Memorial Portraits

This is a selection of portraits I’ve made over the years following the deaths of these individuals. Hover over the images to learn the names and dates for each.

These prints are made through a process known as silk aquatint or silk collagraph. I start by adhering a piece of fine mesh silkscreen fabric to a rigid backing board. The texture of the woven silk is a matrix of tiny and evenly spaced wells in the weave of the fabric that hold ink. At this point, if the plate were printed, it would be a rectangle of rich and solid black. To create the portrait – the details, tones, and shadows – I paint many layers of clear acrylic gloss medium in varying dilutions. Referencing a photograph of the person, I work intuitively to create a range of tonalities. The plate does not change much visually as I work because the acrylic I’m painting with is clear. It’s a fairly blind process and one that does not take well to edits once the plate has been printed. When I think I’ve achieved the tones I want, I completely cover the plate with ink and then slowly wipe away the surface ink to reveal the image. That moment is always so satisfying – to see this person whose work and life I’ve admired reappear – to honor them by making them visible again in a new form is an honor itself.

Non Omnis Moriar