Fragments from the Ancient World

09 Thursday Feb 2017

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Ancient sites in Mexico, archetypes, inspiration, printmaking, solarplate prints, spiritual journey

As an artist, I draw from the ancient world, collecting symbols carved into stone. I’m intrigued by the simplicity of form and the repetition of shapes such as the circle and spiral in sites around the world. By visiting sacred sites, I feel a connection with those who came before me and feel the spirit of place.

Here are some mixed media prints that I created recently using images from Uxmal, Monte Alban, and Las Labradas (Mexico). My photographs of these fragments were used to create solarplates, a non-toxic form of photo-printmaking. I then hand-wiped and printed the images on rice paper, running the plate through an etching press. The images were then used in the chine colle process – pasting down the thinner paper to a heavier print paper as I printed a monotype image at the same time. (Kind of like a collage).The monotype provides the textures and subtle tones that pull the image together.

These three prints, Ancient Fragment I, II, III, are featured in an exhibition at Baupres Gallery, Mazatlan, Mexico through the end of February.

Ancient Fragment III

Ancient Fragment II

Ancient Fragment I

Fragment from Uxmal

Posted by glenrogers | Filed under ancient symbols, archetypal symbols, Art, monotype, Sacred Sites in Mexico, Uncategorized

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Inspired by Music and Letters

18 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by glenrogers in monotype, Uncategorized

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Cadenza, chine colle, Glen Rogers, Italy, Lecce, monotype prints, music as inspiration, Scrittures, Scuola International de Grafica

A passage in scripture, a piece of music –a phrase or melody held in the moment to savor.

Scritture I, monotype w chine colle over letters, 7″ x 5″

Beautiful hand-written letters I found in a flea market in Lecce, Italy, a lost artform, personal, now public for all to see. Leaving an essence of the person who wrote them – heartfelt intentions – inspired the series, “Scrittures”.

letters

Musical notes dance on the page, a visual feast for the artist – black and white ovals, dots and lines break up the space. For the aficionado, the abstract shapes coalesce into a meaningful tune. Music triggers childhood memories and others through each chapter of my life, marking the passage of time.

Cadenza I, Monotype w Chine colle over sheet music, 22″ x 17″

Chine-collé is a technique in printmaking in which an image is printed on a thinner paper and glued to the base paper at the same time. In this case, I have printed over old letters and sheet music which is bonded to the base paper, Rives BFK. These are unique, one of a kind prints. This work was begun at Scuola Internationale de Grafica, Venice, Italy during my artist in residence September 2015 and completed in my Mazatlan studio.

Friday Art Post

20 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by glenrogers in archetypal symbols, monotype, Uncategorized

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Glen Rogers, Lecce, monotype prints, Scritture, Scuola Int'l de Grafica Venice

Printed at Scuola Int’l de Grafica, Venice, Oct. 2015.
Printed over old letter found in a flea market in Lecce, Italy.: “Scritture VII”, 7″ x 5″, monotype w chine colle, 2015

Inspiration of the Artist: Energy Vortices and Spirals at Newgrange, Ireland

10 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by glenrogers in ancient sites in Europe, archetypal symbols, European Neolithic Art, Ireland, monotype, Newgrange, painting, prehistoric mounds, sacred sites, sculpture, spirals

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Entrance Stone, Newgrange

Before I visited Newgrange in Ireland, the spiral had already become a mainstay of my visual and artistic vocabulary. But seeing this symbol of renewal and regeneration inscribed into the stones by the hands of the ancients gave me a greater sense of connection with those who had come before me. The huge horizontal entrance stone covered with intertwining spirals is regarded as one of the finest achievements of European Neolithic art. Some believe the spirals represent energy vortices within the mound. Awe-inspiring and sublime, these simple swirling lines have made their way into my art again and again – from paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture.

Newgrange, is a prehistoric circular mound, built by a people in touch with the movement of the heavens. The inner chamber is naturally illuminated each dawn on the Winter Solstice. Newgrange was built more than 5,000 years ago – before the Great Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge – and is part of a complex of mounds in the Boyne River Valley.

From my book, Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place:

I was thrilled to enter the sacred passageway. It was dark, with a low ceiling, and I walked steadily and mindfully towards the small central chamber. There on a pedestal was a large granite vessel, no doubt used for ritual. Some believe that passage mounds such as Newgrange were built to mimic the birth chamber, as sacred space for giving life. It was an incredible feeling to be in this ancient place where, no doubt, extraordinary events had occurred. For me, it was a moment of profound serenity and connection.

Artwork by the author: