Tag Archives: San Miguel de Allende

‘Her Story’ – A return to the figure with new paintings and prints

05 Friday Apr 2019

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Glen Rogers – New Works – Opening at Galeria Espiral, Fabrica Aurora, San Miguel de Allende Saturday April 6, 5-7pm and for the month of April

With these new paintings and prints, I honor women and the sacred feminine . With each new life passage, she has a desire to be heard and respected.  Women share an inherent strength to face challenges in the present, demons from the past, and uncertain futures. In Her Story and Black Madonna, mothers, sisters, and daughters display the power of the feminine. While they radiate independence, they also acknowledge the arbitrary barriers and obstacles that women often encounter. These women stand at the threshold of their lives and hold a shared wisdom as divine creators.

“HerStory – Facing the Past”, oil on panel, 24″ x 20″, 2018

The return to the figure began in September when I went to Morocco for an artist residency. I planned on pursuing symbols inspired by Moorish design but something shifted, as often happens when I travel and create in a new locale. To my surprise, the figure reappeared – this time in the form of Islamic women in their head dresses and jallabas – with a series of prints, Anonymous in Morocco. (Read my blog on Morocco here: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/artandsacredsites.com/1626). This new direction was not a conscious choice – yet these figures showed themselves and transformed my imagery to figurative after more than 25 years of working symbolically.

Her Story I, Monoprint, 22 x 14″, 2019

Black Madonna, monoprint, 7″ x 5″, 2019

Contact me for prices or more information: glen@glenrogersart.com

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Monotype Printing – A Passion for Ink on Paper

13 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by in Art Vacations, Monotype Print Workshops

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ink palette

Monotype printing (or monoprint) is characterized by playfulness, spontaneity, and a sense of discovery that draws you into the creative process. It’s been a go-to method for the likes of Matisse, Picasso, Klee & Diebenkorn – each pursuing techniques that would suit his own style. No matter who the artist, there is that ‘Ta-Dah’ moment – the magic that happens when you run your plate and paper through the press and reveal the fresh print.

Monotype is a printmaking process used to create one-of-a-kind images with ink on paper. Often referred to as the “painterly print,” a monotype is a painted plate versus an etching or lithograph whose image is chemically etched or scratched into the surface. There is a simplicity that attracts the artist, yet the final piece can be quite complex. It is an accessible medium for beginners but challenging and rewarding for a professional artist.

Pam at the press cropped

Monotype Print Workshop in Lima, Peru

In my workshops, I introduce a variety of techniques – additive, subtractive, collage, photo transfer, stencil, etc. – then allow everyone to experiment and follow their creative path. The artist applies ink to an acrylic plate with brushes, brayers, and textural elements, then the adding and subtracting of the ink begins. Once your image is ready to print, damp paper is placed over the plate and both are run thru the etching press, transferring image to paper.  This is not a class where everyone’s work looks the same, and I am always pleasantly surprised by the amazing variety of works produced.

Celeste printing

Monotype Printing in my San Miguel de Allende studio

You can create a finished print with one run thru the press – or you can add multiple layers of ink, building up additional color and information. Although I encourage students to come with an idea to start, the best result comes with the willingness to allow the image to evolve. The work can range from abstract to figurative, and from very colorful to a rich black and white. For artists, like painters or sculptors, whose work is time intensive, creating monotypes offers instant gratification and some beautiful work to add to their portfolio.

Marianne & Lorraine

Artists working in my Mazatlan, MX studio

I have always loved the printmaking studio ­– a communal space where artists create and share. And ever since my first introduction in college, I have had a passion for ink and paper. After I moved from California to Mexico, I began teaching workshops in my Mazatlán studio, then offered Art Vacation/Print Workshops in Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and Lima, Peru.  I now teach workshops out of my studio in San Miguel de Allende and offer Monday night print sessions to those with previous experience as a way to continue using the press.

glen w blue print

Glen at the press

For more information on workshops and to see my monotype prints: www.glenrogersart.com

 

 

 

 

“A Room of One’s Own”

24 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Artist studios, Uncategorized

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The famous line by Virginia Woolf, “A Room of One’s Own”, has always struck a chord with me. The quote comes from a series of essays she wrote in 1928 about carving out a space for oneself – both literal and figurative. It was later adopted as a feminist statement in the 60’s and 70’s.  I translated this ‘room’ as a creative space, a refuge – a studio for the artist. As a young woman coming of age in the 70’s, it was important for me to have just that.

I claimed my first studio while still an undergraduate student at University of Florida. This was a shared space with some photographers, a rather bohemian situation. And even though money was hard to come by, living in student poverty as I was, somehow I found a way.  I needed this creative space away from academia, boyfriends, and other distractions. I was in the process of defining myself as an artist and making that declaration to the world. To have a studio, ‘a room of one’s own’, was a commitment.

When I moved to California in 1979, I got a job right away as a graphic artist fulfilling my financial obligations.  But needing to feed my artist side as well, I answered an ad in Artweek magazine for a studio partner in a printmaking studio in San Jose. Betty and I had a successful partnership sharing a studio for almost 20 years. We moved studio and presses twice – from a converted 2 car garage in Campbell to the Citadel, an old cannery warehouse on 10th and Taylor, and later to the “new” Citadel on 5th and Martha. Having a studio helped define me as a serious artist in the community.

I later moved to Oakland and developed a studio there as well – but not for long, as my heart was pulled in another direction – Mexico.  In 1999, I bought a small house in Mazatlán’s Centro Historico (for $27,000usd!) and soon after, built a studio on the 2nd floor. This was going to be my ‘studio abroad’ – my dream, my pie in the sky.   I had envisioned South of France or Italy, but after one visit to Mazatlán, I was hooked.  This beautiful city on the Sea of Cortez had just what I was looking for and was to be my haven away from the maddening crowds (and traffic!) of the San Francisco Bay Area.  It didn’t take long, less than 2 years, to move there full time and create my dream life.

Fast forward to 2018.  I am in San Miguel de Allende and just built a 3rd floor studio with plenty of natural light, space for painting, printmaking and workshops. Here, I am in a city known for its arts community and gallery scene – and an opportunity to introduce my work to a new market.  Call it the 17year itch – I was definitely ready for a change.

I have always considered an artist’s studio as sacred space – a place to grow, create, and thrive as an artist.

Glen at the Old Citadel

Glen at the Citadel in San Jose, CA, 1980’s

Glen doing a monotype

My 2nd studio in Mazatlan, 2007(?)

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My new studio in San Miguel de Allende