BAYarts hosts Deborah Pinter's monoprints

Note the use of the blue color in the lower right, as well as the instances where the plant life seems to expand beyond the border of the image in this monoprint by artist Deborah Pinter. 

After years of allegiance to a more orderly existence in art, Deborah Pinter now has an emphasis on embracing imperfections. Her gallery show, "Ornamental Containment," displays black, white and gray monoprints with hints of color. These colored tints are imparted directly from plant life, which are what the exhibition theme highlights. Items such as leaves, sticks and flowers were used on the printing press to create this body of work. 

Progressing from the use of "pretty flowers," Pinter's confidence in her progressive experimentation aided her growth. "I started to expand to plants that provided interesting shapes and detail when pressed into ink. Currently my favorite plant to work with is the Japanese Maple." 

Pinter cites the "organic imperfections" of monoprinting as inspiration. This is a style of printmaking where the result can only be created once, unlike standard printmaking that uses a specific plate or block to reproduce copies. "I find monoprints very exciting, and I love the fact that I am never quiet sure exactly what I am going to see when I lift the paper off the inked plexi." 

The artist recognizes a new approach in her most recent artwork. "Coming from a photography background where the printing process is much quicker, I appreciate the opportunity to slow down and react to what's in front of me."

This thoughtful process is beautifully displayed in the exhibition, which will be on display at BAYarts through Feb. 3. The opening reception for the show is on Friday, Jan. 12, from 7-9 p.m.