Barbara Putnam donates etching

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

Barbara Putnam donates a print to Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Day Five

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

Detail of the print

Today is the last day of the project, and Barbara, Peter, and Caitlin are still working on finding the perfect shade of blue gray for the series.

: Caitlin compares the different proofs

: Caitlin inks a plate

: Barbara, Peter, and a student look inspect the plate

: Instead of green, Barbara and Peter try blue gray

: Ink on the counter top

: Coffee is a necessary part of printmaking

: All of the different shades of blue

: Detail of the print

: Peter with a clean copper plate

: A close up of Caitlin inking a plate

: Caitlin wiping off blue ink

Day 4

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

Caitlin applies ink in wave-like patterns

Peter, Caitlin and Barbara are still trying out different color combinations for the print. The walls of the studio are filling up with more and more proofs.

After all the hard work this week, printmakers deserve a relaxed pizza dinner with Barbara’s students in the studio.

: Students from Drawing on Science class

: Barbara and Peter enjoy pizza in the midst of all the proofs

: Peter, Devin, and Mike

: Delicious pizza

: Peter and students with pizza

Day Three

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

: Barbara adds spit bite to the plate

: Printing the second layer on top of the first

: Peter wipes the plate

: Etched copper

: An inked plate

: The key plate

: Printing demonstration

: Peter adjusts the press blankets

: Peter and Caitlin print a proof

: The first layer of the print

: Peter closely inspects the plate

: Printing the green layer

: Peter and Caitlin wipe plates

After the proofs were printed, everyone gathered upstairs to compare them.

: Peter inspecting proofs

: Comparing the different proofs

: Simon and the proofs

: Silver ink printed on blue

: A map of the image with different etching times

: Detail of aquatint and spit bite layers

: The busy schedule for the week

Day Two

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

Printmaking Studio

: Burnett Printmaking Studio

: A drawing for the aquatint layer

: Proofs

: Simon with Barbara’s prints

: Mary and her students

: Printing requires teamwork

: A print is revealed

: Ink on the counter

: One of the color plates for Barbara’s print, recently inked

: Blue and black ink

Peter and Caitlin gave a printing demonstration for the students at the studio. Anyone who is interested in printmaking is welcome to join as well. It’s great to watch Peter and Caitlin, who have been printing for so long, work. Their movements are efficient and graceful.

All of the printmaking classes went to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art today to look at Marvin Bileck and Emily Nelligan’s prints as well as Peter’s portfolio.

: Looking at Ambreen Butt’s prints

: Peter and Caitlin unpack a portfolio

: Walton Ford prints

: Barbara’s class with the Walton Ford prints

: Barbara applies stop out to a plate

: Barbara and Caitlin

: Students add notes to their sketchbooks

: Simon looking at silver ink etching

: Mark Wethli joins students at the museum

: Students look at the Walton Ford prints in Peter’s portfolio

: Morgan Browning and other students view Emily Nelligan and Marvin Bileck’s work

: Barbara’s students look at Marvin Bilecks’ prints

: Peter shows prints by Ambreen Butt

Day One

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

Barbara Putnam’s test prints

This week, Peter Pettengill and his assistant, Caitlin, will produce a large etching in collaboration with Barbara Putnam. Barbara has recently returned from an expedition to the Arctic, and her print is inspired by the magnificence of the northern landscape.

: Barbara works on a drawing on top of the copper plate

: Barbara teaches a woodcut class called Drawing on Science

: Caitlin and Barbara clean plate

: Barbara’s drawing on a sheet of transfer paper

: Students Isaac and Ruiqi watch Barbara draw

: Testing colors for the print

Peter and Caitlin will use multiple plates to create this print. The key plate, which contains Barbara’s drawing, is shown above. Color will be added using additional plates (one for each color).

: Caitlin, Barbara, and Peter

: Professor Mary Hart introduces Peter Pettengill to the audience

After a busy first day at the studio, Peter gave a talk at the Visual Arts Center, which was attended by Bowdoin students as well as members of the local printmaking community. During his talk, Peter described his experience working with artists such as Sol LeWitt, Louise Bourgeois, and Walton Ford, among others. His job as a master printer is to enable artists from every discipline produce a print. Although he claims no authorship in the works, he is necessary to their existence.

Peter Pettengill: Collaborative Printmaking and the Master Printmaker

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Linda Alvarez '13

Monday, February 18

4:15-5:15

Beam Classroom, VAC

Wingate Studio with Aldo’s Press (Threnod to R.L. Burnside)” 2008. 20 x 44″ Intaglio etching. Edition of 20

Peter Pettengill, master printmaker and the founder of Wingate Studio in Hinsdale, NH publishes and produces original prints in collaboration with artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Neil Welliver and Walton Ford. Prints editioned by the studio are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of Art and The Portland Museum of Art. Pettengill will speak about his studio practice and the process of collaboration with contemporary artists. He will spend this week working with Bowdoin students and Coastal Studies Artist-in-Residence, Barbara Putnam.

Day Five

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Linda Alvarez '13

Another Day

The final day of the Marvin Bileck Printmaking Project was the most relaxed out of the week.

Breakfast was held in the studio as Liz signed her prints.

A few local artists and Mark Wethli stopped by to visit and see the final result–seven pages rippling across the wall, progressing from a warm brown to a cool blue.

: Liz Chalfin signs her prints

: Last batch of prints finished

: Liz Chalfin looks over the finished series

: Ignatia Chen

: Professor Hart and Professor Wethli

: Morning coffee at the printmaking studio

: Finished at last, Liz Chalfin hangs up Another Day

Day Four

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Linda Alvarez '13

Rachel Canas works on a plate

Day four: the final day of printing!

Students worked busily all day to finish the second half of the edition. All that is left for tomorrow is cutting and signing the prints. Parents are invited to stop by the studio in the morning to see the prints and partake in a breakfast snack.

Printmaking I visited Hawthorne and Longfellow Library to view some of the artist’s books from the special collections. These books were made using various printmaking techniques, and represented a range of styles–from Michael Mazur’s large-scale prints depicting scenes from Dante’s Inferno to Karen Bleitz’s machine-like book, The Mechanical Word.