Art Event 2.

Mark Iwinski's Open Studio

I was unable to go to Mark's talk explaining his work, so when I entered his open studio at the Artist's House I had a very pure experience encountering his work, free of any preconceived notions. The studio consisted of dissected trees stumps, paper rubbings, prints, and photography. He was using trees to make prints of both the cross-cut tree stump, and the exterior bark through rubbings. I was actually most impressed with some of his photography, particularly ones in which he photographed transparencies of buildings and places that no longer exist, at the site where they once were. The result was an eerie projection of the past onto the present, simultaneously occurring.

While I was unable to speak with him while I was there to get a better understanding of his purpose for using trees for printmaking, my first impression was my concern with presentation. The prints of the cross-section of the tree stumps were visually interesting, but the rubbings of the bark was less than intriguing. I suppose he is mos concerned with the process and idea of his work than the final project, but I couldn't help but be concerned with how these works would be displayed in an exhibit. Without an explanation of the bark rubbungs, I felt they fell short and were more reminiscent of childhood art projects in comparison to what he was trying to convey.

He seemed very concerned with the paper that he was was using for prints, selecting paper made from various trees. This aspect interested me most because trees inhabited every aspect of his printmaking work, from beginning to end. The studio as a whole acted more as a gallery space, than a glimpse into his work process. His work space was limited, covered with the wood stumps, and as a result it seemed nearly impossible for him to create work in it. But nevertheless, it was beneficial to see a rarely seen perspective into an artist's process, especially an artist so different from myself.