by Courtenay Nearburg

Printmaking is an ancient art form, first introduced as a simple and advantageous way of spreading religion. Chinese artists created woodcuts to accompany Buddhist texts, or sutras, as early as 858 A.D. Since then, printmaking has evolved into a unique and accessible mode of expression, molding itself to the needs of the society or to the aesthetics of the individual artist. In Austin, one needs only to look as far as Flatbed Press for proof of this evolution. The Austin Museum of Art, in conjunction with Flatbed, offers artists and enthusiasts the fruits of a cooperative effort amongst Austin's printmakers in the form of "Fresh Ink," an exhibition celebrating works created in collaborative printmaking workshops in Austin.

Founded by Katherine Brimberry and Mark L. Smith in 1989, Flatbed Press is an etching workshop that publishes quality limited editions of original prints by both established and emerging contemporary artists. In the spirit of cooperation, which is the reason Brimberry cites for the conception of Flatbed, artists and students from around the world and locally are invited to rent the presses or collaborate with one of the master printers, either Gerald Manson (co-owner) or Brimberry, to create original works.

In 1989, Brimberry was teaching at Austin Community College when she and Smith decided it was time for Austin to have a cooperative workshop. Brimberry is a specialist in intaglio plate development, a form of printing that differs from traditional relief in that "intaglio" means "to carve away" -- the image comes from below the surface of the plate, or "matrix". Now she is the director and master printer for collaboration at Flatbed.

"There was something about drawing with a needle on copper. I responded to it -- being able to manipulate the metal. It's very sculptural," says Brimberry.

Smith owned a fine art press, but wanted to branch into editioning, the creation of multiple original works, an aspect that makes printmaking so unique. A Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin, Smith is an art writer and historian of 20th century American art and the director of the Helm Fine Arts Center of Austin. Manson was doing job printing at Third Coast Press until Brimberry called, and he joined in as co-owner and master printer for editioning.

Flatbed is like a publishing house, sponsoring artists as they create the work that will be produced and distributed by the press. "We invite artists in to create editions at Flatbed," Brimberry says, as she displays a beautiful print by local artist Melissa Miller, the product of a three-month collaboration and one of the featured works in "Fresh Ink". Many artists conceptualize the design and do the drawing, but don't know the technical aspects of printing and thus, collaborate with the Press for the editions. The Texas Fine Arts Association publishes prints, and hires Flatbed to collaborate with specific artists, like Michael Ray Charles.

"We're slowly educating people about prints in Austin," says Brimberry, adding that most of Flatbed's sales are made in New York to private collectors, or to museums. As for the individual cost of prints, well, that depends on the artist and his/her reputation as a printmaker. Because prints are made in multiples, the number of prints in an edition can affect the pricing of the individuals works. As an edition sells out, the price goes up.

"We want to see prints viewed as art, not as a special art form," explains Brimberry, since printmaking was once best known as a graphic medium for political expressionism. Some of the first political cartoons and comic strips were developed from relief prints, made from woodcuts. Since more images can be produced, the work can be sold for far less than an original painting or sculpture, making the art form accessible to the middle class. Some of the best known relief prints were created by the German Expressionists at the beginning of the 20th century.

Flatbed aims to make prints available to beginning collectors by selling works on consignment. "It's for the people. It shouldn't be so elite that it's not available," says Brimberry.

Among the talented artists whose works are available through Flatbed are Terry Allen, a local musician whose work "Rage" will be on display during the "Fresh Ink" show. Flatbed just finished three editions with Kelly Fearing, a university professor for 40 years and one of the local artists most often found working at the press. Anna Marie Pavlik is an associate member who rents the presses and Betty Ward comes in from San Antonio to work in Flatbed's fully equipped, 2,000 square foot studio, located in an adapted warehouse space in downtown Austin, right around the corner from the Electric Lounge.

Flatbed's name derives from art historian Leo Steinberg's description of Robert Rauschenberg's "flatbed picture-plane," a conception of pictorial space based on the circumnavigatory process of arranging imagery on a horizontal working surface. "Flatbed" also refers to the thick, steel press-beds of intaglio presses and suggests an open space in which an infinite variety of creative possibilities can occur. These are the counterpoints of the printmaking medium.

"Fresh Ink" opened January 18 and runs until April 13 at the Austin Museum of Art Downtown. Austin Print Workshops run concurrent with the exhibit, starting with "Artists About Art" on Thursday, January 30 with Connie Arismendi. For reservations, tours and additional information, call 512-458-8191, ext. 211.