Collaborative Research in incorporating 3D printing into traditional printmaking processes

While working as the printmaking studio coordinator during Session 3 in summer 2018, a few of my colleagues (Barrak Darweesh, Phirak Suon, Brandyn Callahan and Christian Oiticica) and I started a collaborative research in incorporating 3D printing into some traditional printmaking processes.

The plates was ran through an etching press several times to print various impressions- embossments, reliefs, etchings and a combination print.

The making of the plates must be done right in order to prevent the plates from collapsing under pressure. The plates can also be made in any shape or form, provided the maker/printer is aware of the nuances and issues to look out for. For example, the depth of the recesses must be taken into account when wiping is involved. If the recesses are too deep (as seen in image below), the ink will have a hard time making contact with the paper when printing and thus resulting in a technical unsound print.

There is so much more to discover with this process as this is only the beginning of combining 3D printing with traditional printmaking. Needless to say, we were all very pleased with the results and have officially donated a print to the Pilchuck Glass School collection.

Printer for artist Ho-Wan-Ut "Haila" Old Peter

It was a privilege to work as a printer for Artist in Residence, Ho-Wan-Ut “Haila” Old Peter during session 3 (2018) at Pilchuck Glass School. As a traditional Puget Salish basketry weaver and teacher, Old Peter has devoted over twenty years to the art of basketry. Old Peter specializes in cedar and beargrass baskets with a heavy focus on patterns and contrasting colors. She is committed to teaching and preserving basketry for her family and tribal members. It was a unique collaboration as Old Peter had never experienced printmaking prior to her residency at Pilchuck Glass School. We spoke about the best ways to approach printmaking with her existing knowledge and practice of basketry and below are the resulting prints. Old Peter decided to keep some of the prints as she found them hard to part with, and some of the prints were generously donated to the Pilchuck Glass School collection.

Printer for artist John Torreano

John Torreano is a New York–based artist and curator. Torreano is known for utilizing faceted gems in a variety of mediums in order to create "movement oriented perception" in his works. Torreano was one of two of Pilchuck Glass School’s Artist in Residence during Session 3 (2018). I was very fortunate to be able to advice and print for Torreano as he’s always wanted to try printmaking but never had the chance to. He worked on a series of monoprints that I helped print, below are the resulting prints. Some of them were donated to Pilchuck Glass School’s print collection while others are now in his possession.

Guest instructor at Mid Pac

I was invited to Mid Pac as a guest instructor by art instructor, Jill Johnson to do a demonstration for her students on printing a collagraph. Jill and I have already met and spoken several times about the plate preparation and printing preparation that needed to take place prior. On the day of the demonstration, I was greeted by a group of hardworking students and we (I) had so much fun printing with them!

Jacqueline Rush Lee

Jacqueline Rush Lee is a mixed-media sculptor who came to the University of Hawaii at Manoa as an artist in residence. She is recognized for her work with the book form in hopes to create an experiential reading of her book sculptures. I took the role of her assistant during her residency period and assisted in her site specific series entitled WHORL. This was an eye opening experience for me and I am thankful that Jacqueline was kind and generous in sharing her knowledge with me, and in allowing me to assist her during her residency.

Click here for more information about Jacqueline Rush Lee.
Click here for more information about her project WHORL.

Stepping away from the communal studio and into a private one

Rm 326. My private studio for the next 3 years.

Summer of 2016 was an incredible one. Art was never a big thing in Malaysia when I was little. I never thought I would be able to achieve so much - work and grow alongside amazing artists, accomplish so much in my field, to be able to give back to the community and more. I am thankful everyday, and I recognize that I have so much to be grateful for. That said, It is time for me to move on so someone else can experience what I experienced. It is time for me to step away from the communal studio and into a private one.
Thank you for everything University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Printmaking studio! Thank you Professor Charles Cohan for teaching me so much and entrusting me in taking care of the studio for so long.

I am soon to be a graduate student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and am very excited to see what the future holds.

Double Dog Dare Studio

A few days after returning to Honolulu from Pichuck Glass School, I traveled to Kauai for a short residency at the Double Dog Dare Studio. Sally French, the director and founder of Double Dog Dare Studio is an amazing artist and person. It is always a pleasure working with and along side her.
During my residency period, I printed a series of miniature prints, further developed an ongoing series Patterns of Conversations and helped her set up her new etching press to print some aluminum plate lithography.

Sally French and Scott Groeniger prepping some colors

Supplies for aluminum plate lithography

The plate (left) and the print (right)

Patterns of Conversation, (ongoing series), monoprint, 8” x 8”

Close up of monoprint Patterns of Conversation

Pilchuck Glass School

Pilchuck Kitchen (above) and Printshop (below)

Beyond grateful to have had the privilege to serve as a teaching assistant to Professor Charles Cohan at the one and only Pilchuck Glass School, for a vitreography course during Session 3.

I was welcomed by an energetic group of students that were eager to learn. I found out that time works a little (very) differently at Pilchuck, it stops and speeds up at the same time. The students made so much work in just two weeks, and the two weeks flew right by us. It was truly an awarding experience and I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to challenge myself in such a supportive and inspiring environment like Pilchuck!

Thank you Pilchuck for a great session!

Studio reorganized and relabeled (draw downs and tap outs) !! Now i’m ready for the session to begin.

Some vitreograph plates and prints I made during Session 3

The Laminated Print. Origin and Process of Chine Collé

I am very pleased to announce that my work will be showcased in The Laminated Print: Origins + Process of Chine Collé, a collaborative project that brings together contemporary printmakers, conservators, and art historians to inspire visual thinking about the process of chine collé and draw relationships to paper traditions from China and Japan. 

My piece entitled "Communion” will be displayed along side prints by Charles Cohan, Duncan Dempster, Deborah Nehmad, and a selection of Chinese and Japanese scrolls and screens from the collection of the John Young Museum of Art. The scrolls and screens were selected and researched by Gary Liu, art historian and specialist in Chinese art, and Hiroko Sakurai, East Asian painting and paper conservator. Conservation workshops by Hiroko Sakurai and demos by chine collé printmakers will be held in conjunction with this exhibition.

Click here for more information.

"Communion" , 41" x 29", stone lithograph and chine-colle

Wood Ink Fiber

"WOOD/INK/FIBER", is Donkey Mill's first biennial statewide juried exhibition. I am proud to announce that one of my prints from the Fertile Gamble series will be in the show.

The opening reception and presentation of awards of excellence will be on Friday, May 6 from 6pm - 8pm. The exhibition, juried by artist John Buck, is on view in Holualoa from May 6 - July 9, 2016.

Ryan and Tina UHM printmaking residency

Ryan Bavin of Bavin Glassworks is a glass artist and photographer who is based in Invermere, British Columbia. Ryan and his wife Tina came to the University of Hawaii at Manoa for a two week printmaking residency in Stone Lithography.

Ryan and Tina were new to lithography when they first arrived, and I was lucky enough to be the person who introduced the process/es of stone lithography to them. As the printmaking studio manager, part of my duty is to work with the visiting artists and make sure that they have a good experience during their residency. Ryan and Tina were both such quick learners that by day 3, they were able to etch and print their stones without much my assistance.

During the first two days of intensive introduction, we covered stone graining, the different drawing materials (how to use them, read them and etch them), counteretching for further additions and printing. Aside from stone lithography, they were also exposed to polyester plate lithography (aka smart plate/ pronto plate).

Both Ryan and Tina made amazing prints during their residency and is planning to return to the University for a second residency in 2019.

Ryan and Tina using the hand fan after graining

Ryan and Tina printing their stones

Extra lesson in polyester plate printing

Tina’s (manner noir + crayon) work in progress.

LRC (April) UH & PSU

written by Scott Groeniger, for more information click here

VELOCITY FIELD [DATA DUMP]:
[LRC] performs at the 2016 Southern Graphics International Conference in Portland, Oregon

Demo Organizers: Lithopixel Refactory Collective (LRC) in collaboration with Dr. Eugene Magnier (Astronomer, PANSTARRS, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Maona) and Dr. Richard Wainscoat (Research Specialist, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa)

Location & Time: 11-5, Fri Apr 1 / Portland State University, Neuberger Hall / Print Lab Rm 260

Velocity Field: [DATA_DUMP] is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between Lithopixel Refactory Collective [LRC] and the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy’s Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PAN-STARRS). Piloted by a group of artists based at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, [LRC] is a temporary print and sound performance that is equal parts lithographic production studio and fluxist print performance installation. With this project, [LRC] seeks to explore the confluence of traditional printmaking, digital imaging, sound installation, and wide field astrophotography. The PS-1 wide field digital imaging telescope, developed at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, is designed to discover and characterize comets and asteroids that present a danger to our planet. One of the largest functioning digital cameras in the world, the PS-1 telescope makes hiresolution, gigapixel images of the entire night sky every evening. [LRC] has devised a process for outputting this image to an ordered set of tiled polyester plates; utilizing a high resolution, diffusion dithered, digital halftone pattern. Our printing process is a hybrid of art and science, combining tools and techniques spanning over 200 years of printmaking with cutting edge astrophotography, and digital image manipulation.

Lithopixel Refactory Collective [LRC] is a group of artists based at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who are examining the absurdity of manufacturing, consumption, and destruction loops through the prism of traditional printmaking, digital imaging, and performance art.

[LRC] team performing at Portland State University on Friday, April 1st, 2016 are:
Charles Cohan (founding member/lithounit leader)
Scott Groeniger (founding member/digitalunit leader)
Peter Chamberlain (founding member/soundunit leader)
Rodney Bengston (founding member/video coordinator/documentation)
Soo Mei Teh (production leader/ head lithounit/ onsite documentation)
David Randall (lithounit)
Guen Montgomery (visiting lithounit)
Emmy Lingscheit (visiting lithounit)
Cassandra Ferguson (lithounit)
Joe Gonzalez (lithounit)
Taylor Johnson (production crew)
Terra Keck (produciton crew)
Nisha Pinijani (production crew)
Hannah Day (production crew)
Jeannie Randall (visiting production crew)
Jodi Arthur (visiting production crew)
Carlie Solomons (visiting lithounit)

Fourth National Monotype/Monoprint Juried Exhibition

Date: April 6, 2016 – May 7, 2016
Location: Attleboro Arts Museum

Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat. 10 am-5 pm

The Fourth National Monotype/Monoprint Juried exhibition showcases various monoprint and monotype techniques used in contemporary printmaking. I am honored to be a part of this years exhibition with some of my own print heros! The exhibition is juried by Andrew Stevens, Curator of the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Chazen Museum at the University of Wisconsin.

Andrea Dezsö

The University of Hawai`i at Manoa had the honor to host the very talented, Andrea Dezsö during her residency from March 14th to 18th, 2016.

Her residency coincided with the exhibition SELECTIONS FROM THE COLLECTION OF ARM AND ROLLER PRESS, where four of her vitreograph blind prints were displayed.

Andrea Dezsö (Artist), Yoshimi Teh (Printer), Eric Cabato (Printer's Assistant)

Arm and Roller Press is the collaborative printing arm of Charles Cohan, professor of art at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, also my mentor and boss. As a fine art printer for artists since 1990, Arm and Roller Press has accumulated a diverse collection through the production of numerous projects for various artists during the past 25 years. Arm and Roller Press also represents a collection of over 1000 prints, artists’ books, and printed ephemera that have been assembled through collaborative exchange folios and cooperative projects.

Selections from the Collection of Arm and Roller Press will highlight approximately 60 prints from artists working in North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and provide a glimpse into the global range of traditional printmaking practices of the past 25 years. Intersections Visiting Artist Andrea Dezsö’s work is included in this exhibition.

During her week long residency, she worked on four stone lithographs ranging from small to large, printed by yours truly.

Find out where you can find Andrea Dezsö’s stone lithographs HERE.

Honolulu Printmakers 88th Annual Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

I was fortunate enough to have two prints in the 88th annual juried exhibition of Honolulu Printmakers at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, along side with many talented printmakers.

Juror: Paul Mullowney. Longtime Don Ed Hardy collaborator Mullowney will be in residence in February to select work for the Annual Exhibition. Paul is an experienced educator and a Crown Point Press-trained master printer with a broad and deep skillset in printmaking. The former print studio director of Maui's Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center and a past Gift Print Artist, Paul is now based in San Francisco where he runs Mullowney Printing, where this year’s Gift Print is being editioned.

2015 Gift Print Artist: Don Ed Hardy. Well known as a highly influential tattoo artist who was instrumental in bringing about the vibrant, diverse contemporary tattoo scene, Hardy also has deep roots in print culture. He earned his BFA in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1967, and since the early nineties he has been producing prints and editions with master printers and publishers such as Trillium Graphics, Shark’s Ink, and Mullowney Printing. Hardy has been a Honolulu resident since 1986.

Opening reception: Feb 24, 5-7pm
Gallery hours: Tues-Sat from 10am-4:30pm and Sun at 1-5pm

Mokulito by Jenny Sanzaro-Nishimura

The printmaking studio at University of Hawai'i at Manoa had the pleasure to host visiting artist, Jenny Sanzaro-Nishimura during her residency from the 10th to 28th Febuary, 2016.

Jenny, who teaches at Queensland College of Art, demonstrated the mokulito printmaking process at the University and the Honolulu Printmakers during her residency at the University of Hawai'i printmaking studio.

Mokulito is also known as wood lithography, where the process is basically the same as stone lithography except instead of limestone, a wood block is used as the matrix.

Lithographs by Motoda Hisaharu

In conjunction with the exhibition Hiroshige’s City: From Edo to Tokyo, in which his artwork is displayed, the lithography artist Motoda Hisaharu visits the Honolulu Museum of Art School for a week-long residency.

The public is invited to see the artist in action at these times: Feb 8–15, 10am–noon, Honolulu Museum of Art School Print Studio.

During Motoda Hisaharu's residency, I was in charge of assisting him in preparing, processing and printing his aluminum plate lithographs, as well as translate for the public and Motoda-sensei.

Motoda Hisaharu working on his Waikiki aluminum plate. (Image taken by Honolulu Museum)

Some of Motoda Hisaharu's prints laid out for the public. (Image by Stephen Salel, assistant curator of Japanese Art at Honolulu Museum)

Hiroki Morinoue at Honolulu Museum of Art

It was an honor to be able to assist the one and only, Hiroki Morinoue at a private event in Honolulu Museum. The opportunity was given to me by Duncan Dempster from the Honolulu Printmakers. 

Upon his arrival, we started unloading, unpacking and got ready for the demo that evening. Soon after, Hiroki sensei started his printing demo while explaining to me the water based woodblock printing processes. Towards the end of the event, Hiroki sensei needed to rest and catch up with his friends so I took over his zabuton and printed.

Slightly Offset, QCA portfolio exchange

Professor Charles Cohan, professor of printmaking at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and myself were invited to participate in the Queensland College of Art portfolio exchange titled "Slightly Offset".

In addition to Queensland College of Art staff, representatives attended from the State Library of QLD, Griffith Artworks and major sponsors, Canson Papers Australia and Conexus Consulting.

QCA Print Studio manager, Jonathan Tse sent us 40 sheets of printing papers supplied by Canson.

The edition for this exchange was 36.

Final print (monoprint + lithograph) of the collaborative print by Charles Cohan on left and myself on the right.

Bisymmetric intaglio printing to bysymmetric collagraph printing

Koichi Yamamoto stopped by Honolulu Printmakers on Sunday, January 17th, 6-9pm for a free demo of his bisymmetric intaglio printing technique.

He stopped by my workplace at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa printmaking studio the next day to view my work and encouraged me to apply for the MFA program in University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he teaches. I agreed and was admitted, but that's another story.

We have been exchanging emails ever since regarding new works we are producing, one in particular was the extension of the bisymmetric intaglio printing process. I experimented after his departure from Honolulu and found out that collagraph works wonders with the bisymmetric process. Here are some examples of my experiments:-

Since then, Charles Cohan, professor of printmaking at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and Koichi Yamamoto from University of Tennessee at Knoxville have incorporated the bisymmetric collagraph printing to their class projects.