Art 103A-Blog Post 1

Written By Candace Garlock

I’m teaching a new class this semester which is basically a foundation in art class using traditional techniques; then combining that with new technologies including AI apps. Each student is required to have a public space on the web, basically a blog, in which they are reflecting on what they are learning, making their own tutorials and showcasing final products that they have created. This first blog, I am showing them a traditional printmaking technique that they will learn. This is my teaching model for them. I encourage you all to have fun with this lesson!

First you will need the following supplies: Rubber stamp material, linoleum cutter, paper, pencil, Xacto knife, a sketchbook or materials to print on, and of course, stamp pads.

Watch this video: I AM SO SORRY - please forgive me. I made the video with the air conditioning on. Oh, so I did go into this app to clean up the audio and add captions: https://web.descript.com/ You can view that video on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn1s7zAKMnU

Okay, so now I have a cool stamp. What do I want to do with it? I’m going to use at RTIA (Reno Tahoe International Art Show) and stamp cards for people who come and see my sculpture space and visit with me. I also took photos of what I stamped in my sketchbook. I decided to go and have some fun in Photoshop and Firefly. At this point, I really just playing, not thinking about composition or the principles of design.

These are the original photos:

Stamped images in C.Garlock sketchbook

Here is a screen shot video (on the mac: Shift-Command-5):

So now I have a couple of cool images. I wanted to practice writing a short description of my original stamp image in my sketchbook using the principles of design as my guideline. I did use ChatOn AI to help summarize my notes and condense into a smaller paragraph. It also checked grammar, spelling, etc.

The composition features asymmetrical balance, with a large sunburst relief stamp in the top left dominating the scene, while a smaller bird image below remains subdued. The contrast between dark brown ink and a light gray background highlights the central motifs. The bird, positioned beneath a luminous yellow halo, draws attention, while the sunburst's size and complexity make it a focal point as well. The lines of the sunburst guide the viewer's gaze to the bird, creating a visual flow. The exaggerated size of the sunburst compared to the bird suggests grandeur and a potential symbolic hierarchy.

This is the version from playing with Firefly. My written Prompt: Firefly_Create a background parched land, a barren wasteland, marked by cracked earth. Firefly image with my print added and then manipulated more in Photoshop.

One last variation - I basically went into Photoshop and turned the original image into a black and white layer, then cut out the white behind the bird. The layer beneath is an AI image created in Firefly. Prompt: Firefly a storm of misty red clouds partially hiding a super small red moon over a river of lava behind a burned out city.

Candace Garlock

As an artist, Candace Nicol Garlock uses an array of mediums in her work. The coalescence of printmaking techniques, painting, photography (and sculpture, too!) overlap and converge with color, texture and line in a collaboration of mixed, experimental beauty. With her appreciation of the interconnectedness of everything, she elevates relationships: human and environment, human and animal, human and human. She writes, “my multilayered compositions posit engaging questions to viewers regarding relationships, social identities, and societal issues surrounding the female gaze.”

Garlock's mentorship in student advancement, both artistically and professionally, as well as her engagement and participation in community events makes her a true ambassador of art. She draws inspiration from the collaboration of those around her, through the interplay with students, and continually is organizing collaborative projects. A renown printmaker whose work has been shown nationally and internationally, she has received multiple awards including the Reno Tahoe Artist Best in Sculpture/3-D Artworks in 2022, Best of Show and Best in 2D Mixed Media in 2023 and Best in 2-D Artworks in 2024, the Nevada Regents’ Creative Activity Award in 2017, the Nevada Arts Council Artist Fellowship in 2009 and an honorable mention in Printmaking Today in 2008, a review of fine art printmaking in Abruzzo, Italy. Nicol’s work can also be seen in 100 Artists of the Male Figure by E.Gibbons. Her work is included in many prestigious collections including the Kinsey Institute, Zuckerman Museum of Art, Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, Nevada Arts Council, and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

https://candacenicolgarlock.com
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