Artist Susan Cartwright, Printmaker; Monotypes of Dogs & Other Animals

Santa Cruz Artists Gallery | Santa Cruz Art Gallery

Susan Cartwright, printmaker, offers a collection of fine art monotypes of dogs and other animals, handmade in the traditional manner—the same process as was invented and employed by Italian painter and printmaker Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione in the 1640’s.

Susan rolls ink onto a smooth copper plate, and then creates an image by removing some of the ink with brushes, rags, q-tips, etc. The inked plate is then set on the press and moistened layers of Oriental paper and a base of BFK Rives printmaking paper is placed over it. The image is transferred to the paper under the pressure of the press. Because the copper plate is smooth and no etching of permanent features is done in monotyping, this process produces only one print.

In Susan’s hands, this esoteric artform of printmaking produces the charming miniatures shown here, many of dogs with very expressive faces.