20/20 Vision, Second Edition

The Art of Contemporary University Printmaking

Melissa Lee

It is said that you can never make a second first impression. In the first three seconds of a new encounter we are evaluating and being evaluated. Not only is visual appearance important, but we also take behavior into consideration. While that is true, I do believe that if we care enough we will go back for a second look. But that is the catch. What type of person are we? Are we the type to go and have another look?

The prints that I create are about my perception of myself, and of others, that I come into contact with. The images portray the anxiety that occurs when meeting someone for the first time. During these moments I will usually have an uneasy internal dialogue of, “Do they like me? Do I like them? Are they nice? Was I nice? Was I too nice”? and so on. The prints begin by creating a layer that is most aggressive, most anxious and by slowly covering it with less anxious layers of ink. I’m trying to challenge the viewer to see if they are the type that has enough interest to go back for that second impression.

This digital print is comprised of scans of several monoprints, and photographs of the blocks of wood that the monoprints came from. Opposed to using the conventional woodcarving tools when working on plywood I used razor blades, knives, hammers and guns to make marks on the surface. In the end I found the surprise element of the breaks in the surfaces of the paper to be very exciting. Beating a sheet of wood or glass to death allows for only so much control.