“Ghost Flowers” Monotype [SOLD]

World-famous painter and sculptor Fritz Scholder (1937-2005) began exploring printmaking in 1969, when he signed a contract with Albuquerque’s Tamarind Institute to create a portfolio of similarly themed lithographs.  His compositional talents and unique eye for color were well suited to printmaking.  He began exploring other methods, including monotype and serigraph printing.

Monotype printing is a method in which an image is created on a smooth, non-absorbent surface (usually a copper, zinc, glass or acrylic plate) and then transferred to a sheet of paper by pressing the two together.  Each monotype is unique—they are not produced in multiples.  Scholder’s monotypes, the majority of which were completed at Santa Fe’s Hand Graphics and Scottsdale’s Rezvani Workshop, make the most of the unique printing method.  Monotype printing offers certain advantages over lithography and serigraphy that were likely attractive to him, the most notable of which being the freedom to compose multicolored images spontaneously.  He was able to use a wider variety of colors, too, and to mix his chosen colors in ways that were impossible with other printmaking methods.

“Ghost Flowers” uses these advantages in its depiction of a simple and classic subject: a vase filled with flowers.  As is typical of his monotypes, “Ghost Flowers” uses subtle textural variations to create a great deal of depth and dimension.  The vase, made of a bold dark blue, serves as a strong focal point with its contrasting light and dark sides.  The flower petals are soft and translucent, as if they’d been created with watercolor paints.  The cream-colored surface upon which the vase sits is thick and opaque.  Even the negative space is full of life—the blue background varies in opacity, lending a sense of atmosphere to an area that a lesser artist might have ignored.  Scholder was a master of color and form, and even his more accessible works—those featuring flowers, animals, landscapes—are instantly recognizable as having been created by this gifted abstract expressionist.

“Ghost Flowers” was completed at Santa Fe’s Hand Graphics in the 1970s.  It is signed and titled by the artist, and marked with Hand Graphics’ chop mark.  It is framed beautifully and mounted with its edges exposed on a blue backing, which matches the rich blue ink used throughout the piece.

Condition: It is in very good condition with a few small creases around the outer edges of the paper.  They are barely noticeable and are not located within the impression area.

Provenance: "Ghost Flowers" Monotype is from the collection of a North Carolina resident