Jill AnnieMargaret
Rescued, 2021, Collagraph, 15 x 10 inches.
“...when I’m in the flow of working with ink, specific colors emerge to express vulnerability and other emotions that embody the human condition. In some respects, mixing ink makes the numinous tangible.”
Jill AnnieMargaret is an artist living and working in Boise, Idaho. Her approach to color is intuitive and her approach to printmaking is adventurous. Jill’s varied and unconventional work utilizes the processes of screenprint, etching, monotype and relief to create immersive experiences for the viewer.
Her work may catch a passerby by surprise when it ventures into the public sphere through happenings or performance. Jill is currently preparing to commence a long term project combining archery and printmaking.
Are there specific associations towards color in your work?
Yes. Sometimes the associations are immediate, loud and specific, referencing international hazard signage. In other work, associations include phenomena from the natural world: plants, insects, fruit, water and air.
Chartreuse can reference certain species of lichen and simultaneously evoke my late mother's favorite color. Saturated process cyan visually connects with the DNA of my family "blueprint" while transparent cyan can provide somatic calming or inner peace. Alizarin crimson suggests the visceral nature of shame.
The colors in my work attempt to capture ethereal essences and experiences of shadow, feelings of loss, absence and longing. My work becomes the reification of my internal experiences, the stories I have in my head, introspection and pain, wonder and doubt manifested through print, layers, repetition and color.
“All of the steps involved in creating something like an etching provide the time to incubate color’s potential.”
Shed, 2013, Hand-cut laser engravings on waxed washi, dimensions variable 6 x 40 inches per strand. Installation view at Projecto 'Ace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2014
Searching for Bearings, 2021, Collagraph with Chine Collé, 6 x 6.75 inches.
How does color represent or support the mind space of your work?
Color selection can ground me in my body. It can also soothe, jolt and alarm. The color in my work often is a physical manifestation and embodiment of emotion.
When I'm working on a color problem i.e. attempting to mix the perfect shade of red, my mind space is intellectual, methodical. At other times, when I'm in the flow of working with ink, specific colors emerge to express vulnerability and other emotions that embody the human condition. In some respects, mixing ink makes the numinous tangible.
How does the printmaking process itself relate to how you work with color?
The necessary separation of colors into individual layers allows for it to appear in subtle veils. Depending on the rate of transparency or opacity and the method of transfer, the right color can pop an image or shift it into a work that is more nuanced and complex. For me this can occur in any process, but I enjoy it most when I can experiment layering with intaglio, relief and chine collé.
Varying layers of colors and opacities creates infinite possibilities. In printmaking, the work extends across multiple operations. When I'm working on a plate that I'm going to etch, I'm not necessarily thinking of color as I draw into the ground. All of the steps involved in creating something like an etching provide the time to incubate color's potential.
In some respects, when I finally get to print a state proof, the color may seem spontaneous, but in reality, it has been gestating along with all of the plate prep, drawing, etching and other processes required in the making of the plate.
Prototypes for Resilience, Relief prints on Tyvek Suits/Performance in Public sphere (Venice, Italy 2017, Moscow, Idaho 2018). photo credit: Rachel Watsen.
installation view at Reflections Gallery (Moscow, Idaho).