Glen Alps (1914-1996) is best known for his development of a printing technique involving printing from variously assembled surfaces for which he coined the term 'collagraph'. He was born in Loveland, Colorado but is largely associated with the University of Washington where he earned his MFA and taught for 37 years. A summer with Mauricio Lasansky in 1947 and later with Harvey Littleton for vitreography had lasting impacts on his appreciation of the matrices from which prints are printed. He also experimented with burnt lacquer plates. Alps' prints were exhibited throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan (1950s-1980s) and are represented in many of the major print collections in the U.S. and abroad.
Medium: Collagraph Dimensions: 22 1/4 x 33 1/4 inches (Plate) 25 1/4 x 36 inches (Sheet) Signature: Signed Artist details: American, 1914 - 1996 Date finished: 1958 Edition: #2 of 8
Recommended by Rebecca: (Gallery Associate)
Three Shadows by Glen Alps illustrates some of my favorite effects one can achieve with Collagraphs, a term the artist coined to describe a mixed media plate. The different heights of the elements give a sculptural feeling when printed. The ink has been lovingly rubbed into all the nooks and crannies and then removed sparingly to maintain the multi dimensionality during the ink transfer from plate to paper. This is an early collagraph from the late ‘50s and shows that his later works did not stray too far from the principals and richness of these early pieces. It is reassuring to see his works re-emerging from long held collections, giving us another chance to make their acquaintance.