Cygnus
Christopher Shore (PiV ‘99)
$900.00
Engraving on cardboard
22 x 23 inches
2017
Framed
50% of proceeds benefit the Pratt in Venice Scholarship Fund.
I have always gravitated toward line in my art. Each of my works start out organically, with one line, and then another, building up a complex network. As each successive line is created, I begin to analyze the developing image and push and pull the lines until they begin to take form. Often, as these compositions emerge, I accentuate and help define them, yet allow them to remain abstract and evocative of the natural world. Everybody tends to see things differently and in my prints and I encourage this flexibility of perception and cognition; this is the relative nature of our world. Although the basis of my work is abstract, I find that my organic compositions often take the form of animals and other anthropomorphic beings. Teetering on the edge between figuration and abstraction, I find myself pushing and pulling the image until I evoke something concrete yet essentially ambiguous. My lifelong interest in mythology, religion, and spirituality continues to be an underlying inspiration in my work. Exaggerated myths, supernatural beings, and the unique interpretations of the natural world within these human stories have always fascinated me. The surrealists and their automatic drawings serve as a great influence, as does the work of William Stanley Hayter the experimental Atelier 17.
In the summer of 1999, I studied with John Ross and Clare Romano in the Pratt In Venice program. That summer began my investigation into the collagraph process and ultimately lead me to develop my cardboard engraving technique. John and Clare’s work and mentorship inspired me to develop a way of creating intaglio prints that had a bold, engraved type line but without the difficulties associated with metal engraving or etching. The inexpensiveness of cardboard and the ease with which it is cut, with a stiff blade, meant I could carve precise lines into cardboard or matte board, creating v-shaped groves which would hold a lot of ink and print extremely richly. I termed this cardboard engraving because of its similarity to the types of marks made by an engraver’s burin in copper, but at a different and more varied scale. The other intriguing aspect of the reductive cardboard engraving is the deep embossing created by the surface variation. Not only did the carved areas print richly, but the paper was embossed and this allowed the differentiated layers to stand out, almost off the paper. Many times a particular composition, such as this one, will grab me and I will explore it through multiple iterations and by printing in a variety of colors and combinations to flush out the myriad evocative possibilities locked within a single form. The ability to print multiple impressions from a single plate, to explore all of its combinations and variations, and the particular uniqueness of printmaking, continues to be my ultimate inspiration.
Christopher Shore (PiV ‘99, MFA Printmaking ‘01) is an artist printmaker who lives and works in the Greater New York area. His work has been exhibited in numerous group shows throughout tri-state area and in venues around the world including the Katonah Museum of Art (NY), the University of Richmond Museum (VA), and the Southampton Arts Center (NY). Recently, Christopher’s work has been included in the 9th Duoro Biennal Print Exhibition 2018 in Douro, Portugal. In 2002, he was selected to present his work to the New York Print Club at The National Arts Club in NY as part of their Annual Showcase. Christopher is currently the Staff Master Printer at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT, teaching workshops and working with internationally renowned artists as well as emerging and established artists. Many of these collaborations have been showcased in prestigious galleries, exhibitions and museums, often winning awards and recognition.
