Artist: Alexandra Blum (authored by alexandrablum)
Submitted by alexandrablum on
I am currently working on a two new series of paintings the first endangered species of California and the second fantastic space aliens. I am interested in texture and variety and contrast of ark through the use of many materiasl including gouache, screen printing, resin, spray paint, and pencil.
Ali grew up in Ithaca and Brooklyn, NY and moved to San Francisco in 1995. She holds an MFA in Printmaking from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BFA in Painting from Cornell University. She works in printmaking, painting, and mixed. Recent exhibits include “Four Artists” at Ligne Roset, “The Day of the Dead” at the Legion of Honor, “The Eye of the Storm” at Markham Vineyards, and “Chicano Visions” at the De Young Museum. She has held artist residencies at the de Young Art Center in San Francisco and the Lower East Side Printshop in New York. Ali has taught at Drew high school since 1996. She has taught in a wide range of institutions including community centers, at risk youth summer programs, and special events and workshops at the de Young Museum and SFMOMA. She will be the artist in residence at the De Young Museum August 2010. There are several new bodies of work including small 8" x 8" encaustic wood panels inspired from dreams and childhood memories. The smaller pieces created this year reference Stonehenge and seasons. My favorite quality of encaustic is the transparency and layering that creates a sequenced narrative, a feeling of memory, and nostalgia. The beauty of this media is its unique translucency, spontaneity, and combination of printmaking, painting, and drawing techniques. Monprints are created by painting a plate with ink. A moist piece of paper is placed on top of the plate and rolled through an etching press which transfers the ink from the plate to the paper. Each color is a separate pass through the press. The characteristic of monoprinting is that no two prints are alike; although images can be similar, editioning is not possible. Also known as the most painterly method among the printmaking techniques, monoprints and monotypes are essentially printed paintings. The appeal of the monotype lies in the unique translucency that creates a quality of light very different from a painting on paper or a print, and the beauty of this media is also in its spontaneity and its combination of printmaking, painting and drawing mediums.
