Mind the Waves

I spent a lot of my free time last month working on Andrew and Juliana's wedding gift.  I decided I wanted to make something for them and landed on using one of my favorite techniques from college, the ink and press monoprint.  Having access to a printing press at Mom's school helped a lot with this decision.

They already had a few abstract, color-centric pieces hanging in their home, so I figured I would follow suit, but rather than just doing a series and hanging them next to each other, I did three different series' and would cut them into strips to be cobbled together into one, dynamic but flowing piece.  I did a similar one in college and I think it is one of my best pieces.

Next up was to decide what the theme would be.  I am always drawn to rich blues and jewel-tone cool colors, but I wanted something that would fit in their home with pieces and colors they already have.  Juliana seems to like earth tones, with lots of greens and warm golds and reds making up their palette.  I combined the two and thought an abstract ocean image would be perfect, seeing as how our beach trips have been integral in us getting to know Juliana, as well as holding a special place in Hunt family history.

So I went in to Mom's school several times over a couple months, doing a few practice pieces and re-figuring out the technique.  I picked up a few sizes of plexiglass, a few strong colors of ink that would be great on their own or mixed together, as well as an ink retardant, as my first test run indicated that the ink doesn't stay wet enough to produce a good print on its own.  The press was set up in the storage room so I was able to spend a few hours working without disrupting class.

After completing a wide array of prints, I was ready for the next step.  I went to Michaels to find a large canvas and a background color.  I had a really hard time deciding whether a deep navy blue or a more vibrant teal blue would best serve as the background color, while also matching their interior vibe.  Eventually, I settled on a nice, flat aquamarine color, hoping that it would contrast enough with the blues in the prints, but also complement the greens and other earth tones in their house.

After painting the canvas, and slicing up all of the prints into strips, I began to lay them out.  Mom asked why I didn't just want to frame it and call it a day, but I think one of the most appealing parts of the monoprint is the texture of the ink on the paper, and I think that would be lost behind glass.

Once settled with the layout, I glued everything down, signed and dated it, and it was ready to be wrapped!  Happy wedding, Andrew and Juliana!!

(photos by e.hunt, and g.hunt)