty plates in all. In a recent interview at HP the artist discussed the process: "I came to Highpoint towards the beginning of January and started fiddling around, and then got a little more serious about it in February. I dragged it out all the way until March…I just kept going. I didn't anticipate how much I'd enjoy coming to Highpoint…I didn't think it was going to be torturous or anything, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the people and the facilities." After making plates involving a variety of technical processes, the artist elected to create editions from copper plates that incorporate spit bite, etching, engraving, drypoint, scraping, burnishing and chine collé. The editions were printed at Highpoint this Summer 2003.

Cole Rogers, Highpoint's Master Printer, described the collaborative nature of the project: "Initially, Todd and I were interested in a suite, or body, of work rather than a few single prints. That's more of a challenge because each one needs to support the whole, and the self-referential nature keeps it from being about just translating other (such as painterly or sculptural) visions. Right away Todd sketched out a series of print ideas on a piece of newsprint that looked pretty finished and we jokingly called it our 'plan for world domination.' By the time the editions were decided on; it was about 5 months later, Todd had sketched out four or five new plans, we had used 43 copper plates (most worked on both sides), we had made about 200 proofs, and we felt great about the results. We had thought that a good portion of the project would be lithography, some intaglio, some relief and possibly some screenprinting, but it ended up being all intaglio and some chine collé! I really enjoyed working on this project with Todd; it was a bit like taking a road trip with lots of stops and diversions to interesting and funky places you hadn't been before."

Norsten's artistic process is one of intuitive discovery, a kind of investigation and meditation that allows him to uncover formal and spatial possibilities that exist in the world. These formal explorations have analogs in real world experience, for the quality and pattern of Norsten's mark-making reflects his emotions and sensibility. Says Norsten, "I don't see myself as an expressionist, and I don't map out what I'm going to do ahead of time. I never sit down to depict an emotion…I look at it as a more general thing, I see my art as a reflection of thinking and feeling about what it means to be human."

Norsten's favorite part about the creative process is the way it helps him expand his pre-conceived notions of self and art. "Sometimes I make things that look stupid, or I make art that doesn't look like what I would create, but those are often the coolest things. I like making art when I'm outside of myself and am larger than what I limited myself to be."