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Printmakers North art exhibit debuts at Northland College on Oct. 5

September 28, 2012

A new art exhibit at Northland College puts area fine art printmakers in the spotlight. The display, dubbed "Printmakers North," will debut with an opening reception for the artists on Friday, Oct. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Dexter Library on campus. The event, another offering in the Northland College Community Connections series, is free and open to the public.

The idea for the show came out of a conversation with area printmakers about how few people seemed to be familiar with the art of printmaking, according to Jason Terry, Northland College Associate Professor of Art. Printmaking is the process of devising artwork from printing, particularly on paper. However, there are a variety of printmaking processes that transfer ink to different materials, including etchings, lithography, woodcuts and more.

"This show will feature artists who work with printmaking processes," said Terry. "Examples of several processes will be on exhibit and a didactic display will be included to help educate viewers about the basic process of printmaking."

Mark Nutt, who owns Blue Rock Workshop in Washburn, will display six of his prints in the upcoming exhibit. Nutt received a bachelor's degree in fine arts at the University of Michigan and holds a master's degree in fine arts from the State University of New York in Buffalo.

"The field continues to still be valid or viable in the various universities around the country," Nutt said, noting the significance of Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in the industrial revolution during the 1400s.

Nutt has experience with intaglio prints, which he says are hand-pulled, hand-wiped etchings that are one of a kind.

"It's kind of like Christmas all the time," Nutt said. "You never know what's going to happen when it goes through the press. You never know what you're going to get."

Paula Bunch will also display six prints in the exhibit. The printmaker, who holds a master's degree in fine art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, lives in Washburn and has experience in a variety of art media. Bunch is displaying giclée prints in the "Printmakers North" exhibit, which are prints produced with inkjet printers.

"My work for this show is computer-generated photography in a print format. I work generally in 2-D," said Bunch. "I was originally a painter. I think of it in terms of making a mark, and I can do that with Adobe Photoshop."

Both Nutt and Bunch add their prints reflect contemporary issues, including topics like the war in Afghanistan, political climate, religion or faith.

The exhibit will also include prints from northern Wisconsin artists Michael Coughlin, Patra Holter, Sandra Lee Starck and Jason Terry. The exhibit will be on display at the Dexter Library through Jan. 10, 2013.