With the climactic program coming up Saturday afternoon, 26 students from the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Culver City High School are experimenting with traditional printmaking techniques through an artist-in-residency program with the Craft and Folk Art Museum.
The program will culminate in an exhibition and reception called, “think,” on the Miracle Mile in midtown, from 2 o’clock to 5 on Saturday at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd. The exhibition will showcase self-portraits and smaller student prints.
Each Friday for 10 weeks, Holly Jerger, art instructor and Senior Curator of Public Engagement, alongside Fabrizio Flores, Program Manager, have been teaching students about the history of printmaking, its practice and various forms — relief, intaglio, and lithography.
The students are using a type of relief printing called linoleum block to create a series of self- portraits.
The prints range from figurative to representational symbols. They include a techniques such as split fountain, multiple blocks, and collographs. Senior AVPA artist Chris Valdez said he has learned how to express himself in a different medium.
“Working with Holly and Fabrizio, was a great experience because they introduced me to new techniques in printmaking,” Mr. Valdez said. “I enjoyed carving the linoleum. But seeing the actual print was always a surprise. Each one is unique.”
Lismary Escamilla, a ninth grade AVPA artist, was equally enthusiastic. “The weeks I spent here were the greatest experience I’ve ever had,” Ms. Escamilla said. “I discovered a different form of art. The special guest artists and museum tours were inspirational.”
The Craft and Folk Art Museum program included lectures from several guest artists. A master printmaker, Juan Rosillo, presented his prints of other artists’ work as well as his own etchings. Mr. Rosillo spoke to the students about the laborious process of screenprinting, from choosing the right colors for each layer and applying each color to the print separately. At times, this meant there were more than 100 colors to one piece of artwork.
AVPA artists were inspired by Mr. Rosillo’s work. They channeled their ideas into their own prints. “Learning about the art process of a printmaker was eye awakening and awe inspiring,” senior Tamalika De said.
Another guest artist, Joseph Vorgity, is a printmaker and watercolorist. He focuses on still-life, landscapes, and figurative subjects. His style is heavily influenced by Japanese woodblock prints and the American Precisionist movement. Mr. Vorgity practices woodblock printing and Japanese moku hanga woodblock printing, which he studied under masters Takuji Hamanaka, Matthew Brown and William Paden.
A characteristic feature of his prints is the Provincetown white-line technique, which separates each hand-rendered watercolor block with a white line, giving them a painterly yet graphic appearance. Mr. Vorgity is a member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society.
“I was amazed at his technique,” sophomore Harper Barth said after seeing Mr. Vorgity’s work, “His process of printmaking was meticulous, time-consuming, and seemingly effortless.
“I knew I was in the presence of a master.”
As Saturday’s exhibition draws closer, students are working to complete their edition prints, or final copies.
For some of the 26 AVPA visual art students this program has been an introduction to what may be a lifelong interest in printmaking as an art form.
For senior AVPA Artists, Mia Campbell, “The program made me realize how much I love printmaking,” said senior Mia Campbell. “It made me want to explore this art form in depth. I want printmaking to be part of my creative future”.
The Craft and Folk Art Museum artist-in-residency program was made possible through support of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
