Sam Gilliam American, b. 1933
lithographic offset monoprint with flocking and glitter on folded Rives BFK
Experimental printmaking has been a companion practice to Sam Gilliam’s long and distinguished career. We are delighted to share two examples from a series of monoprints made at William Weege’s Jones Road press in Wisconsin in 1972. Though Sam numbered them 34/38 and 36/38, each is a unique work. They are large, ambitious works, and looking at the pair informs us of Gilliam’s process. Both prints share some printed layers, primarily the blue and red shapes, and further on in the process, new layers distinguish the pair. In contrast, residual histories or ghosts of inks remaining on the printed plates become eroded, as is the case with the yellow, oval shapes at the upper right. The green at the center of Untitled II is glitter added to the ink as it was printed. The series is listed in the Jones Road catalog.
