Sometimes the winds of change that come with a new year start blowing in the last months of the old year. That happened to me late last November in a studio session where my fellow plein-air painter, (see https://www.vernellestudio.com/post/painting-through-the-pandemic-at-nancy-lewis-park) Rita Scafidi, showed a group of us a different painting/printing format, the gel plate print. For me, it was a "Breaking News" moment. The possibilities for creating in a very free-flowing method, making images in a painterly way, yet being able to add print elements of scripts and pictures, loomed large in my mind as just what I needed. Not being one to hesitate when the light bulb goes off, I immediately (and I do mean while right there in the studio) went to Amazon and took advantage of the Black Friday sales to get myself a gel plate, which came with brayer, and some interesting Japanese rice papers to print on.
Sometimes one simply needs a fresh look at things. While I admit that I have loved doing plein air in our beautiful environment, things somehow went flat for me in 2024. I did not go out plein air painting. The spirit was just not there. I had thought of perhaps trying to do abstracted landscapes or getting back into doing seascapes, but the idea of pure abstraction flummoxed me. Whenever I have tried to approach abstraction before, I would always turn to Leonard Shlain's Art and Physics to gain proper intellectual insight into the mysteries of the universe as represented in abstraction. What I did not realize at the time is that making an abstract comes from the soul first; the brain engages with it later. At least that is how it seems to happen for me.
I immediately set up a place to do my prints, happy to find that even in a small studio space, I could do gel plate prints. Then I started. What was so wonderfully freeing for me was the rapidity in which one had to work. The paints are acrylics, which dry in the blink of an eye. To print, the paint must be wet, so there is no fooling around. This led to a lot of gel prints and not too many good ones. However, I found that after I took a holiday break and returned to the "plate" recently, something in my mind had settled, and I was able to approach the process with more real intention. I could start by deciding on my color palette (though I go rogue on that issue often). Equally important is the selection of surfaces to print on. Having the papers pre-sorted, arranged, and ready to be placed on the plate is key, as time is of the essence. Learning ways to handle the brayer, which size brayer to use for the effect wanted, and how to move it in a painterly style, i.e. using a brayer to paint the colors onto the plate, are all skills that I am acquiring. The results of which are beginning to show.
(From my Gelli Sketchbook. Click on each for a fuller picture.)
Perhaps the main things gained by this experience so far are the sense of freedom I feel when creating these and the mere joy of doing it. There is not a lot of joy in the world these days, so I feel lucky to have found a self-affirming, life-affirming, creative endeavor. The other thing I like, which I have seen by watching a variety of youtube.com videos, is that the range of looks in the prints is as varied as the artists and whatever papers and techniques they use.
This piece was done by Rita Scafidi, using various layers of printing, which is still something I have yet to learn. It shows how versatile this art method can be. She explores a variety of techniques to produce items with pictures or ones that are quite abstract. Her work shows a unique sensibility as she explores using the gel plate for image making, as well as abstraction. The image just below is one of her abstract pieces, which takes the eye on a colorful journey. She also has ventured into using fabric surfaces to print on and has turned some of those into unique greeting cards.
From Rita Scafidi's ever-growing collection of gel plate prints. (Click on each to view.)
Finally, I would like to mention another wonderful inspiration for my gel printing adventure. Robyn McClendon is a book maker, printing specialist, and now author, whose art has been shown at the Smithsonian, the Corcoran Gallery, and in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Now living in the southwest, Arizona, to be precise, she gives workshops, has a thriving youtube community (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=robyn+mcclendon) and a beautiful new book Gel Plate Printing for Mixed-Media Art.
Robyn McClendon in her studio A handmade art journal Her new book on Gel Printing (Click on images for a fuller view.)
2025 is here and in full swing, with tons of distractions and anxieties to occupy our minds (justly or unjustly). However, we control how we feel and react to outside conditions. Finding joy in your art is a good way to claim your own space and be at the center of creating your own life.
Should you be interested in articles on art history combined with a discussion of wines, go to my other art blog, OfArtandWine.com Also see my author page at amazon.com/author/marjorievernelle
© Marjorie Vernelle 2025
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