What can I say these Madonna's/Icon's seam to re-occur over and over again. Not sure why they just kind of do, they act as a touch stone bringing me back to what is important and given. Although the icon's are almost entirely female I think of them less as male or female but more as images of positive growth through all, the power of change and nature to conquer all that is destructive and negative, well maybe not conquer but exist in spite of.

This series of work came about as a result of winning a scholarship/placement at Open Studio. Open Studio is a well equipped (both equipment and staff wise) print making facility located on King Street in the heart of downtown Toronto. While there for my month long stay I concentrated mostly on lithographic and serigraphy print making techniques. As has become my custom I enjoyed combining the two process's in attempt to go somewhere new, well at least new to me at the time.

This series of work came about when Canadian artist Robert Downing gave me a small print makers press, suitable for making small (I believe the bed was no more than 16"x 14") mono prints. The process was very simple and direct; draw, paint, scratch, smudge or use any other form of applying ink to a copper plate. This plate was then placed in the press with a prepared piece of fine art paper draped over it and then squashed between the two steel surfaces until the image/mark was transferred to the paper....., in reverse. Wish I had done more of these so simple and direct, very freeing and fresh and surprising results. No idea what I did with the press, probably got tired of lugging the beast around and gave it away.