Collaboration: Lou Hicks and Marina Ancona
February 25 – March 11, 2018
Center for Contemporary Printmaking
Center for Contemporary Printmaking presents Collaboration: Lou Hicks and Marina Ancona
NORWALK, CONN. – The Center for Contemporary Printmaking presents Collaboration: Lou Hicks and Marina Ancona, on view from Sunday, February 25, 2018 through Sunday, March 11, 2018 in the Center’s Grace Ross Shanley Gallery. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will take place on Sunday, February 25, 2018 from 2:00 p.m until 4:00 p.m.
The exhibition presents the most recent series of original monotype prints and artist’s books resulting from the collaborative work of artist Lou Hicks with printer, Marina Ancona of 10 Grand Press. For many decades, Lou Hicks worked exclusively as an abstract painter of rich colors, textures, and shapes, creating illusory abstracted environments informed as much by the artist’s travels as by her immediate surroundings. The depth of colors and textures on the surface create a place to visually wander and are intended to evoke an emotional response of reflection and calm.
Just over twenty years ago, while working as a painter, Hicks made her first monotype prints with Marina Ancona of 10 Grand Press, taking the first step toward what would come to be a decades-long partnership building an extensive portfolio of monotype prints. Over that time, Hicks repeatedly returned to work with Ancona, developing a successful collaborative partnership yielding prints retaining a similar visual vocabulary to that which had been employed in her painting -- but transformed for the press.
In recent years, Hicks has transitioned exclusively to the printmaking medium working in tandem with Ancona for the entirety of her body of work. The monotype prints and related bound prints comprising the content of the artist’s books in the exhibition rely on a reduced color palette of monochromatic blues, reds, or greys, drawing the viewer in and challenging them to penetrate below the surface by finding a pathway through the layers of ink. The exhibition display includes both the monotype prints and artist’s books.
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking has planned related events in conjunction with this exhibition, beginning with an opening reception with artist, Lou Hicks and printer, Marina Ancona in attendance on Sunday, February 25, 2018 from 2:00 p.m until 4:00 p.m. in the Grace Ross Shanley Gallery. An artists’ talk by Lou Hicks and Marina Ancona will be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. in the Grace Ross Shanley Gallery.
The Grace Ross Shanley Gallery is located in the Center for Contemporary Printmaking situated in Mathews Park at 299 West Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut. It is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 9-5 p.m., and Sundays 12 – 5 p.m. Admission is free. Please consult the website for details (http://www.contemprints.org).