Urbanized

Urbanized is a wide ranging print project that includes multiple bodies of work.  Through the use of hand cut stencils on mylar, initially made to isolate printed areas on my woodblock prints, my application of my stencils had blossomed into several groups of prints and drawings all based on these gridded structures.  The stencils, more commonly affiliated silkscreen printing, are used to construct my complex woodcut prints as they delineate shapes and isolate carved, calligraphic marks that are then converted into symbols and units. Additionally, the stencils reflect my interest in patterns used in curtain wall architecture, which was a focal point of my preceding multi-faceted Reflections within the Grid collaboration.

My stencils, primarily used in my series Urbanized, portray urban landscape, its pace and signage.  Through intricate patterning and visual activity, they also convey the frenzy experienced by all at this time. I constantly modify my imagery, reconnecting and reinterpreting my complex forms into novel permutations that are visually, technically, and conceptually connected and related. 

Realizing that my mylar stencils serve multiple purposes, I have made grids from the stencil strips, joining multiple cutouts together and thus, testing new trajectories and possibilities. I have created subtly toned photographs, videos, and laser etchings comprised of cast layered shadows and lighted shapes, by physically twisting the flexible stencils. In pursuing another direction, I am creating brightly colored drawings, emphasizing pattern and geometric shapes by layering tracings of the gridded stencils.   I have encountered numerous options to follow as I expand upon the possibilities for my work through the use of these gridded matrices.