PORTRAITS

BACKGROUND, PROCESS, AND DISCOVERY

Beginning in high school, I have taken photos of my art, family, and friends. These three subject areas have represented ongoing interests and activities which has defined most of my life, giving me a reason for living each day meaningfully to the present time.

I remember how happy I felt in my late teens when I purchased a Rolleicord Twin Lens Reflex camera. It quickly became a proactive tool for taking B&W photos related to the vicissitudes of my everyday life. 

Besides taking pictures, late at nightI I developed negatives in the bathroom  when my parents were asleep. Converting negatives to photographic paper, and seeing the image slowly emerge from the whiteness of the paper is always an anticipated wonder ready to reveal itself with all of its photographic detail. This experience remains a  wonder and the magic of things that already exist.

Photography also gave me a socially acceptable identity softening my anxiety in social situations. A camera hanging over my shoulder provided something worth sharing with others when I had little or nothing to say.  
 

Fast forward to 1995, a new printmaking subject of interest came to mind: family portraits and friends. It soon became a major project for exploring personal photos taken decades ago and recent ones taken with a digital camera. I began by reverting to earlier times to convert a few family photos to digital files. Many were augmented for adding a creative dimension. Different levels of magnification turned out better than I could have imagined. It brought forth unperceived details that created  more clarity and interest.
 

Bringing ordinary people and friends into the artful portrait arena of printmaking, I thought would require large-scale bleed prints such as 40" x 30". The scale of it would draw more viewers to experience the details heightening their curiosity and experience. 

Technically producing a large-size print is challenging from the very beginning: transferring small paper-litho plates to BFK paper seamlessly, and for the handling and inking. Over the years, this unique and seldom used method of printing  has become my favorite medium for expression. Fragile plates and unpredictable disasters are ongoing concerns for maintaining high-quality prints. The paper-litho method has proved to have an inherent visual character that is radically different from traditional printing methods. It  has a kind of artfulness in portraiture that is refreshing and interesting. 

Celebrating my dear parents, family, and friends within the inviolable realm of art is my way of honoring them. 

I also trust this body of work is seen as an example of a new realm of possibilities for printmaking that is vital, and worthy beyond any traditional method of printmaking. 

John Avakian, Oct. 23, 2018 Revised Sept,26, 2022

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