June 15th – September 15th
Print Day in May and the California Society of Printmakers (CSP) presents
TRACES of Print Day in May, an online exhibition of prints highlighting artwork made during Print Day in May 2020–2021. Since 2007, Print Day in May has traced the work of a global community of artists making marks and sharing discoveries worldwide.
Traces are marks, features, trails and tracks. To trace is to discover, pursue, find and track. The history of humanity can be traced through artists, their marks, pursuits, recordings and questions.
Jurors’ Choice Awards
Liz Chalfin Choice – Israel Campos, Los Angeles, California, USA, Casualties of the Economy, Reduction Linocut, 23×17″ – The piece was created as a response to the ongoing migrant crisis in the Southern Border. The piece explores the relationship between the economy in the Unites States and the toll it has in Latin America. The national birds of Central America are depicted as avatars of the people of these countries. I successfully printed several of the layers during PDiM and have recently completed the print. The work I make explores the cultural and historic legacies of the United States, Mexico and Latin America through the use of national symbols and cultural iconography.
“It was a joy and honor to be one of the jurors for the 2021 Traces exhibition. I was impressed with the range of art that was submitted, both in terms of technique and subject matter. What struck me most profoundly was the fact that so many of these pieces were worked on during Print Day in May and the thought of printmakers all over the world all focusing on making art at the same time is deeply moving. During a year of disconnection, Print Day in May brought us together, united in our love of the magic that happens when ink is pressed into paper. Jurying is a subjective process, and our own experiences, aesthetics and biases inevitably shape our decision making. The prints I selected were ones that demonstrated both technical prowess and a deep engagement with the subject matter. But ultimately, they were the pieces that sparked my curiosity because of the story they told – abstractly or representationally. These were the images I went back to over and over, the prints that lingered in my imagination long after I shut the computer.” – Liz Chalfin
Raymond Arnold Choice – Rosetta Nesbitt, Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA , Blood on Burlap, Monotype, 10×12″ – Agricultural wealth in the Southeast was acquired by the blood of my ancestors. This image, “Blood On Burlap”, address my concerns for the debate on reparation to African Descendants Of Slaves.
“It was a fascinating process looking at a big range of work that had been driven by geographic, cultural and ‘urgent’ social justice issues. In particular, the realities of ongoing turmoil around the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement in the USA became all the more real but no less profound from my perspective. Printmaking has ‘word & image’ in its DNA and once again confirms that the personal becomes the political and vice versa. Nature and environmentalism was another constant theme. A small but significant process moment for me was the number of relief prints surfacing in the entries. Such a ‘warm’ contrast in their colour and expressive cutting ‘pushing back’ to some extent on the digital.” – Raymond Arnold
Yamilys Brito Jorge Choice – Emils Salmins, Riga, Latvia, Magpie Nest, Linocut, 84 x 42,5 cm – This print is from series where I focus to carve different Latvian animals and plants. As well as trying out different techniques and textures. https://linktr.ee/emils.salmins
“First congratulate to whole artists for participate in PDiM, and send acknowledges to the organizers, to Robynn Smith, for preserve the hope of Printmaking creation alive. It is a victory to decide creating in the middle of pandemic situation, polítical crisis, battles for social rights, economic depression… because these facts for me all artists are winners. I start to view the 265 prints; at the first sight, I noted the high level of the event. Then in a second visión, I looked for the relation between the procedure ir technique and the subject matter, for me It is very important the capacity of choose the best technique for the message that an artist try to share. The third element I considered was the message; the genuineness of the theme … We are like witness of the years when we live, the culture and traditions where we belong, this need to be representing in our Art. That is why I’m glad that each country submitted will be included. The fourth aspect is the technical resulting of the prints, if they are well performing. The next and last feature that I contemplate was the innovation, originality. I must say it was a very difficult job, so I’m try to do it fast. In Cuba, we said, “When something it’s challenging try you do It quickly”. I expect to be assertive enough in my choice of the winner of this event. Many thanks.” – Yamilys Brito Jorge
“Primero agradecer a todos los artistas por participar en PDIM y enviar reconocimientos a los organizadores, a Robynn Smith por mantener la esperanza de la creación gráfica viva. Es una victoria decidirse a crear en medio de esta pandemia, en medio de crisis económicas, de batallas por los derechos sociales, depresiones económicas,…por todas esas razones para mí; todos son ganadores. Comencé a revisar los 265 Grabados, en una primera ojeada, note enseguida el alto nivel de este evento. Entonces en una segunda mirada a las obras, busqué la relación entre las técnicas empleadas y la temática; para mí es muy importante la capacidad de seleccionar las mejores técnicas o procedimientos para el mensaje que el artista trata de transmitir. El tercer elemento que tuve en cuenta fue precisamente ese mensaje, la sinceridad o lo genuino del tema…somos testigos de los años que nos tocan vivir, nuestra cultura y las tradiciones a las que pertenecemos; y que necesitan estar representadas en nuestro arte. Es por eso que estoy contenta con la variedad geográfica de las inscripciones y la selección de obras. El cuarto aspecto, fue la ejecución y destreza y resultante Delos Grabados, si estaban bien realizados. El último rasgo a contemplar en mi selección fue la innovación y la originalidad. Debo decir que fue un trabajo muy difícil, así que lo hice rápido .En Cuba decimos:” cuando algo es difícil, dale prisa” espero de todo corazón ser asertiva en mi decisión del ganador de este evento. Muchas gracias.” – Yamilys Brito Jorge
Jurors’ Choice awards are sponsored by Cranfield Colours, McClains Printmaking Supplies and Speedball Art Products.
