For fifteen years, the members of the Women Printmakers of Austin have dedicated themselves to exploring artistic expression and expanding the audience of fine art printmaking. Deeply rooted in historical printing traditions, these artists are now able to blend classic techniques with modern technology to create contemporary works of art. The WPA recently acquired studio space in Pump Project's newly rennovated Satellite Studio and Flex Space. The new shared space grants 24 hour access to studio subscribers who can avail themselves of etching and intaglio supplies, a large press, and other tools of the trade. The Women Printmakers of Austin are participating in this weekend's East Austin Studio Tour and can be visited at 1109 Shady Lane, just up the road from the Pump Project complex. Artist and WPA Chair Angela Hayes answered some questions for us about the future of printmaking and what it's like to work with a team of talented women.

What got you interested in printmaking?

When I was in college I took a course in printmaking. I had no experience with it prior to that but just fell in love. I really enjoyed working with the materials and the layering of texture and color that can be achieved was just so much fun. It was also a lot less intimidating to me then painting because it could incorporate other kinds of art I was already playing with ( such as collage, drawing, and computer art).

What are some of your favorite materials or processes to work with?

My favorite processes are silkscreen printing and block printing because they are very versatile. I am a bit of a home-body and I am able to do both of those processes at home without a lot of equipment and I can get a lot of variation to suit the feel I am going for in a particular piece.  Plus I just really love the way the work looks.

What’s most fulfilling about working with a women’s art collective?

There are so many amazing women in our group. It’s been inspirational learning from and working beside women of all ages and backgrounds united by this common interest.  Art is not just decoration; it’s a statement of our lives, interests and worldview. When we get together we talk about art but we also talk about other topics that we share as women which come out in our work. I have made some really good friends through WPA.

Have you come across any misconceptions about printmaking’s relevance in the digital age?

Mainly people rarely know what you mean when you tell them you’re a printmaker. This is sad because so much of the books, newspapers, commercial art and advertising we come in to contact with everyday is done using a printmaking process.  The other problem is the confusion between giclee and art printed from an inkjet/laser printer being called a “print”. I did a demonstration for a high school class where a kid told me he could get my 11 layer hand printed work out of his ink jet at home. I was incredibly insulted but the truth is many people don’t understand the difference. The printing technology has high jacked much of the terminology originally used by printers. Those who are marketing inkjet/laser printed work as fine art prints are adding to the confusion.

What excites you most about the future of printmaking?

Despite how long printmaking has been around we are still finding new processes and new ways of using it. It is also great seeing the different ways artists are trying to make the printmaking mediums greener through changing the chemicals used or by recycling old plates to create new works. There are just a lot of exciting things going on in the field.

Where else can we see or purchase work from the Women Printmakers of Austin?

Right now we are participating in E.A.S.T at our new studio at the Pump Project annex on Shady Lane so we have framed and packaged work for sale. We also have a beautiful book of all our previous trades we created in honor of our 14th anniversary last year which is available for purchase all the time from our website as well as at the studio. Many of our artists have portfolios of their work on our website and can be contacted for sales through that venue. In addition we have a couple of shows each year where work is available to view and purchase. People interested in our upcoming shows, workshop, etc. can sign up on our website to be notified.

Filed in Arts & Entertainment and tagged angelahayes, art, east2009, eastaustinstudiotour, printmaking, pumpproject, womenprintmakersofaustin

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