Featured Artist, Kyle Smith

      I went to Kyle several months ago with my idea for the The Black-Eyed Press and asked if he might be interested in helping me to build a local collaborative printmaking studio. I didn't know if I should expect much, but I had an eager reception and lots of enthusiasm. I know printing is a huge part of creating "The Life You Love' for Kyle. I've know this young talented artist through our art classes together at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and better through interactions and critiques in Parkside's printshop. Kyle is very dedicated sometimes spending hours with a saw shaping copper plates, trust me this takes a dedication most of us don't have. Since he understands the print equipment through serving as the shop technician there, it makes perfect sense for him to slide into a leadership role as the Shop Guy at the Black-Eyed Press LLC. I promise you will all come to appreciate this young man, his straight-forward technique and his passion for printmaking. Read-on and if you have the chance please post a welcome aboard to Kyle.

To the Point:The Artist Statement for Kyle Smith

On average, I’m no ordinary artist by any means.  Knowing as many artists as I do, I know that I am different in how I see artwork and how although I may like some artist’s work, but I never really let it influence any of my work.  As to having no real outside influences, almost all of my work is based off of my life and events in it. When people look at my work the message or purpose usually is pretty obvious because that’s how I like to work. When I look at other art work, I like the ones that are easier to interpret and to the point, so that’s what I use for my art. I became an artist because it is the one true way I have always been able to express myself through something instead of my words. Throughout high school and the start of my college experience I was mainly focused in following my older brother’s footsteps into graphic design. It was until my 3^rd year in college that I started taking printmaking, and my interest shifted from the computer to the print lab.  But before this and along side of this, I have also grown to appreciate many other types of studio art including working with wood to make furniture and metals to make chain mail.

            After learning all they processes in the print lab, I established a fondness of Intaglio using copper plates and relief with linoleum plates. My passion is more with the intaglio printing, not only am I allowed to use my computer still to create images that I want to put onto a copper plate, but since I have never had great hand drawing skills I am able to trace a drawing of mine and transfer it directly to the copper and etch it into the plate making a perfect image that I couldn’t have drawn by hand. Any printmaker knows that there are two ways to put an image onto a copper plate one with dry etching which involves just directly free handing your image onto the copper and acid techniques which I am more fond of because the put a deeper line into the copper and you can make so many shades and textures on the image making it more realistic. Mainly I like my images when they are just the basic line etch because I am usually unsure of how using other techniques will change how my image looks.

            While creating my work, I like to document each step so I can see how the work that I am doing effects what I already had on the copper. In order to do this I take a picture of each proof that I make so that in the end I can show people what I did and how many steps it took to get it how it ended up. With every image, as I said before, is usually a part of my life with some images being on smaller scrapes of copper just random pictures that I just come up with on the spot. As my future with printmaking continues, I wish to be able to be a little more expressive with my works and work on my recent line of holiday cards that are pretty generic to say the least so that the buyer can personalize them for whoever they want them for or for a small fee I can paint them and personalize them for them. Whatever comes of it, I know that I will be printing for as long as I can while working on other forms of art on the side as a hobby.

The Plan

This idea for collaborative space was not a "plan" for the first two years. The plan was an idea and the idea seemed overwhelming. So...I wrote my ideas in my sketchbook and doodled around the margins and dreamt of what a day would look like if it were my idea of the perfect day.

Quiet time with my Bible, breakfast with my family, a few laps at the pool...after these things, I would get into my little car and drive to a space filled with the things required to make art. There I'd open the door to the gallery, check the email, facebook etc. and begin as others came in to share in the process of making prints. I might be teaching someone one-on-one or helping an artist develop a business card. I might have an easel set up to paint or collage. After lunch, a local school group might come in to learn about the art media of printmaking. Each student would either get to bind a small journal or make a small print. My day goes on until suppertime. Occassionally, someone stops in just to see the gallery. They purchase a print and a copy of an exquisite corps we've done with teen authors and artists to raise money for our summer camp. The print is one from an emerging artist who has not shown in a professional setting before now. I get to help them do that. Before closing, I proof the prospectus for the upcoming new artist residency and at five o'clock I head home happy to have served and been amidst other artists and ink. The aroma of the ink and paper still with me as I head home to spend an evening with family, completing homework and preparing for tomorrow. As I go to bed, I am thankful to be blessed to be part of the life I love.

For me, that would be the perfect day. Will running a collaborative be that smooth? Absolutely not. Everyday will be as difficult then as today. Will it be the thing that makes all the difference in my life? No that's what my faith in a loving God is about. However, I won't go about life living to work. I instead get to work in order to live doing what I love, making art and helping others to do the same. I better get started before my day today is gone. I hope you'll make the most of today. Life is short and fragile please go out and live today like it's your last.

PS Tomorrow I will begin posting introductions to the artists of The Black-Eyed Press LLC. Please check them out. They are an extremely talented bunch.

The Beginning of My Idea

It seems writing one's ideas should be a simple task. I've kept a journal for years, filled with the good and the bad as well as the accompanying prayers. I've encouraged others to do the same. I love the way a good pen interacts with a good sheet of paper. I love to sketch in the margins of my notes and books. Typing.....is more of a chore to me. I am not a poor typist. I am actually rather fast but composing as one types, that seems difficult for me. I skip words and mispell as I don't have the pen to slow me down and sometimes I type the things I am thinking aside from my writing which can be humorous but not so nice to figure out later. In any case this is my disclaimer passage for anyone who ventures to read this. I hope you will and that you'll find the things I investigate and share of some use whether entertaining or informative.

Here's what I plan to do. I want to use this space to have a discussion about printmaking. I would like to share items of interest, the process of building my new organization The Black-Eyed Press and to introduce the artists and members. Our potential instructors and their work. I will also include some historical prints and some of the provenance that surrounds them. Emile H. Mathis has agreed so generously to be part of my blog by allowing me the opportunity to take images from his amazing collection of more than 2000 works on paper. When I learn new techniques or about interesting things going on in town I will also write about those things. I hope that the things I present will engage you and help you to understand my passion towards printmaking.

I am Samira or Sam if that's easier. I am the owner of The Black-Eyed Press LLC. A printmaking studio that exists so far only on paper, but one that hopefully will soon have a home and be well attended and utilized by artists and community members alike. A few months ago a server at a restaurant where a friend and I stopped for lunch said, "If you do what you love, you will never work another day in your life." I want that and to help others to find that. Won't you consider coming along?

The Black Eyed Press will exist to provide independent artists with feasible workspace, community, as well as outlets for promotion, sales and exhibition in mediums of printmaking and book arts.

Please feel free to post questions and comments here or to email me: sam@blackeyedpress.com. I look forward to hearing from you and learning from you. Or check out our Facebook page.