P.R.I.N.T Open House on April 6 will feature artwork that gives viewers a 'visual conundrum'

Friday, March 24, 2017 - 16:08
University of North Texas graduate student Sarah Ellis assists visiting artist Jeffrey Dell at the Print Research Institute of North Texas (P.R.I.N.T). Dell will present his new piece he worked on with P.R.I.N.T students at an open house 4-7 p.m. April 6 (Thursday).
University of North Texas graduate student Sarah Ellis assists visiting artist Jeffrey Dell at the Print Research Institute of North Texas (P.R.I.N.T). Dell will present his new piece he worked on with P.R.I.N.T students at an open house 4-7 p.m. April 6 (Thursday).

What: Open House, featuring a demo and live, interactive printing from printmaker Jeffrey Dell, at the Print Research Institute of North Texas (P.R.I.N.T) of the University of North Texas. Dell will present new work, featuring a laser-cut woodblock printed in multiple colors on layers of translucent paper.

When: 4-7 p.m. April 6 (Thursday).

Where: P.R.I.N.T, Oak Street Hall Annex, 1120 West Oak St., Denton.

Cost: Free.

 

DENTON (UNT), Texas - The Print Research Institute of North Texas (P.R.I.N.T) will show off innovative artwork — an image that creates a “visual conundrum” — from San Marcos printmaker Jeffrey Dell at its open house from 4 to 7 p.m. April 6 (Thursday).

P.R.I.N.T, part of the University of North TexasCollege of Visual Arts and Design, will feature a demonstration and interactive printing of the artwork as part of the event.

As a visiting artist last year, Dell worked with students on the print that combines traditional printmaking techniques with Japanese paper.

During the weeklong session, Dell and the students used laser cut woodblocks to create a BAT — a French term forbon á tirerthatmeans “good to pull” – that was the proof to create more prints. The image features a rainbow-like blob, or “magical gate,” inspired by the science fiction Dell read in the 1970s and 1980s.

When he returns in April, he will add a screen-printed layer in the back called yupo, which is a Japanese paper that is more plastic than paper. It is also translucent so it has a frosted surface that looks like vellum and it also gives a glow around the image.

The front will feature the laser cut and the back will be screenprinted with yupo — giving viewers a “visual conundrum.”

“You look at it and your mind as a viewer wants to see this as a cohesive three dimensional form,” Dell said. “There are shadows and hues, but it doesn’t coalesce. It creates a contradiction.”

Dell has worked professionally as a printmaker since 1998 and is the head of printmaking at Texas State University. He said he was impressed by P.R.I.N.T and its facilities.

“There are a few other universities that have publishing presses that are connected to academic art programs,” Dell said. “What UNT has in P.R.I.N.T is very special. It is an educational resource for students and as a well-respected publishing house for contemporary printmaking.”

Among its much recent achievements, P.R.I.N.T’s collaboration with Susan Goethel Campbell was selected as the cover image and Prix de Print in the March issue of Art in Print, promoting its work to a global audience of curators, collectors and peers.

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