holes, screenprint
I retired in 2016 after 30 years in graphic design, in large part because a hankering to make screenprints was starting to compete with my “real” work, which I otherwise loved. I found myself taking photos and playing with images for hours (even when client deadlines loomed!), imagining the prints they might become.
A class at Highpoint in 2006 had given me my first chance to try screenprinting. A decade later, I was lucky to find another screenprinting course offered at Normandale Community College, taught by Cindy Koopman. She welcomed a 60-year-old student into her class of 19 and 20 year-olds, and it was a perfect launch into the work I dreamed of doing.
And Highpoint, where I’ve been a member since 2017, has been a perfect home in which to start doing that work. I’m grateful for this wonderful resource—thoughtfully-run; generous with knowledge and equipment; and full of like-minded members and staff who are fun and inspiring and so helpful to work alongside.
About the work I’m doing: at heart, I just love to look at things. My process, from the beginning, has been more about noticing than creating. My eyes are consistently drawn to certain things—color, the play of light and shadow, patterns interestingly out of whack or with syncopated rhythm—and what I find so much fun is that beauty in these forms can pop up at any time, and in the most ordinary places. I love to play with images until I find what I recognize as a “sweet spot” for me: that edge where representation and abstraction meet. I hope to be playing for a long time to come!
