20/20 Vision

The Art of Contemporary University Printmaking

Micah Craven

I have begun to see my artwork as a collection of abstract, exaggerated, and somewhat biographical elements which are fashioned in a narrative manner. While creating a piece, I call on past events and personal perspectives on life and self for inspiration. In developing these images, I search for an inkling of relevance, no matter how obscure, and commence to grossly exaggerate and monumentalize the idea. I am constantly distilling and analyzing my various personality traits as well as attempting to discover my reasoning for incorporating abstraction, chaos, and spatial ambiguity in my compositions. Each medium of printmaking evokes a different reaction. For instance, my monotypes tend to be more frantic and riddled with indiscernible areas while my etchings are much more defined and solemn in tone. In this particular print – a three-plate copper etching entitled “Migratory Baggage” – the figure undergoes an environmental shift characterized by an expulsion of emotional and physical weight as he acclimates to a new and unfamiliar environment.