Marybeth Heikes

Paintings in Watercolor & Mixed Media

Raspberry Iris

Raspberry Iris

Monotype

Occasionally I enjoy working on monotypes in between painting watercolor or collages. I studied and experimented with printmaking techniques in the early 90s, both monotypes and woodcuts. My inspiration is flowers and in the spring and summer I draw my garden varieties from life, saving the sketches for later. This design is one of my irises.

I begin by placing the drawing under a sheet of glass, the same size as the paper I will be printing on. The Arches 88 archival printmaking paper is taped to my table alongside the glass, so it stays in registration while printing. I use a water sprayer to dampen the paper, which accepts the acrylic pigments, and the result is a soft, painterly effect. This is what I am striving for, and this result is very different from my cut paper collages or the loosely painted watercolors. I have experimented with different printmaking papers to change the results but still give the painterly effect.

Many pigments were used to blend for the flower: titanium white, purple, blue, magenta, violet, green, orange and crimson. I paint each shape directly on the glass, flipping the damp paper over the painted shapes and rub that section — printing on the paper. It is the additive approach, painting small sections at a time; this is important because flipping a large, damp paper is awkward at best. After the painting is completely dry, I mount it on a Crescent Perfect Mount board which is archival and adds support to the printmaking paper and keeps it flat.

Posted in Stunning Still Lifes on April 18, 2024.

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Want to Buy It?

Format Size Price
Original 12″ × 17″

Frosted gold metal frame (20" x 24") with white and off-white mats

$700.00 |
Print 8″ × 10″

Actual image size is 7.06″×10″.

$30.00 |
Print 11″ × 14″

Actual image size is 9.88″×14″.

$40.00 |
Print 16″ × 20″

Actual image size is 14.12″×20″.

$55.00 |
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*Frame and mats not included unless noted. Shipping costs are for the continental U.S. Ordering help & policies.