I have a small printmaking studio in my home in Canandaigua, which has excellent light and looks out onto the street. My main medium is monotype, although I also use collagraph, linocut, woodblock and etching.
My monotypes are mostly created from shapes made from tagboard, and textures like wallpaper, fabric and netting. I start with drawing, but quickly go to designing with shapes as soon as the idea evolves. The shapes are inked up with brayers and placed onto inked plexiglass.
The print “Fire and Ice” was made of 6 inch square sections that were glued down to form a large print. Below are the sections before I glued them together and added the fire, which was painted paper collaged on at the end.
Sometimes I overlay images onto an existing print. First I draw out the idea and play with shapes on paper before deciding how I want it to look.
The beauty of monotype is the fascinating and endless possibilities, which keeps my creative energy flowing and my mind going…going…going.
Stop by Main Street Arts to see Barbara McPhail’s prints in our current exhibition the Upstate New York Printmaking Invitational (runs through October 7).
