12th Annual Print Show highlights traditional printmaking

Artists are known for creative collaboration and cooperation — and in that spirit, the Dayton Society of Artists and the Dayton Printmakers Cooperative are presenting their 12th Annual Print Show.

The show celebrates the art of traditional printmaking and the community of printmakers who live and work in the Dayton area. Awards for the exhibition were juried by Erin Shapiro, assistant curator of the Springfield Museum of Art.

Best of Show was given to Emily Sullivan Smith of Kettering for “Two Birds with One Stone.”

“The level of detail is stunning; the intricate line work is masterfully highlighted in delicate gold leaf, creating a highly textured three-dimensional image,” Shapiro said. “While formal in composition and realistic in imagery, this work also provides a fascinating abstract quality within the birds’ depiction.”

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A simplified description of the artist’s process is the application of a gold leaf grid to bleached mulberry paper, then sealed. The wood block is printed with water-based ink.

The work “focuses on the global debate concerning the planet and the role each of our lives, choices, conveniences and privileges play,” said Sullivan Smith, an professor at the University of Dayton. “It examines the push and pull between the capacity of humans to control or shift the environment, with the potential for unintended consequences.”

First Place was awarded to Barb Weinert-McBee for “Ross County,” a wood relief.

Her work “features bold, graphic lines and solidly defined, balanced colors,” said Shapiro. Her choice of wood relief for the piece suits her subject matter perfectly; the stylized print references German expressionism and imparts a subtle sense of narrative.”

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Penny Park's monoprint, "Early Summer," took Second Place. Third Place was awarded to Annie Lee-Zimerle for her screenprint, "Swim Practice #2." She lives in Oakwood and teaches drawing and printmaking at Cedarville University.

“Park uses loose swaths of color in her piece to convey the subtleties of seasonal change. Her abstract use of color is incredibly successful,” said Shapiro. “Lee-Zimerle conveys an impressive mastery of depth perception through simple, clean lines. She presents an entire environment with the inclusion of just two figures, and also wonderfully captures the movement through space.”

Honorable Mentions/workshops: Jasmine Davis, "Inextricably Interwoven," relief print; Rosa Tweed, "Fighting Fish," lithography. Honorable Mentions/DSA membership: Kim Vito, "Trace," silkscreen, relief, thread; Jaime Pacheco, "2nd and Main, After Hours," reduction woodcut.

Tweed, of West Milton, used images of various fish to create her three-layer color lithography. Her own turquoise veiltail is featured in the upper left corner. Her work “provides aesthetic whimsy. The repetition of brightly colored forms creates a pleasing pattern, and the use of complementary colors imparts a level of visual tension,” Shapiro said.

Other exhibiting artists: Erin Holscher Almazan, Elaine Cloern, Doug Fiely, Gretchen Jacobs, Walt Murch, Heather Lea Reid, Sherraid Scott, Andrea Starkey, Doug Taylor and Micah Zavacky.

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Want to Go?

WHAT: 12th Annual Print Show Dayton Society of Artists and Dayton Printmakers Cooperative

WHERE: High Street Gallery, 48 High St., Dayton

WHEN: Through April 7

HOURS: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, 12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday

MORE INFO: 937-228-4532 | daytondsps.org

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