Nick Beason

While, & long since, growing up in the 60’s, I have always been drawn to & inspired by impactful graphic images, the emotive power of music, & the elegance/economy of poetic statement. Making a set of marks of some form, intent, & hopefully effect. Initially I immersed myself in drawing and photography (Tri-X was the film for me). A friend took me to a print gallery, ‘Zella 9’ in Fulham, London. A printing class at Winchester Art College followed soon after, and I was hooked.

The varying forms & techniques of printmaking enable and promote a whole spectrum of expression from a wisp of hair to ‘blunt instrument’. I moved first to monotypes, the most painterly form of printing, on through to photogravure for harder edged political statement, back again to monotypes, and thence serigraphs. My inspirations range through ‘newsreel’, a healthy dose of iconoclasm, a love/hate relationship with the fashion industry, a line of poetry, and (especially) an infinite awe & respect for an equally infinite set of staggeringly brilliant artists past, present and emerging. To name but a few (amongst multitudes), Jean Michel Basquiat, Francis Bacon, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, John Heartfield, Masami Teraoka, Roger Shimomura, and the Ukiyo-e artists such as Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi.

My goal, aka never ending quest, is to make a set of marks from trigger, to heart & mind, to eye, to hand, (& back again), that I find captures a feel of what I originally had intent to express, and elicits a reaction, question, counter statement, or at least a nodding smile from the viewer.

In closing, I must voice a huge vote of thanks to two amazing master printmaker/painter/teachers - Adele Seltzer in Portola Valley CA, & Taoseño, Michael Vigil. Without them I’d still be looking for the on-ramp. Also a loud shout-out to master printers Gerd Bianga, & Jason Rodriguez.

Click on the Blocks below to see his work. ↓