Three renowned artists contribute their talents to support the School of Fine Art and Music
BY RACHELLE COOPER
The School of Fine Art and Music (SOFAM) will launch the first edition of the University of Guelph Press Portfolio Dec. 3 just before SOFAM faculty give a recital at the River Run Centre (see A Little Night Music). The portfolio is a limited-edition collection of three original prints by three of Canada's top painters.
Only 30 portfolios are being printed, making them a valuable collector's item in the Canadian contemporary art world. The portfolios, which come with a certificate of authenticity, are being offered first to Guelph graduates for $3,700 and then to the general public for $4,000 — to raise money for SOFAM.
“I'm hoping to create a splash in the larger art community, as well as a bit of a buzz around campus,” says SOFAM director John Kissick. “The University of Guelph Press Portfolio celebrates the very high quality of our program.”
There's no doubt that a portfolio containing original prints by U of G friend Tony Scherman, fine art professor Monica Tap and the University's first MFA graduate, David Urban, will generate interest in the art world, says Kissick.
“A Tony Scherman piece alone would be worth the price of our entire portfolio, so as a collection, this is about 50 per cent of the going market rate.”
The portfolio contains three different genres of work: a portrait by Scherman, an abstraction by Urban and a landscape by Tap, all printed on 100-per-cent cotton, acid-free paper that measures 22 by 30 inches. Each print features a dominant colour, making for a striking visual impact.
“We didn't plan it, but Tony's has strong blue, mine has strong red and Monica's has strong yellow, which is the primary colour combination,” says Urban. “It certainly makes for a good-looking ensemble of prints.”
The artists created their work with master printer Allen Ash in SOFAM's printmaking studio, which has one of the best press beds in Canada. They had the choice of creating a work in any of the four printmaking media: intaglio printing (which includes etching), screen printing, relief printing and lithography. Scherman and Urban chose to do etchings; Tap did a silkscreen.
Ash, who has worked with more than 100 Canadian and international artists as master printer for Toronto's Open Studio and the Ontario College of Art and Design and as Guelph's printmaking technician for the past year, says each print in the portfolio is an original.
“These images have an intrinsic value. The artists work directly in the print format, and they're a limited edition, so we print only a small number, then destroy the plates and screens.”
Because the printing is all done by hand, each individual print has its own nuances.
“To produce the etchings, you're embossing the paper as you're printing it, so you're getting very pronounced lines and raised surfaces,” says Ash. “There's a tactile sensibility to these prints that really can't be reproduced by any media today.”
The slight variances make each print more valuable. Scherman went one step further by adding blue accents with his paintbrush to each of his prints, which feature a portrait of 1950s actress Grace Kelly.
Having professional artists work alongside students in U of G's printmaking studio has been an invaluable pedagogical encounter, says Kissick.
“Part of the idea is to build a certain exchange between students and artists who are working at a very high level in the profession the students are studying, using the same equipment and processes. It shows that printmaking is an intriguing skill and still a vital way of making images for contemporary artists, and it underlines that what our students are learning is relevant.”
Kissick plans to offer a U of G Press Portfolio to alumni and the general public each fall.
“By the end of five years, there will be 15 University of Guelph Press pieces,” he says. “It will be a fantastic collection of contemporary Canadian art.”
