Medium: Aquatint
Dimensions: 12 x 18 inches (Image) 18 x 25 1/8 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1949
Date finished: 2021
Edition: 120 and 12 Artist Proofs

Bloedel Donovan Park, Lake Whatcom, Bellingham, WA

Series: Monoprint/Monotype Invitational 2022
Medium: Monoprint
Dimensions: 17 x 17 3/4 inches (Image) 21 x 21 5/8 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, b. 1950
Date finished: 2021
Edition: of 6

Artist's statement:
"The motif in Red Facing Fear #3 is based on my sense of the fragility and precariousness of contemporary life. The structure suggests a sense of power, where one addition or change–such as adding a red line down the middle of the composition–can reinforce or destabilize the picture plane. This resembles how daily routines and a sense of normalcy can be derailed by a slight or sometimes violent event, which in turns creates instability and ambiguity. In creating Red Facing Fear #3 I used a combination of relief and monotype blocks. The relief block provided stability and replication. The monotype block allowed for endless variations, which I created through multiple monotype techniques including layering subtle colors. This process of making monoprints parallels the dynamics of the world and its complicated ever-changing nature."

Medium: Monotype
Dimensions: 20 x 16 inches (Image) 26 x 22 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1971
Date finished: 2021
Edition: 1/1

Artist's statement:
"Hard-edges, grids, and flawed forms of our fabricated world inform a conversation between the living, synthetic, uncontrollable, and controlled. I enjoy this conversation and participate in it - using memory and impression - to assemble a non-traditional landscape. On a morning walk, I study how people organize their lives and property; I consider how plots of land look from above, how they fit together. Transitions, such as gravel-to-rock, curb-to-road, and public-to-private, can be felt and heard; they dictate one’s mood, movement, and attire. I imagine a map and wander inside it, looking for what is native, imported, predator, or prey."

Medium: Monotype
Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches (Image) 22 x 25 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1971
Date finished: 2021
Edition: 1/1

Artist's statement:
"Hard-edges, grids, and flawed forms of our fabricated world inform a conversation between the living, synthetic, uncontrollable, and controlled. I enjoy this conversation and participate in it - using memory and impression - to assemble a non-traditional landscape. On a morning walk, I study how people organize their lives and property; I consider how plots of land look from above, how they fit together. Transitions, such as gravel-to-rock, curb-to-road, and public-to-private, can be felt and heard; they dictate one’s mood, movement, and attire. I imagine a map and wander inside it, looking for what is native, imported, predator, or prey."

Series: Monoprint/Monotype Invitational 2022
Medium: Watercolor monotype
Dimensions: 14 7/8 x 18 1/4 inches (Image) 21 1/8 x 24 3/8 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1961
Date finished: 2020
Edition: 1/1

Artist's statement:
"Branches, Humphrey Head and Tree Near Second Beach are from a series exploring the landscape where I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. These images take a subjective view of the landscape – looking up – to suggest a “child’s eye” sense of scale or perspective.

The prints were made by painting with black watercolor on a thin polyester plate, which was then printed on a press. Unlike oil monotypes, the image must be completely dry before being printed. This means that it can be developed over many hours, even days. I use additive and subtractive processes to make the images, putting down washes and marks that are allowed to dry before being lifted and revised by re-wetting the plate."

Series: Monoprint/Monotype Invitational 2022
Medium: Watercolor monotype
Dimensions: 15 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches (Image) 22 1/4 x 30 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1961
Date finished: 2020
Edition: 1/1

Artist's statement:
"Branches, Humphrey Head and Tree Near Second Beach are from a series exploring the landscape where I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. These images take a subjective view of the landscape – looking up – to suggest a “child’s eye” sense of scale or perspective.

The prints were made by painting with black watercolor on a thin polyester plate, which was then printed on a press. Unlike oil monotypes, the image must be completely dry before being printed. This means that it can be developed over many hours, even days. I use additive and subtractive processes to make the images, putting down washes and marks that are allowed to dry before being lifted and revised by re-wetting the plate."

Series: Monoprint/Monotype Invitational 2022
Medium: Watercolor monotype
Dimensions: 17 7/8 x 23 7/8 inches (Image) 22 5/8 x 30 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1961
Date finished: 2021
Edition: 1/1

Artist's statement:
"Backyard at Night is part of the series Night Shadows, inspired by late night walks through my Minneapolis neighborhood. The work addresses feelings of isolation brought on by the pandemic.

The prints were made by painting with black watercolor on a thin polyester plate, which was then printed on a press. Unlike oil monotypes, the image must be completely dry before being printed. This means that it can be developed over many hours, even days. I use additive and subtractive processes to make the images, putting down washes and marks that are allowed to dry before being lifted and revised by re-wetting the plate."

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager):
"'Backyard at Night' beautifully captures a familiar scene, just off-kilter. It is a quintessential backyard: gutters, chain link fences and patio furniture. But everything is slightly misaligned and in high contrast against the dark of night. It's a striking piece that shows Kareken's wonderful, painterly handling of trees and textures in a new setting. It feels like a photo that no one would think to take but is around us all of the time."

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist):

Michèle Landsaat's quietly whimsical etchings never fail to make me smile or tug at my heartstrings. I tend to be most drawn toward her more personal or poignant work, but 'Squirrel with a Pineapple' is an adorable piece that I enjoy just as much. A funny twist on a traditional still life, it sparks my imagination and inspires many questions in my mind, such as - How did the squirrel get indoors? What was the reaction of the person who encountered it? I love the vibrancy of the red strawberry and the look on the squirrel's face - caught in the act, but unbothered. As we enter deeper into the cool autumn months, surrounded by busy squirrels collecting food and building their nests, this piece gives me a new appreciation for these resourceful little creatures.