Some Feedback on My Art

I get a lot of feedback on my art prints: on Etsy, Instagram and Facebook, or just through emails.  And I am so touched by many of the messages I have received. I thought that I would share a few of them with you.

 

"Your art has been so healing.  When I lost my big black cat Tubs, I could not even be in the house until I got my first print.  I put it in a place where he looked at me every day.  We also got one for another lovely black kitty that we lost to a car driving at the speed of light.  The third print is for my current black rescue kitty.  My daughter's black kitty is very old.  She has had her since third grade and she is now out of college!  This print will also be a healing space.  So grateful for your art." 

B. MCBRIDE

  

"Breathtaking. Mary Ann found the very essence of a cat. Like it's soul peeks out from behind the ink. This is absolutely the coolest art. Even more amazing in person!"

 KRISTIN, on Etsy 

 

"This original print is so gorgeous. I've had my eye on it for a while and finally had to buy it. So glad I did--I smile every time I look at it! MaryAnn is an expert printmaker." 

 SEWNPAPER, on Etsy 

 

 

"I wish there were more stars! This is a gift for my mom's birthday and the artist could have used my mom's cat as a model! My mom will love it. She appreciates fine art and will love the attention to detail, the crisp printing, and the feel of the paper. This is definitely heirloom art!"

SARAH, on Etsy 

 

PURRFECT! Recently my beloved little man Sammy crossed the rainbow bridge and this piece means everything. So beautiful! Thank you!

FORMEW, on Etsy  

It makes me so happy to know that my artwork touches so many people's lives. That is the gift of printmaking. Instead of creating one art piece to share, as with a painting, a printmaker makes an edition of prints so many people can enjoy an art image.  My personal creative mission is to bring more joy and a positive vision into people's lives.  The fact that my artwork reminds so many of their furry loved ones makes me feel like I am accomplishing that goal.  That is very satisfying for me, as an artist. 😊

 

Why Cat Art?

I'm always trying to clarify why I do what I do.  Why do I focus so much on cats in my artwork?  

I recently came across an article that talked about creating a mission or purpose statement, and it had you ask:  what do you do? for whom? and why?  It suggested creating a one sentence statement that included: who, what action, what subject, what audience, and what benefit does your artwork provide.  

This is what I came up with.

"Nestled in My Heart"

I, create handmade linocut art prints, of cats, for cat lovers, to beautify their homes, and remind them of their furry loved family members.

That's it!!  That's my mission statement.

Another reason why I focus on cats is how much I love my own.  Primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, you know the woman who studied wild chimpanzees in Tanzania for years and is now an environmental activist, has said, "You cannot share your life with a dog or cat and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings." I cannot agree enough.  If you are a cat person like me, you know how different each cat is from the other.  No two have the same personalities.  And I find cats, as well as dogs, just embody love.  My life has become enriched by all the furry companions I now have, and the ones who have graced my life in the past.  

Favorite furry family photo from maybe three years ago.

I have a book that I like called "Steal Like an Artist," and chapter three in that book is, "Write the Book You Want to Read." Because I am a visual artist, I have always interpreted that as "create the art you want to see." I love cats and I love cat art.  I collect cat art by other artists.  My collection is large and growing.  I am ALWAYS looking for new cat art or artists to follow who create cat art. Cats inspire me creatively. So I am creating the art I want to see.  

Hobbs

From the feedback I get from my collectors, there is an emotional connection to my art.  It reminds them of a cat, or cats they have, or of a beloved cat who has passed on.  How truly rewarding it is for me to know that my art is really connecting to people from a heart space. What more could I ask for.

Oreo

I was asked in an interview by Sam Marshall, another printmaker, on Instagram, if I feel stuck having to only create cat art since I have a large following of cat lovers online.  I thought about that question a lot, and I can honestly say, I don't.  I will continue to create art that comes from my heart. That's where my kitties reside.

"Window in My Heart"

Framing Your Art Print

When I was in my thirties, I worked as a framer in an art shop.  I learned a lot about the proper materials to use if you want an art print to last for many years with the least amount of aging as possible.  By aging I mean fading and yellowing, or in damp climates, getting mold. 

The paper a print is printed on is important.  For longevity, you want an art print to be printed on 100% cotton paper, also called acid free or rag paper.  Acid is what causes a paper to yellow and age.  Almost all of my prints are printed on Stonehenge, a beautiful thick acid free printing paper.  Any other paper I have printed on is also acid free.  I am very aware and do not want my paper to looked aged.

"Mandala"

There are a few things to consider when making your choices for framing.  For works on paper, glass is a must to keep a piece clean and scratch free.  

Here are your choices of glass:

1. Regular glass is clear and inexpensive.  It is what you find if you buy a ready made frame.  The good thing about regular glass is it is clear and shows an artwork beautifully.  The downside is that it shows light reflection if your art is across from a window or near a light.  It is also not UV protective, meaning your artwork will fade over years.

"Cat Nap'" with regular glass

2. Non-glare glass has a sort of frosted look to the glass,  It does cut down glare and light reflection, but it also takes away from the color and clarity of an artwork.  It is also more expensive than regular glass, and is also not UV protective.

3. The highest quality of picture framing glass available is conservation or museum glass.  It protects artwork the best from fading because it is generally 99% UV protective.  There are a few different types of conservation glass available, but in general, this glass is the most expensive, because of it's UV protective qualities.  

4. And then there is plexiglass.  Plexiglass or acrylic is lightweight and shatter proof, two good qualities, but it scratches easily.  You need to use a cleaner specifically for plastics and a soft cloth to clean it.  You can find UV protective plexiglass as well as regular plexiglass.  Personally, I do not like using plexiglass, but it is better for shipping artwork because it is lightweight and shatter resistant.

Mat or no mat?

If you live in a dry climate or the your home or room where you are going to hang your art is dry, not damp, you can "float" the art print on a larger piece of mat board backing, and have the print up against the glass.  "Floating" means taping the art print with acid free framing tape, onto a mat board that is larger in size than the print, leaving a border of mat board showing around the print image. I like to frame like this if possible because I love showing the papers ruffly edge, called a deckle.  I would recommend using acid free mat board that you can buy at a frame shop if you want to protect the art from aging.  Acid free mat boards come in lots of colors as well as shades of white.

"Center of the Universe," floated on a mat background.

If the climate or the room where you are going to hang your new print is damp, I would recommend having a mat cut.  The mat keeps the artwork off of the glass, which helps protect it from any moisture that might get inside the frame.  Acid free mat board is best to use because it will help keep your artwork from turning yellow and aging.

"Stretch" with a cut mat border.

Framing choice?

That is really up to you. Metal or wood is a personal choice.  Neither is better than the other in terms of protecting the art.  I am really boring when it comes to framing.  Because I also ran an art gallery for ten years, I prefer a very clean simple look; white or off white acid free mat board and a black frame. I choose black frames because almost all of my prints have black in them.

Where should I hang my new artwork?

"Nestled in My Heart"

If you would like to have your artwork looking it's best for many years to come, the best conditions for art on paper are a dry, warm environment, and not exposed to direct sunlight or indoor light.  So do not hang you art piece across from a window, or next or a lamp or bright light.  And if you choose acid free framing materials, you are doing the best you can to preserve you artwork.

I hope this is helpful information for you.  If you have any questions, please send me an email at maryann@maryanntestagrossa.com and I would be happy to answer it.  

Linocut Tools - Linocut Plates

I thought I would share with you my experience with the various tools I have tried since I started linocut printing five years ago, in an effort to help you, if you are also interested, in giving linocut printing a try.     I'm going to do separate blog posts for inks, papers, other tools, etc., this way you can decide what you would like to read about.

The material you carve your design into is called a block or plate.  I have used 6 materials and they all have pros and cons.  Here is my take:

I started out with Speedball Speedy Carve - this is the pink, soft, eraser like block  It is soft and easy to carve.  And if you want to make a multi color "puzzle" type of print, this cuts apart easily with an Xacto knife.  It's a good block to start with to see if you like this art form.  The one down side I see to this carving material is it is difficult to get fine line detail.  

Then I tried Essdee's White Soft Carving Block and Soft-Kut Printing Blocks.  I wanted to see if I would like these soft blocks better.  The Soft-Kut does come in sizes up to 12"x18." It is 1/4" thick and you can cut on both sides, giving you two carving surfaces.  It made for water based inks. Solvents will ruin the block.

Both blocks have characteristics very similar to the Speedball block.  Easy to carve and they cut apart easily, but they are difficult to get fine details in your line work.

Gray battleship linoleum is my favorite, and Golden Linoleum, which is very similar to the gray, just a tad bit softer.  You can get really fine detail, and the carved lino pieces just seem to snap off the block.  If it seems hard to cut, you can warm it by holding it next to a heater, which will soften the linoleum.  

I have found, when it is cold and damp in the winter where I live, that it is hard to keep the linoleum flat.  That makes it difficult to ink the lino before taking a print.  And if you want to do a multi color block using the puzzle method, of carving the block apart for separate colors, like I do, because the pieces bend, you cannot get them to fit well together to print.  

Another block material that I have found that works really well at staying flat is the Gombuchan, or Japanese Vinyl (green block).  This is also a favorite of mine.  It carves, inks and prints well.  The only down side to this material is that because it is vinyl, the carvings do not just snap off as you carve, you have to cut them off.  It slows the carving a bit, but because of all the positives to the block, I still really like it.

Where to find Printmaking Supplies:

In the US:

Dick Blick.com This is where I find MOST of my printing supplies.

Amazon.com

Jerrysartarama.com

Cheapjoes.com

Utrechtart.com

Possibly Michaels, Walmart and Etsy

In the UK:

Jacksonsart.com

Lawrence.co.uk

Greatart.co.uk