Anne Belov

Anne Belov is a master print maker as well as an oil painter. Please see Anne’s page under Paintings to see her slideshow and read more about her.

Artist’s Statement

I became interested in monotype and monoprint after many years of working both in etching and painting. I was interested in the idea of combining these two very different art forms. My current body of work is the result of several years of experimentation and I am very pleased by the combination of lithographic plates with monotype. The lithograph gives the work structure and definition, while the monotype creates a loose color structure over the lithograph. Working in transparent layers, much as one does in watercolor, I can build up rich and luminous color.

A Monotype is a hybrid of painting and printmaking.  Colors are rolled or painted onto a blank plexiglass or metal plate. Paper is then placed on top of the plate and run through an etching press or rubbed from the back with a hard, smooth tool. There is no limit to the number of layers that make up the final work.  What makes it “mono” is that even though the image can be repeated, each time it will come out slightly  (or vastly) differently, so that it becomes a unique multiple. By using a master drawing as a template, I can repeat the image. I may change colors from print to print and the brushstrokes and ink manipulations are never repeated exactly.  A monoprint follows these same guidelines, but adds the element of a repeatable image, such as incorporating a lithographic plate, etching or relief plate with the free-formed colors of the monotype.

My prints are created by hand, by the artist, on a Takach 3060 etching press. A variety of inks are used, all of archival quality and light fastness. Paper is acid free and specifically designed for printmaking. Edition numbers will vary, with larger and more complex images in smaller editions. In no instance will a specific image be repeated more than 50 times. Each print is made one at a time, using a master drawing or litho plate to guide color placement. Prints have between 4 and 20 layers of successive inking.