About “Still Life!”

 
The Inspiration Meters, particularly, old meters have frequently caught my eye. This screenprint is based on a photograph taken in a small western Pennsylvania town. Like many across America, this town is in an advanced stage of decline, having lost its vibrancy and vitality as the resources that had sustained its life have been depleted. Front Street, Fredericktown, PA (07/09/2009). The title of this print, “Still Life!”, is a triple entendre. In the vernacular of the art world, a still life is a picture of inanimate objects. These meters and phone box are inanimate objects. More to life itself, two of the three meters are not functioning. Vandalized. Their covers have been removed. Components have been taken. The life once connected to these meters has come to a standstill. On the other hand, one meter is still working and the phone box is intact. There is still life! News about “Still Life!” “Still Life!” was selected as one of 35 prints out of 200 entries exhibited at the 2012 Pyramid Atlantic’s Members Exhibition, April 9-26, 2012. “Still Life!” was also selected as one of 66 prints out of more than 225 entries exhibited at Images 2012 during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, June 6 - July 15, 2012, on the campus of The Pennsylvania State University. The Print An alternative, albeit more design-oriented, name for this screenprint could be “shades of grey.” This is an eight color print. Of the eight, five are shades of grey. Using a 10-point scale, with ”Grey 01” being the lightest and “Grey 10” the darkest, Grey 01, Grey 03, Grey 05, Grey 09, and Grey 10 were used to create this image. In addition, there are yellow, grey-brown, and very dark brown layers in the print. “Still Life!’ - Shades of Grey The prints were made on Arches 88 paper. Images are 12¾” x 16¾” on 18” x 22½” sheets. Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Inks were used. Adobe Photoshop was used for developing the eight plates for screenprinting. Eight prints are included in the edition. The project was completed in November 2011. Progression Series The print progression showing the development of “Still Life!” is shown in four figures. The first figure on the left below shows the first two layers: Grey 03 and Grey 05. The figure on the right shows all five shades of grey, adding Grey 01, Grey 09, and Grey 10. The image in lower left includes yellow and grey-brown. The bottom right image shows the addition of the very dark brown layer and is the final print.
+ Click to enlarge%22Still_Life%21%22.html
+ Click to return to GalleryGallery.html

Plates 1-2

Plates 1-5

Plates 1-7

Plates 1-8