Karen Dow: Suspended by Process

Artspace is excited to present Suspended by Process, a solo project by Connecticut-based painter/printmaker Karen Dow which transforms the gallery into a working studio.  Leading up to the exhibition, Dow will use Artspace’s floor-to-ceiling storefront windows as an experimental drafting surface.  Using a technique she discovered during a Fall 2015 residency at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Dow will draw directly onto Artspace’s floor-to-ceiling windows using a black Sharpie marker, transferring these marks to smaller plexiglass plates that she will produce as monoprints with the aid of a Griffin Press.  Her tools and working environment will remain on view before and during the length of the show, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her working process.

Dow’s experimentation with line represents a new set of challenges and questions grounded in drawing, architecture and the presence of the hand.  To this point, Dow has largely approached printmaking as a choreography between color and layers of cut semi-translucent monochromatic shapes. She will continue to work intuitively, approaching each work as a process of discovery and experimentation.  The introduction of line will destabilize the techniques she has mastered to create illusions of depth, volume, color relationships, motion, and support on a two dimensional canvas.

Visitors may watch the artist at work the last three Fridays in March from 1-4pm, (including 3/11, 3/18, 3/25); and the last three Saturdays in March from 12-3pm (including 3/12, 3/19, and 3/26).  During this time, Dow may collaborate with visitors to produce new prints for the growing installation.