Dianne Austin Art

About The Prints

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I’ve never met a media I didn’t like! I have worked in both 2D, lots of collage and mixed media, and 3D including clay, plaster, wax, metal and found objects. Now I am working exclusively with printmaking. There are many ways to make a print. My favorite is collagraph because I work in both 2D and 3D. First I create a low relief with cardboard and different textured materials. This becomes the printing plate. Next it is inked and rolled through the printing press with a piece of damp heavy paper. The resulting print is a record of all the colors, layers and textures that have been pressed into the paper."

In my own work, I love to use found objects and bits of scrap that have interesting texture to make the image. This can be anything from torn cloth, melted plastic to natural leaves and grasses. The possibilities are endless.

Ink can be placed on the plate’s high or low areas. When pressed into the paper, these two techniques result in very different looking prints. Often I ink both of these levels! I frequently use different colors on the same plate. For this detail work, I use small brayers (rollers), daubers (rolled up material) and brushes.

After the ink is applied the plate and paper are ready for a run through the printing press. The high-pressure of the rollers will push the plate into the wet paper and create a multilevel embossed surface and at the same time transfer the ink.

Most often I consider this the starting point and I use other media to build up the print further. Those that have been altered in this way are noted on the print’s border with HMP (Hand Modified Prints). If no other media is used, I number them 1/1. This means it is the first print from a series of one.

Working in this way ensures no two prints are the same. Each one is an original.

Enjoy!

The Collections

Click on an image in order to view the entire collection.