AUGUST 12 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 7-10 PM
Campfire Gallery is pleased to present MOONLIGHT MILE, an exhibition of new works on paper by San Francisco artists Annie Axtell, Rika Laser and Francisco R. Lopez. Sharing a common background and passion for the art of printmaking, each artist brings a unique style and contemporary voice to a variety of mediums and traditional print processes including copper plate etching, silkscreen, Gouache, pen and ink. Laser and Lopez are recent graduates from the San Francisco Art Institute printmaking program and Axtell received her BFA in print work from Concordia University, Montreal and is a working member of Lady Bones Print Collective.
Annie Axtell, “Arc” 2015, water based screen printing ink on Stonehenge rag paper, 19 3/8 x 27 1/4 inches
ANNIE AXTELL
The selected prints are part of an ongoing body of work created using a technique of call and response – allowing imagery, composition and palate to develop intuitively. For me they represent a return to printmaking with a focus on my relationship with shape and color. Breaking away from constraints of past work ethics the shapes form a personal visual vocabulary and exist freely in any combination. During this process I spontaneously made an enzō, a Zen Buddhist symbol. The formation of this symbol has led me to consider the instinctual basis of mark making and further propelled a personal exploration of the psychology of design. The enzo is a circle created by a single brush stroke, an expression of the moment in which the mind is free to let the body create. This idea embodies the spirit behind the prints and my current creative process.
Rika Laser “Live Baits” 2015, Gouache, pen and ink on paper, 10×14 inches
RIKA LASER
My work addresses cultural facets as metaphors for physical and emotional places encompassed by the human condition. Themes explored include Americana, historical ephemera, cultural traditions, identity, symbols, and folk tales. I embrace an alliance of image and text, and aim to layer characters and fragmented information that collectively call forth metaphysical experiences. I am interested in time departed, reminisced, and resurfaced within a visual mapping of American iconography.
Francisco R. Lopez, “Serpiente” 2015, hand-colored copper plate etching, 17×25 inches
FRANCISCO R. LOPEZ
“En La Tradición” series
My work is inspired by American Traditional Tattoos and West Coast life. I render my love for this culture through printmaking, particularly with the copper plate etching process. The physicality of the print that is embossed on to the paper through the plate allows you to feel the lines, much like ink in skin. It holds every mark, every mistake, and every success. Each print is a moment in time that contains a history of its own.
