New Prints, Cardboard and Potato

Two Circles, ink on Gampi Smooth paper; image size 14 1/2 x 12 3/4, paper size 20 1/4 x 19 in.

I was wondering if an image of circles in squares touching, with one square tilted, would come into balance or seem to swing. To me it settles into a stillness, perhaps because the points of the lower square are aligned top to bottom and left to right. One thing I regret about this print is that I didn't use a white paper, which I think would have been more lively. I could have reprinted the edition, but just wasn't up to it.

Untitled 59, ink on Gifu green tea light paper, 16 x 13 1/2 in.

During my last printing session a couple of months ago, ink splashed on a piece of paper. Rather than throw it out, I kept it because I liked the marks and the colors. I took it out for my most recent session and using round biscuit/cookie cutters, made a circle and an arc from pieces of potato, then printed them on the sheet. The pink curve looks almost like a stain left from a wet glass on a table, so the composition has a quality of a controlled accident, which I like.

Untitled 60, ink on Gampi smooth paper; 2 panels, each 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.

Here are more ordered compositions, of straightish lines.....

Untitled 61, ink on Gifu green tea medium paper, 13 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.

....and of rectangle-ish shapes.

Untitled 62, ink on Akatosashi paper; 12 x 14 1/2 in.

For this piece I used the same shapes as in the first potato print, Untitled 59, above, but here they float in the center of a large expanse.

Untitled 63, version 1; ink on Twinrocker paper; 4 panels, each 15 x 7 in.

Untitled 63, version 2

Untitled 63, version 3

When I printed this four-part work, I had a certain idea of how the panels fitted together, but then I realized that they could work in many different configurations, more than the three I've shown. One reason I like making these potato prints is that these surprises happen. Working intuitively goes against my usual controlled geometric sensibility, which may mean that the potato prints aren't my best work, but it does give me some pleasure to push myself in this way, a similar way to the new small drawings I recently attempted.