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Included in the first artworks I bought
from San Francisco artist Raymond
Neher were two monoprints in his fanciful "Cadatonia" series. Raymond
was principally a painter, but in his early career he also devoted
considerable time in parallel to his painting perfecting the art of creating
works on paper using the monoprint technique. He worked with a group of San
Francisco artists who trained together, initially to learn the art form, but
who subsequently re-enrolled with the school on several occasions as a group
simply to be able to use the print-making facilities!
In making the monoprints which are
available at ArikiArt, Raymond Neher began with flat metal plates on
which he etched the outline of the images he was going to print. For each
print he was going to make he typically used several plates: each plate
would compose a different part of the image and each individual plate would
be used to print similar colors. By the time each of the successive
pressings were finished, the image would be complete. Obviously it was a
long and involved process, starting with preparing the plates, and then
completing a sequence of pressings for each of the separate plates he used
to compose the final print. Obviously, each pressing needed to dry properly
before the next one could take place. In addition to the time involved, any
one press could be flawed in one way or another, requiring him to abandon a
particular print he was working on altogether.
Each individual monoprint within the
series would be printed in this manner, taking considerable time and effort,
and resulting in slight color variations between the individual prints
themselves. Even the amount of pressure applied varied since the press
itself was manual and involved the artist in turning a wheel to apply
pressure. Since the press had no calibration meter or guide, applying the
correct amount of pressure was a matter of judgment, and achieving a
consistent and satisfactory outcome was dependent on the skill and artistry
that Raymond Neher built up over time.
The apparent simplicity of these works
on paper is obviously very misleading, and they are often undervalued simply
because it is not appreciated just how much effort and skill goes into
creating the prints.
Raymond Neher also embossed the paper on
which he made his monoprints, adding another delightful dimension to his
artwork.
Special
offer for Ariki Art Newsletter List Members
 There
are very limited quantities of Raymond Neher’s monoprints remaining.
We are offering them to ArikiArt Newsletter list members at a discounted
price of $225 plus shipping and packaging instead of the usual $350. To
qualify, list members must contact us with their order by replying to this
newsletter email using the email account we have on record. The
monoprints will be made available on a first come, first served basis until
all prints are sold. When reviewing the prints, don't miss reading the text
that is associated with each of the prints in the "Cadatonia" series.
Cadatonia was an imaginary land that Raymond Neher conjured up, and the
series of prints tells the story of the fascinating flora and fauna of
Cadatonia.
Go here to view
Raymond Neher’s monoprints.
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