Contemporary artist Jennifer Printz "Tracing the Mysteries l, ll and lll" is part of a series of three monoprints that blend photography, relief print with chine colle (epson ultrachrome inks on washi) on BFK Rives paper. The work is matted and framed in wood, protected with anti-static, non-glare Plexiglass glazing. The "Depth and Entirety Series" is inspired by the 1st Century epic poem "De Rerum Natura" by Lucretius. Through metaphor, the poet creates an image of the world, our world, that can be known through observations and often explained via natural phenomena. Phrases such as "nothing can be created from nothing" and "the first beginnings of things cannot be distinguished by the eye" elegantly reflect on principles of physics, including the conservation of matter and energy, and the wall of cosmic microwave background that prevents astronomers from seeing the big bang. The prints are intended to be evocative works of art that help the viewer meditate on the nature of things.
Jennifer creates the interconnection of all things within nature through a combination of photographic elements of the sky and the pattern of the wood grain. While photography is an excellent means of recording a moment in time, wood also documents the natural world. Within the sharp geometric shapes of the woodcut, the organic ebb and flow of life, often hidden from our view, impresses itself upon the page. She places these forms and images together in a very intentional way to continue one form with another or create interaction as one piece strives to connect with another. Each affects the other, and together they create a new meaning.
As much as Jennifer Printz's work is about this connection, it is also about disjuncture. Meditative practices often train us to "mind the gap," to become an observer and note the pauses between thoughts. And so the visual pause, white space, appears in her work again and again. This space invites a moment of reflection. It is also used to create a streamlined and clean beauty that strips away the unessential while leaving room for multiple meanings. Each signed piece of work measures 15” H x 22” W (Paper Size) and 20” H x 27” W (Framed Size). When displayed as shown in the first image, the dimensions are approximately 20" H x 88" W. The framed prints will be shipped directly from the artist's studio.
About the artist:
Jennifer graduated with a BFA from East Tennessee State University and then completed her Masters of Fine Art in 2001 from The University of Georgia where she studied in Cortona, Italy, as a part of her degree. Printz was the recipient of multiple university merit awards and research grants during this period. Since graduation, her creations have been exhibited widely across the US and abroad including recent exhibitions at the Spartanburg Museum of Art, Chroma Gallery, and International Biennale of Prints in Portugal. She has participated in regular residencies in the US, at the Frans Masereel Centre/Flemish Center for the Graphic Arts in Kasterlee, Belgium, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta, and La Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France.
Jennifer uses both photography and drawing as differing means to observe her world and she unifies them together to make poetic works that reflect the unseen structures of the universe. She has continued to be a highly awarded artist. In 2004 she was awarded a Puffin Foundation Grant, followed by a Dendo Fellowship in 2016, amongst many others throughout her career. Printz is also an educator who has honed her skills in a variety of classroom situations from museums to large public research universities since 2002. She has taught a wide range of two-dimensional media at the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as, public art and professional practices. Jennifer Printz is currently the MFA Program Director and an Associate Professor at Florida International University, located in Miami, Florida.
Printz' work has been included in publications as diverse as Tricycle and the Carolina Review. In 2019, her studio practice was included for in-depth articles in Peripheral ARTeries and In Her Studio. Her scholarly output includes papers given at the SGC International, College Art Association in 2009, and Southeastern College Art conferences in 2018, 2013 and 2011. In 2010, the Norton Simon Museum included her essay “Print University” in Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California. She is also an active arts leader, previously serving as President of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society from 2007-2009, the Vice President of External Affairs for SGC International in 2010-2012 and most recently on the Board of Directors for SECAC 2017-2019. In 2014 she was awarded an NCAA Emerging Arts Administrators Fellowship.
Her work is included in a large number of institutional and private collections in the US including the Ben Shahn Center Galleries at William Paterson University and Esther Allen Greer Museum of Fine Art, Rio Grande, OH and also in the permanent collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Art, Antwerp, Belgium.
The Jennifer Printz collection of artwork is part of ongoing collaboration with gallerist Ellen Hackl Fagan to showcase emerging artists.
