Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

大学版画展

私は出展していないけど、第３７回大学版画展見に行ってきました。芸大の後輩達や全国の美大生に作られた作品を数多く見る機会です。小品販売に数点出したので、いい値段で版画買いたい人も、是非見に行ってください！

tattooed food hands

Art Plaza Awards

I will have some new pieces shown at the 7th Geidai Art Plaza Award Exhibition.
Geidai Art Plaza
Nov 28 - Dec 16, 2012
10:00 - 18:00

第７回芸大アートプラザ大勝展に新作２点を出品します
芸大アートプラザ
２０１２年１１月２８日−１２月１６日
１０時ー１８時

Hope to see you there!

版画の断面＿４

Photos from the exhibition 版画の断面＿４ held last month at the Tohoku University of Art and Design.

Lithography

Since coming to Japan, my work has become more and more detailed. This is both in the image complexity and the care with which I am drawing. I have been very pleased with the result of such work, but each piece seems to take more and more time and mental and physical energy. It also means that you have more to lose if one of these plates you have invested so much in doesn't work out (as what happened to me this week).
I am really questioning whether this style of working is really worth it. Art should have a balance between struggle and enjoyment, and currently I think that balance may be a little off.

International students' exhibition

Thank you everyone who came to ここから始まる芸術２０１２ at Tokyo University of the Arts. Tomorrow is the last day to go check out a wide variety of work by international students from all the art departments at geidai.
I exhibited a selection of a new series of work combining invented food language and tattoos. Linocut, lithography and thread on paper.

Vancouver

I am currently exhibiting two lithographs on japanese paper in a group show in Vancouver.
The Canada-Japan Printmaking Exhibition runs from Oct 1 - Oct. 20 at Capilano University Studio Art Gallery.
Info for the gallery can be found here.

Back to Work

The summer vacation has come to an end and it is time to get back to the studio.Yesterday I printed a small lino cut I carved over the holidays. As you can see I am printing it on the offset press. The benefits of printing offset is things print just as carved (no reversal) and print very flat (although sometimes a bit of relief in the paper is a nice touch).
I had the idea of creating a mount fuji shaped pile of spaghetti, but I don't it is clear enough to understand unless I tell you... which I just did.

I decided to carve into the lino again and reprint... not sure which version I like better.

東京芸術大学の留学生展示

Stuffed

Thanks to everyone who came to Stuffed at Platform! It was a great experience and I hope to show work in Australia again someday! Here are some photos for those of you who couldn't make it.

I would also like to thank all the lovely people working at gaffa and my friend Shirley Cho, who is curating Platform, for helping me put the show together.

PLATFORM, gaffa gallery

I am heading to Sydney for a solo exhibition of lithography, organized by Shirley Cho, the guest curator of PLATFORM at gaffa gallery.

Stuffed
An exhibition of lithographs by
Valerie Syposz

6-18 September 2012
Opening party: Thursday 6 September, 6-8pm
PLATFORM, gaffa
281 Clarence Street
Sydney, CBD, NSW 2000
PH (02)9283-4273
Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-5pm

Australia, here I come!!!

Last year's exhibition

Here is the page of winner's from the 36th All-Japan University Print Exhibition held last December.
The page is only in Japanese, but you can see my print by the title Same as Always.
Go see!

Drawing

Thinking about future projects

Going down under

Summer Holiday

Thank you everyone who came to the show in Ginza and the show at Bumpodo. Both went by smoothly. Next up... Stuffed, a solo show of lithographs at Gaffa Gallery in Sydney next month! What an exciting year!

And also back to the drawing block, thinking about my final project for the graduation exhibition in February.

ギャラリートーク

明日７月２９日(日)１４時から東京芸術大学版画研究室展のギャラリートークを行います。版画大学院生８人が版画の技法や自作について語るイベントです。
宜しくお願いします

komaihai

Today we had Komai-hai, the annual sports competition between the 1st and 2nd studios in printmaking. The competition is named after a previous professor, Komai Tetsuro, and has been going on for years. Litho and intaglio vs. woodblock and screen battled it out in volleyball and dodgeball. We won!!! (no thanks to me) but more importantly it was really fun to run around and play games with everyone. We celebrated afterwards with somen, veggies and lots of snacks.

A great way to start the summer holidays!

Printmaking Department Exhibition

The printmaking department of Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate school will be having a big group show in Ginza. There will be works of all types of print media, something for everyone!

Where: INOAC Ginza Namikidori Gallery
When: July 14-31, 11:00-19:00 (closed Wednesdays)
Opening party: July 14th, 16:00-18:00
Gallery Talk (in japanese): July 29th, 14:00-15:00

I will be there for the opening, gallery talk, and sitting in the gallery on July 19, 3-7pm and July 31, 2-5pm. Please feel free to stop by and say hello!

Bumpodo Gallery Exhibition

6th All-Japan University Print Exhibition Prize Winners' Exhibition, starting tomorrow!

Where: Bumpodo Gallery

When: July 11-24, 10:00~18:30

Reception: July 21, 17:00~19:00

Hope to see you there!

版画研究室展

東京芸術大学　版画研究室展
INOAC　銀座並木通りギャラリー
2012年7月14日〜31日
回廊時間11:00〜19:00 水曜休廊
オープニング14日16:00〜18:00
ギャラリートーク29日14:00〜15:00

時間あれば、ぜひ見に来てください：）

第６回大学版画展受賞者展

第３６回全国大学版画展受賞者による作品展に参加します
30人も参加する展示なので、きっと誰にとっても好きな作品はあるでしょう

第６回大学版画展受賞者展
文房堂ギャラリー
2012年7月11〜24　10:00〜18:30
レセプション7月21日　17:00〜19:00

ぜひお越し下さい

Instant noodles

Although I prefer to draw unpackaged food items rather than containers and labels, I keep returning to the image of instant cups of noodles. I sewed a cup noodle into my 2010 prints Sweets, instant noodles were the focus of my 2010 christmas card, and they made an appearance in an untitled linocut made last year. For me, they are the perfect symbol for convenience and are just as important as sashimi, tofu or soba the spectrum of current Japanese food.
I also seem to have made a copy of my Canadian themed print, Common Interests, just with slightly different subject matter.

People often ask why I print with such light colours. When you look at the finished product you may not be able to see all the layers (sometimes I can't even believe it) but it makes a huge difference. Both prints are the same black but the one on the left has a slightly blue-grey tinted flat printed on top. Colours don't always have to be bright to have an impact.

I ended up adding 2 more layers (impossible to tell, I know) giving it a much more desirable revolting feeling.

Title has yet to be decided, suggestions welcome.
I will scan a better image of the print once I have signed and editioned it.

Summer is on it's way

It's almost July!
July will first bring an international student trip to Nikko, followed by 2 group exhibitions. 大学版画展受賞者展 at Bumpodo Gallery, July 7-24, and an exhibition by the printmaking department faculty and grad students at INOAC Ginza Namikidori Gallery, July 14-31.
More info to come!

版画集

今年も芸大の版画集を作ります。

制作中

ボール馬連

ボール馬連を作りました！使ってみる為に木版画を作ろうかな：）
We had the ball baren workshop at school yesterday. A baren is used for printing woodblock or relief prints by hand. Instead of the typical bamboo leaf covered flat surface, we made barens with balls that roll along to create pressure. They work well not only for waterbased woodblock, but also for linocut and wood engraving.

This drawing gives an idea of the structure. On top is a rounded wooden disc.

 On the non-curved side you glue a 2cm cork ring. Then you cut and glue a rubber sheet and plastic sheet to fit inside the cork. The important part is that the rubber and plastic sheets are not the same height as the cork.

 Then you have to arrange the balls, leaving holes for screws. These are the type of metal balls used for ball bearings. Putting in the screws also proved to be a challenge. I dropped the baren at this point, sending the beads flying all over.

 Once the bottom was secure, we made handles out of twisted leather held in place by bits of copper.

 Finished product looks like this... can't wait to try it out.

Here is the artist, seemingly pleased with her creation!

copper plate printing on plaster - 石膏刷り

愛知県立芸術大学の井出先生の石膏刷りワークショップに参加しました。石膏に版画が刷れると全く知りませんでした。とても貴重な経験でした。
We had a special lecture and workshop run by Sotaro Ide, a printmaking professor from the Aichi University of Art, about printing copper etchings on plaster. I had no idea such things could even be done!!!

 Plates were made using bits of plants pressed into soft ground and etched overnight.

 Then they were all inked up and wiped and placed in a water bath to speed up patination. Professor Ide uses the green and blue oxidation of the copper to create monotype-like prints

 The plates were then taped into a cube

And filled with plaster.

Once the plaster dries, remove the plates...

And voila! Copper plate etching on plaster! Incredible!

Group shot after the workshop