“Responsibility rests upon recognition, and recognition is a form of agreement.”

–Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Julie Cowan’s captivating works on paper will be featured in The Saw Room January 13 – February 26. These large scale portraits confront the viewer with an ethereal, memory-like fog that beg for recognition. Join us for two Artist Receptions – Saturday, Jan. 14, 5-8pm and Saturday, Feb. 4, 5-8pm.

“Invisibility derives from a person’s place amongst others. A person is made to feel invisible by the gaze of the other who does not see them. Take a look at these portraits and see each stranger – imperfect, obscure, confounding – and agree to recognize that person. Through this recognition, we can find love.”

In these printed works, Cowan starts with a series of photographic images, manipulates them electronically and then layers the images with multiple stages of printmaking and coloring. The technique is called paper lithography, where the printing plate is made of paper, versus stone, metal or wood which are more traditional plate materials. By applying gum arabic to the paper, the ink becomes tacky. Oil-based ink is rolled on to the paper and only sticks to the image where the gum arabic has caused a chemical reaction.  All photographic images are taken by the artist and then manipulated in Photoshop. Each work is a series of four to nine individual prints or separate plates.