BRATTLEBORO — Have you ever wondered, what exactly is a monotype? To help answer that question and others, River Gallery School will host a special printmaking event at its Main Street Studio at 36 Main Street.
During July Gallery Walk, on Friday, July 7, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., RGS teachers Helen Schmidt and Leigh Niland will teach a printmaking class that the public is invited to observe.
The students in the sample class will be five adults and two children, some with printmaking experience and some with none. A display on the walls will feature various types of prints with explanations of the processes used to make them.
Printmaking, using a press or simply rubbing pressure, offers many ways to achieve interesting effects. It rewards experimentation with unexpected results and also rewards precision with exact results.
One print invariably leads to another in the quest to create interesting images.
RGS printmaking classes occur in their new Main Street Studio, and use a large press donated by Mariette and Steven Sanders, as well as a smaller letterpress and various kinds of plates, from gelatin to end-grain wood.
This year, classes explore monotype, Chine Colle, transfers, silkscreen, Resist, and other methods, and a new SolarPlate Etching class is planned as well.