blog - Kim Munson

Print Day in May 2014

4/30/2014

Print Day in May, the first Saturday in May, celebrates the art and community of printmakers. It’s a day to get together in studios across the world to make prints.

Graphic/Image by Beth Truso

This Saturday, May 3rd is the annual Print Day in May (PDM). Started in 2007 by Robynn Smith and the MPC Printmakers, the annual community printmaking event has spread across the world; Printmakers from all over join together in studios and via social media to print and share their work.

It's a day when the international printmaking community comes together to celebrate and share this inspiring medium with others.

Participation is open to anyone. To be included on the official PDM artist list, visit the blog or Facebook page and leave a comment stating your name and location you'll be printing from. Then send photos throughout the day to be posted and shared on the sites.

This year I'm maintaining the artist list, and will be updating the blog with photos from participants as the day progresses. Be sure to check back over the course of the following week to see all the photos that are posted of the completed works.

Will you be participating? Will you be blogging about the day? Leave me a comment below.

"Maki" Kickstarter Project

2/26/2014

For the past month I've been working with San Jose based artist Bill Gould on a Kickstarter project to fund a public piece of art in Poland. The sculpture will be a representation of a group of five giant poppies, standing 8 meters tall, and 8 meters in diameter at the base.

The project called "Maki", the polish word for poppy, will be the first of it's kind in the Czuby neighborhood, in the city of Lublin. Gould lived in Lublin for two years in the 80's, and has always wanted to create a public art piece there; He now wants to show people that privately funded public art can become a reality.

The Maki Project is unique because of the tremendous amount of community involvement in the creation of the final piece. Gould feels it essential that the community is involved, in multiple ways. He has sought out local artists, contractors, fabricators, architects, city officials, and community members to work on the project. He has partnered with Polish ceramic artist Arek Szwed, and has been offering free ceramic workshops to members of the Czuby community. In the workshops, participants create ceramic tiles that will become part of the finished piece. Over 700 handmade tiles will hang from the steel frame of the poppies petals, and be a constant source of pride for the community.

Our Kickstarter campaign ends in just a few days, at 11:30am on March 3rd. Any money that is donated abouve the funding goal will still be used to support public art in the Lublin community; It will be donated to the non-profit FR2-SP2, which Gould & Szwed co-founded last year.

I am donating a limited edition of linocut prints based on poppies. Contributors of $100 or more can choose to receive one through Kickstarter. Watch for future posts with photos and progress.

To learn more about the Maki Project, watch the video and visit our page on Kickstarter by clicking this link: http://kck.st/1a81EYA

The project was recently written up in the San Jose Mercury News. It also lists some of Gould's public art and architecture projects Silicon Valley residents may be familiar with. Read it here.

SJICA Auction

10/12/2013

I'm honored to have a piece in the annual auction at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. I have a print in the silent auction. Join the party tonight, Oct 12,6pm-10pm, see some great art and maybe go home with piece or two. Preview the works online: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjJK7EPb

Kim Munson. Chickens, 2013. Monotype. 21.5 x 14.5"; 26.5 x 19.5" framed. Retail: $600 BUY IT NOW: $675. Courtesy of the Artist

The 2013 Annual Art Exhibition and Auction events at the San Jose Institute of
Contemporary Art (ICA) provide unique opportunities for art enthusiasts and
collectors to view and purchase artwork by the rising stars and celebrated
artists whose work reflects the scope of California’s vibrant and eclectic
styles and interests. Silent and Live Auction goers can bid on a wide
range of work including paintings, photography, works on paper, sculpture,
mixed media and installation pieces. All ICA’s innovative exhibitions and
educational programming.

“The ICA’s annual auction exhibition is a ‘finger on the pulse’   presentation
of what’s going on in the contemporary visual art scene   throughout the state,”
explains ICA Executive Director, Cathy Kimball.    Among the donated works,
this year’s auction exhibition will include   exceptional works from nationally
and internationally acclaimed artists   including Fletcher Benton, Clive
McCarthy, Manuel Neri and Gustavo Ramos Rivera. The ICA is also very
excited to welcome new artists to the auction gallery for the
first time, including Los Angeles-based artists Christopher Reynolds,
Atilio Pernisco, Chris Trueman and Hilary Baker.

The 2013 Auction Exhibition runs from September 28th to October 26th.
The Silent Auction will be held on Saturday, October 12th.   This
popular and lively event features an eclectic mix of works in a variety of
mediums that will excite novice and long-time art collectors and enthusiasts
alike. The first auction lot cloes at 7pm and the last/3rd auction lot closes
at 8pm. Guests are invited to mix and mingle in the gallery until 10pm.
Admission is free. A cash bar will be provided and light cocktail fare
will be served.

For more information, to buy tickets or bidders cards, click here to visit the ICA's website.

Opening Reception - Hallowed at Studio Bongiorno

10/5/2013

HALLOWED... To Respect or Honor Greatly. Opening night Artist Salon will be held Sat Oct.
5th. Doors open at 7pm, stay until late. There will be a closing reception with a Dia Da Los Muertos
Costume Party, on Fri. Nov. 1st, doors open at 7pm.

This show will feature OVER 15 amazing local artists Emily Bones, Timothy Dilbeck, Chris Moon, Carolann Espino, Eric Shaffer, Chelsi Whiting, Johann Uribes, Bill Sutphen,, Jenifer Renzel, Kimy Martinez, Renee Berglund, Olivia & Melissa of Stagi Works, Mary Waclaw, Krista Kahl, Kim Munson, Beth Redmond, Phil Bongiorno + more!

Studio Bongiorno
500 Lincoln St.
Santa Clara, Ca. 95050
408.217.9346
phil@studiobongi.com
www.studiobongiorno.com

Hours
M-T-W: 10am-7:30pm
Th: Closed
F-Sat: 11am-8:30pm
Sun: 10am-2pm
* event nights open till 11pm.

Print Day in May 2013

5/5/2013

Kim Munson - At my studio in San Jose, CA. Monotype print.

Yesterday, was the first Saturday in May, which means it was also International Print Day in May. Printmakers worldwide printed "together" via blog and Facebook. I spent the afternoon making a monotype at my home studio, in San Jose, CA.

Visit the official Print Day in May blog to see all the print activity: http://printdayinmay.mpcprintmakers.org

"Print Day in May began in 2007 at Monterey Peninsula College (MPC), Monterey, CA. The MPC Fine Art Print Club (now the MPC Printmakers) created it to encourage printmakers everywhere to create prints on the same day . . . an all-inclusive
printmaking effort! Join the MPC Printmakers, and make some prints during Print Day in May!"

Today I continued to celebrate Print Day in May with eight other printmakers, at the San Jose ICA Print Center. Although I didn't make my own prints, I ran the press and "printed" with a wonderful group of women. The group included myself, Devi M., Beth Redmond, Michele & Lena Kelly, Linda Lee Kerr, Carolyn Gil, Crystal Hudson, and Alina Voung. These ladies got a lot done! It was a pleasure working with them. See a sampling of today's work below.

Did you print today? Leave a comment and let me know what you made. Happy Printing!

"Myths, Lies & Legends" Print Exhibition

4/30/2013

The MPC Printmakers are exhibiting at Felix Kulpa Gallery, in downtown Santa Cruz, CA, May 1-26. Opening reception is Friday, May 3rd, 6pm-9pm. The show "Myths, Lies & Legends" includes work that is in some way based on popular or cultural myths and legends, as well as personal narratives or stories. I have two pieces on the wall, and two prints in the bin. My work is based on the crow and raven, a reoccurring presence in many myths, stories, and folklore. The MPC Printmakers are a fine arts print club based out of Monterey, CA. I have been a member of the organization since 2010.

Felix Kulpa Gallery
107 Elm St.
Santa Cruz, CA
Gallery Hours: Thurs - Sun,
12-5pm.
Opening Reception: May 3, 6pm-9pm

“Myths, Lies & Legends,” an engaging exhibit of contemporary fine art
prints by the MPC Printmakers, will be at the Felix Kulpa Gallery &
Sculpture Garden, 107 Elm Street, Santa Cruz, May 1-26, 2013.

With images ranging from the abstract to the familiar, forty-five artists
explore the insights, delusions, and visions suggested by the show’s theme. Prints include etchings, woodcuts, screenprints, monotypes, monoprints, and mixed media prints.

First Friday, Make Art! @ The ICA Print Center

2/1/2013

Make Art! “20 for 20” is back, this Friday, Feb 1st at the San Jose ICA Print Center. Stop by the Print Center between 6-9pm to make monotype (one-of-a-kind) greeting cards. Make Valentines for friends & family.

Details: $20. 20 minutes. 3 cards with envelopes. All materials and instruction provided. Pay at the door. All ages, children must be supervised.

Make the ICA your first stop on First Fridays! Free docent tours of the gallery between 6pm-7pm, and Cash bar serving beer and wine from 5pm-7pm. Make art in the Print Center from 6pm-9pm. Then continue your gallery walk down First St.

The ICA Print Center is located within the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art.
560 South First Street San Jose, CA 95113
408.283.8155

Mezzotint Workshop at the ICA - Feb 2 & 3

1/11/2013

Judith Rothchild. "Le Grand Chou". 2007. Mezzotint

Interested in mezzotints? Like to draw? Consider taking this specially offered workshop at the ICA Print Center, taught by internationally renowned mezzotint artist Judith Rothchild.

Mezzotint is a method of intaglio printmaking, done without the use of acids or etchants. It is a dry point technique. A copper plate is first "rocked" with a special hand tool (a rocker) to evenly pit the entire surface. If inked and printed, these small, fine pits, create a solid print of a uniform black. After rocking, the plate is worked with a burnisher and a scraper, to remove and smooth areas of the copper so when inked and wiped, they print with lighter values than the black areas of the rocked and pitted surface. Thus, it becomes a reductive process, where the light values of the image are scraped and smoothed from the background. The design principle is similar to that of reductive charcoal drawing; Where one starts with a black background and creates an image by removing and erasing charcoal pigment.

The ICA Print Center is proud to host Rockin' Mezzotint, Judith's weekend workshop, Feb 2 & 3, 2013, 10am-5pm. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from Judith, a master of the mezzotint, before she heads back to France. The workshop is limited to 6.

For more info and to sign up click here: http://bit.ly/RFLRSq

Judith Rothchild studied drawing, painting and printmaking at the Boston
University Tanglewood Summer program, Sarah Lawrence College, Rhode Island
School of Design (BFA) and the Academie für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna. She has
made hundreds of mezzotints as well as 26 artist books with her partner Mark
Lintott under the name of Editions Verdigris. She has shown her prints in
numerous group and solo shows in London, Switzerland and France, as well as
regularly participating in artist book fairs in Paris, London, Barcelona,
Brussels, Madrid and Berkeley Ca. She regularly gives courses in mezzotint at
the Maison de la Gravure at Castelnau, near Montpellier, and has presented
internationally on the topic. She lives in the South of France.

Judith Rothchild. "Just Before Twelve". 2006. Mezzotint.

Interested in reading more about the history of mezzotint? Check out this informative site from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

First Fridays at the ICA Print Center

12/14/2012

Make Art Here! First Fridays at the ICA Print Center.

Try printmaking! "20 for 20" at the ICA Print Center. Every First Friday of the month from 6pm to 9pm. $20 at the door. Last group admitted at 9pm.

Click here for more details: http://bit.ly/Zsw9Br

The first of many 20x20 events kicked off last Friday at the SJICA Print Center. For $20, participants had the chance to try printmaking in a professional studio, with instruction and all supplies provided. They tried their hand at monotype (one-of-a-kind prints). Each person was able to make 3 unique monotype cards, just in time for the holidays. People of all ages and artistic backgrounds participated, with many being entirely new to printmaking.

The event aims to make printmaking more accessible to the community, to introduce printmaking to the public, and foster a greater understanding about this often misunderstood fine art medium. The event also strives to highlight the resources the SJICA has to offer.

Print Day in May

5/3/2012

Print Day in May is the day after tomorrow! It is an annual event that always takes place the first Saturday in May, where printmakers form around the world print "together" by making prints wherever they are, and then sharing with the International Printmaking Community on the official Print Day in May blog.

The event was started on May 5, 2007 by the MPC Printmakers and artist Robynn Smith. Every year participation grows as artists from all over the world print and share. This year, in addition to the official Print Day in May (PDM) blog site, there is now an official Print Day in May Facebook page.

I am fortunate to be part of the MPC Printmakers and helping with PDM. I will be printing with many of them and Robynn Smith this year in Monterey, CA. We are hoping to have more participants this year than ever before!

If you would like to take part, it's very easy:
1) Print something, anything! A footprint in the sand, even a fingerprint counts!
2) Share with printmakers worldwide on our blog: http://printdayinmay.mpcprintmakers.org
3) Enjoy

Every comment, photo, or just an "I intend to print", goes a long way to fostering community among Printmakers worldwide.

Happy Printing!