Kristen Martincic

pool study: tile pool bed [full], graphite, woodgrain print on gampishi, collaged on 140lb French, 6.5x 4.25", 2019

“I’m really interested in the power of color to make associations & evoke particular states of being.”

Kristen Martincic is an artist living and working in Columbia, Missouri (USA). Her approach to color is to evoke a sensory experience, and her approach to printmaking is mindful. Kristen’s subtle, meditative and luminous prints are created with relief, woodcut, monotype and collagraph processes. She also manipulates printed paper through sewing, stuffing & collaging, creating mixed media works that are a hybrid of print, drawing, painting and sculpture.

Currently Kristen is enjoying working with Stanislaus State University’s Printmaking Program, where she is using their laser engraver & printing an edition in collaboration with the department.

How does color represent or support the mind space of your work? 

Blue is the predominant hue associated with pools & water. I’m really interested in the power of color to make associations & evoke particular states of being. My work taps into that sensory experience and the character of blues to calm, refresh, invite.  

For me, the pool as a form represents a space to sit & think; it is a sanctuary. I make my work to meditate on water’s translucency and the act of swimming. My images & objects invite the viewer into that same space, to be still & contemplative. I like that each viewer brings their own relationship, experience & history with water to my work. 

long ladder deep end, relief, monotype, acrylic on mitsumata tissue on panel, 22x16x1.75”, 2013

pregnant pool suit, relief & trace monotype, stitching on kobayashi kadoide, 25.5x17x3/8", 2019

single lane lap pool belt suit, woodgrain relief & trace monotype on matsuo kozo, stitching, 26.5x15x3/8", 2019

What can printmaking ink achieve regarding color in your work that no other material can? 

For me, the magic really happens in the union between the printmaking inks & the paper I use. This nuanced transfer of ink to paper is essential to create the subtle & vibrant colors of water in my work.

I use a high proportion of transparency base when mixing – over 90% to a color ink. I build up my blues through multiple layers of highly transparent blues & greens. I use brayers & rollers to transfer a very thin layer of this ink on to the matrix – woodcut, woodgrain, Plexiglas. I often use blend rolls to create subtle or dramatic gradients to achieve the feel of water and illustrate light & depth. 

I print on thin Japanese papers and am particularly drawn to translucent washi, such as a tissue weight gampi or inshu mitsumata tissue. These papers are incredibly receptive to printing with oil-based inks. Gampi fibers have an inherent sheen which is enhanced when printed with flats of transparent ink. This makes the gampi tissue all but disappear. What is left is just color, like a colored gel or film. A color that’s luminous & just as responsive to white or colored grounds. 

Are there specific associations towards color in your work? 

It’s all about color. Without color, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. I use blue most often in my work to talk about water as a space, a feeling, a container, as well as a color in & of itself.

I make use of analogous blues, to create works about being in & around water. I love that the transparency, opacity, and subtle shifts in value & hue of my blues can reference how water shifts depending on its depth, the angle of the light, time of day, and the water’s structural surroundings. 

tile pool 3, woodgrain relief prints on gampishi collaged on inshu mitsumata, 36x36", 2018

h2o tile life jacket, relief on sekishu, stitching, fiberfil, 22x15x4”, 2015

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