Individuality Cubed = Community

“Spotted Salamander,” hand-colored etching/aquatint by TNLG printmaker J. Ann Eldridge

Monotypes excepted, prints are images made from a matrix and are typically produced in multiples. The image printed has been envisioned by the artist, and each step in the printmaking process has been planned, typically with high precision. Over the span of an edition, first impressions may be intense and later impressions, more ghost-like, or, colors may vary, intentionally or unintentionally. While each print resembles its predecessor, with close inspection, differences among the prints of a given edition emerge.

Indeed, “If one says ‘Red’ (the name of a color) and there are 50 people listening, it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different.” (Josef Albers, Interaction of Color, 50th Anniversary Edition, 2013) Albers continues, observing that, like hearing music, where it’s the placing and the spacing of the sounds that matters, it’s seeing what happens between and among colors that’s of interest.

While universally alike, we and the moments that we live are infinitesimally unique.

Round body, flat gut
wet, glossy skin, lizard tail
each one's spots, his own

One striking realization is that sometimes things assume new form while not really changing. An article on buying prints from the 70s discusses the importance of perusing *hard copy* catalogs, saying, “You can shop for prints no matter where you live or where the dealer does business.” (Cecile Shapiro and Lauris Mason, American Artist, October 1976)

During this time of practicing social distancing, we find ourselves doing now what we have always done, seeking to touch and be touched by something meaningful, enhancing our lives by exploring art, discovering artists or artworks not known to us, enjoying human aspiration expressed with originality, and experiencing connection (asynchronously or, increasingly, synchronously via Zoom), despite the vastness of space between us.

One critically important aspect of our gallery project is the notion of community.

During a time when things feel fragmented and far, Matt and I believe that the fundamental need for human connection can be satisfied, even in a virtual setting. We believe that being deliberate, meaning moving slowly, creating something with focus and intention, valuing quality over quantity, is essential.

And we believe that printmakers and print appreciators will find a welcoming, comfortable place here at The New Leaf Gallery to converse and collaborate, and to tuck away the experiences of interesting interaction.

Taryn Fisher, 12.27.2020