PORTRAITS

BACKGROUND, PROCESS, AND DISCOVERY

During high school was the beginning of  portraiture ,taking photos of my art, family, and friends. These three subject areas are representative of an ongoing interest that has defined most of my life. It completes a place inside of me as a person , and in ways I don't understand. 

I vividly remember how happy I felt in my high school teens-years 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 during the day, and at nightI Inegatives were developed in the bathroom when my parents were asleep. The conversion of negatives  that released the image to photographic paper, and seeing the positive image slowly cover  the whiteness of the paper was, always magical; to  see it reveal itself with photographic detail. 

The camera also became a socially acceptable object in the presence  of others, softening my anxiety in social situations. The camera always hung down  from the strap around my neck and the camera above my waist that was always seen  by others that often became a conversat-ional topic when I had little or nothing to say.  
 

Fast forward to 1995, during my monoprint journey a new printmaking subject entered mind: portraits of family and friends. It quickly became a major interest to go back in time and begin my visit  to personal photos taken decades ago, some taken with a digital camera. Reverting back to earlier times a few family photos were converted to digital files. Many were augmented adding detail clarity. Different levels of magnification revealed things in the photo that brought a new awareness to the moment the picture was taken. and more. I had missed the presence of the person, paying  more attention to technical concerns—lighting and perfect composition. A visit to a bygone time via the aid of the computer that reveled the truth the camera had captured. I was was happy to discover it, and sad to have missed it at the time, but had the opportunity to create two versions 40" h x  30" w of the photo containing the moment of truth, that now captures the essence of what was missed so long, long ago.

Bringing family and friends into a world of art for public viewing was a daunting thought.  Who would come to see unknown people-portraits. This would require something spectacular, eye catching. It would require large-scale bleed prints such as 40" h x 30" w and a unique style that would hopefully be  beautiful and compelling.  The scale of the portraits, and the creative expressive component would draw viewers into experiencing a different kind of portraiture, one of unsolicited facial expression, but a living truth, with new visual style for portraiture. 

Technically, producing large-scale prints are challenging from the very beginning. Transferring small paper-litho plates to BFK paper seamlessly next to one another, and the handling and inking. Over the years, this unique and seldom used method of printing has become a favorite medium of mine. Fragile plates and unpredictable disasters are always ongoing concerns for achieving high-quality prints. The paper-litho method has proved to have an inherent visual character that is radically different from the look and feel of traditional wood cuts and etchings.

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

I also trust this body of work when seen is an inspiration to young printmakers and artists. That it is a vital, exciting, expressive medium, full of creative possibilities beyond traditional methods of printmaking. 

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

SEE SLIDE SHOW BELOW