R I C H A R D G I N S
M O N O T Y P E S
I have been making monotypes for over 50 years. Making monotypes is one of my favorite medium, because it is easy to add ink or wipe it away, allowing images to quickly evolve, appear, disappear and transform, opening the door to the unknown. With it’s versatile properties, monotypes demand that I not just copy, but use this spontaneous freedom to find something interesting and meaningful. This requires taking the emotional risk of not knowing the outcome before you begin.
Monotypes are the perfect marriage of painting and printmaking. It requires the same sensibility as a painter, working in full color directly on the plate, yet the prints have unmistakable qualities that can only be achieved by printing the image on paper. I use all kinds of tools like: rags; Q-tip; my fingers; paper (to blot off ink, to cut shapes and edges to stencil or a mask an area); wood; razor blades, etc.