barb mowery

Monotype Printing

In early 2020 I made monotypes using Golden Open Acrylics. I enjoyed the unpredictable and technically complex artmaking process.

Four of my monotypes were included in On Paper, a 2021 juried exhibition at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Solomons, Maryland.

Text of video:

I’m Barb Mowery from Lusby, Maryland, in the United States. I am mainly a painter. But I also make monotype prints using acrylic paint. 

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Monotype is a printmaking technique that generally yields only one good impression from each prepared printing plate. Each print is entirely unique. One way to make them is to paint on a plexiglass plate and then press your paper into the wet paint to pick up the image. 

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For the 4 prints I have in the “On Paper” show, I used a sheet of plastic wrap as my printing plate. To print this way, I apply paint to the plastic wrap, then press the plastic wrap against the paper and roll a soft brayer over it to transfer the paint. Then I make hand-painted additions to the printed image.

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Monotype is the most painterly method of printmaking. It introduces elements of chance into my image and invites me to respond immediately to the printed marks. 

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