This fall, student artists from multiple Utah colleges submitted fine art prints to the 2019 Rocky Mountain Student Printmaking Exhibition.
The exhibition features prints made with several different techniques, including lithography, screen printing, and digital hybrid. Awards handed out on Oct. 10 featured categories such as Awards of Excellence, Awards of Merit, and Best of Show.
Salt Lake Community College alumna Carlissa Shaw won an award of merit for her print submission, “Growth is Golden.” Now a student at the University of Utah, Shaw describes the process of making her piece.
“I was going to be graduating from SLCC, which was very exciting,” Shaw says. “I was thinking about personal growth and how we can encourage ourselves through a process of personal growth.”
Shaw says she used a common practice of personal mantras to develop shadows onto the print, adding that the bee represents the symbolism in nature of personal growth.
Current Utah Valley University student Hanna Johansen won an award of excellence for her print submission, “Words.”
“This is one of my first linocut prints ever. It was carved and printed in 2018,” Johansen says.
The process to making these prints can be a lengthy and lucrative process.
“Printmaking is quite process-intensive, which is a big reason for why I love it so much,” Johansen says.
Johansen’s inspiration for her piece represents the constant talk in today’s world.
“Sadly, words can be hollow. They can sound a certain way but mean something completely different. Learning how to interpret these words is a difficult thing in our society,” she explains. “This piece also has a deeper meaning to me personally. I’ve always had issues expressing myself with words verbally. They tend to get lost along the way. The disconnect between the mouth and the rest of the head is quite real to me.”
Snow College student Kiersten Rakisits won Best of Show.
The Rocky Mountain Student Printmaking Exhibition will be open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. through Nov. 6 in the George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Gallery located at South City Campus.
