Category: Inspirations

Rockaway Artists Alliance InkSplash 2016 exhibition, ‘Printmaking in a Changing World’

My recent work. (from left to right, ‘Tent City’, ‘Woodlands’, ‘Bewilderbeast’, ‘Back with Butterfly Wings’)

 

This past Sunday, the Rockaway Artists Alliance InkSplash 2016 exhibition ‘Printmaking in a Changing World’ came to a close.  I was fortunate to attend the opening reception, see the work in person and meet most of the artists who exhibited.   And. I. Was. Impressed!!…by both the caliber of the work and the beautiful arts community at RAA.

 

The large and beautiful sTudio 7 at Rockaway Artists Alliance.

 

And not only was I impressed…I was INSPIRED!  InkSplash 2016 featured a wide variety of original printed works including intaglio, mono print, relief, solar-plate etching, aqua tints, photo transfers and experimental techniques celebrating the fine art of printmaking in a changing world.  My work as a photo based artist falls into the latter of the above mentioned processes.

 

 

(In all the photo galleries, I have linked the artist’s website with their image if they have one…learn more about that artist and their work by simply clicking on an image)

 

 

The printmaking press at RAA.

 

 

The exhibition also got some amazing press and I was fortunate enough to be prominently featured in a lot of it as well!  Click on the clicks below to read more.

THANK YOU again to the Rockaway Artists Alliance and especially to Victoria Barber who invited me to exhibit in this show.  I was honored to hang alongside such quality work that inspired me to continue seeking new ways to create.  I met a lot of wonderful individuals, who were happy to share their stories and process with me!  And lastly, I received great feed back on my work from a new audience…and even sold a piece!!

 

 

Other artists included in InkSplash 2016 are Carolyn Antonucci-Almeida, Victoria Barber, Kathy Caraccio, Faith Edeson, Jason Novetsky, Brendan Patrick, Renee Radenberg, Carmen Frank, Willa Mae Gilbert, Elizabeth Harington, Neddi Heller, Christian Le Gars, Luanda Lozano, Esther Grillo, Deena des Rioux, John Grillo, Melissa Rubin, Onnie Strother, Susan Rostow, Dan Welden, and Wendy Stefanelli.

~jz

#tbt to Digital Image Transfer & Mix Media workshop @TSKW

I can hardly believe it’s almost June.  Life has been crazy busy (as always) and time is moving FAST!  But I would be remiss if I did not write about the Digital Image Transfer & Mix Media workshop I taught at the The Studios of Key West this past February.  (I know…I’m throwing it way back and it’s not even Thursday!)

First of all, I gotta say what an honor and privilege it was to come back to Key West as an artist and an educator.  After 16 years of island living, I left Key West to reduce my expenses and focus on creative passions back in my hometown of Louisville Kentucky…and I can truly say I have done just that!  But Key West is a place I miss dearly and it felt so good to be there again.  In addition, TSKW has become even more amazing in my absence (if that was even possible!!) and recently moved into the newly renovated space at 533 Eaton St.  The facilities are top notch with artist studios, dedicated classrooms, three exhibition spaces, a theatre for the performing arts, and is attached to (and affiliated with) the independent book store (originally from Miami) Books and Books.

 

Housing supplied by TSKW during my workshop (which I quickly converted into a studio).

 

And even more recently, Nancy Klingener, the Southernmost Reporter/Producer for WLRN News is broadcasting from the 3rd floor at TSKW!  Add in an amazing staff, a ton of dedicated volunteers and awesome artist housing (including a bicycle) while either teaching a workshop or experiencing a residency.  I mean….HELLO(!!!)…everything you want in you local arts organization…and then some!!

 

Digital Image Transfer workshop at TSKW.  Photo by Jeane LaRance.

 

I’ve been incorporating encaustic wax with my photographs for some time and recently added digital image transfers to the working equation using alternative print materials by DASS™.  Combining the two into a two-day workshop was both a challenge and a blast to teach!  Day one was all about image transfers, which were applied to a variety of surfaces, including wood, metal foils, and fine art papers.  Day two took those initial results further with the incorporation of mixed media including watercolors, oil paints and encaustic wax.

 

I love this image created by Camille Blatz who layered an image transfer onto wood with the same image transferred onto kozo rice paper…final piece encased in encaustic wax.

 

 

(Click on images in the below photo slider to visit personal websites of featured artists)

 

I had artists of all mediums sign up for the workshop…photographers, painters, mix media artists and sculptors all represented.  The title of the workshop naturally attracts photographers (like myself) who enjoy exploring the possiblities of the medium.  But I love how this process transcends photography and speaks to artists of all mediums who are seeking more creative options for their imagery.  Ultimately, we all brought something slightly different to the table and learned a lot from one another.

 

I have been a fan  (and friend) of LIsa Esposito from the first moment we met and it was an honor to have her in my workshop.  Here, Lisa dips an image transferred onto Stone Paper into encaustic wax just to see what would happen.  (I even love her process notes in relation to the image above!)

 

 

(Click on images in the below photo slider to visit personal websites of featured artists)

 

 

 

Not only did Mark Hedden have two pieces made during this workshop accepted to the Small Works exhibition at Lemonade Stand Gallery in Key West he even sold one of those pieces. Thats what I’m talking about!

 

(Proof of the above)  Photo by Jeane LaRance.

 

 

 

I also taught a really fun gel medium transfer class with kids.  Working with a non-toxic acrylic gel medium, students learned the mixed media method of transferring an image to a wood panel.   Their ready to hang creations were finished with watercolors, colored pencils and acrylic paint.

 

As always…thanks for making it this far!

~jz

 

My time as a Visiting Artist at UAH

Art, Art History and Design Building at UAH.

By now, most of you know I recently exhibited my latest body of work Luminiferous:  Adventures in Metal at the Wilson Hall Gallery on the University of Alabama in Huntsville campus this past March.

 

(Photo by Jose Betancourt)

As a visiting artist I also taught a digital image transfer workshop with the students in Jose Bentancourts‘ Experimental Photography Class.  I introduced the class to alcohol gel transfers and DASS supersauce transfers to wood, metal foils and glass.

 

I like to encourage students to bring in substrates of their choice for transfers images onto as shown in the above photograph.

 

Raeley Stevenson distressed the edges on the emulsion side of film before transferring onto watercolor paper.

You know you’re doing something right when you can generate excitement in sharing your process!  And it was such a pleasure to get students excited about image transfer.  A lot of great results came from the workshop as you can see below.

 

 

In addition to exhibiting and teaching, I was also lecturing…three lectures to be exact.

 

One lecture was to Jose Betancourts‘ Documentary Photography class.  This talk was very detailed specific and entirely about my involvement with the Haitian Art Company and the multiple trips (one of which was 2 months!!) I made to Haiti during my 7 years of service to the gallery in Key West.  As one would expect, this experience had an enormous influence on my life as artist and creative professional.

 

 

The business gave me unique access to Haitian artists and allowed me to experience the culture in a way that is unavailable to the average person.  The photographs I have taken in Haiti reflect a bond I have with my subjects and contain emotional power attained only through the crossing of cultural boundaries.  Obviously I highlighted my images of Haiti, developed in the style of 19th century photographs and talked extensively about my travels with artist Franz Zephirin who was determined to show me ‘the real Haiti’.  We traveled to Cap Haitien and specifically to his grandmother’s voodoo compound where I was graciously given permission to record the events of a seasonal voodoo ritual.   Ceremony of the Serviteur was shown in it’s entirety during this talk.

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