HAND PRINTED BOOK

VIEW OF FULL ACCORDIAN STYLE ART BOOK: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, by Master Printer Karen Beckwith.

Surface Impressions

This is a new chapter in my life-long love of narrative art. “Surface Impressions” is an Artist Book that brings the viewer in close, and my story unfolds in that intimate space in this piece.

VIEW OF WRAP-AROUND BOOK COVER: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, by fine art printmaker Karen Beckwith.

In 2024, I was a resident artist at Texture Printmaking Studio in Tainan, Taiwan. My time there was spent exploring the culturally different and visually over-the top environment... regularly walking for miles, always observing…

VIEW OF BOOK COVER: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, by Master Printer Karen Beckwith.

I studied the spaces I passed: buildings, textures, laundry, all evidence of existence unfolding daily. My art practice during this period included capturing impressions from the walks in small collagraph prints.

FULL VIEW OF PAGES: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, by Cleveland artist Karen Beckwith.

I delved into repeating evidence on the walks and in the studio daily and realized I was fascinated by what was going on behind walls, windows and doors.

PAGE CLOSE-UP with LAUNDRY: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, presenetd in an accordian style art book, by certified Master Printer Karen Beckwith.
PAGE CLOSE-UP with BUILDINGS: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, presenetd in an accordian style art book, by professional printmaker Karen Beckwith.
PAGE CLOSE-UP with PARTS OF OBJECTS: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, presenetd in an accordian style art book, by Master Printer Karen Beckwith

The objects outside the walls became stand-ins for the people inside.

2nd FULL VIEW OF PAGES: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, by Cleveland artist Karen Beckwith.

The unseen people behind the walls, their mysteries, and my wonderings, transformed into a sequence of nuanced visual stories.

CLOSE-UP with OVERALLS and BUILDINGS: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, presenetd in an accordian style art book, by Cleveland printmaker Karen Beckwith.
PAGE CLOSE-UP with WALLS and LAUNDRY: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, presenetd in an accordian style art book, by Master Printer Karen Beckwith.

The flow of both my mental and creative meanderings, during my time in Taiwan, transformed into this introspective print narrative in an unfolding book format.

PAGE CLOSE-UP with LAUNDRY: Hand printed street scenes from Taiwan, featuring buildings, windows, doors, laundry lines, clothing and other symbolic objects, presenetd in an accordian style art book, by professional printmaker Karen Beckwith

~The richly textured buildings and clothing depicted in “Surface Impressions”, were created with TetraPak plates, a form of collagraph printmaking, while I was in Taiwan.

~The double-sided accordion book structure was created upon my return to Cleveland. Kelly Pontoni, a bookbinder and my K2 Studio partner, provided technical guidance.

COLLOGRAPH PRINTS

These prints on paper are an extension of the printmaking that was done in the process of creating my Art Book.

Old Row Homes, Earth Toned Contemporary Fine Art Print, Karen Beckwith, Taiwan.

FAR FROM HOME (Color), Collagraph, 12.5x12 inches, $300

Fine art collograph print of denim overalls with adjustable straps, front pocket, and cuffed pant legs.
Fine art collograph print of denim overalls with adjustable straps, front pocket, and cuffed pant legs.

OVER-ALL, Collagraph, 12.5x5 inches, $275

Old Row Homes, Black and White Contemporary Fine Art Print, Karen Beckwith, Taiwan.

FAR FROM HOME (B & W), Collagraph, 12.5x12 inches, $300

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