“Chimere Incerte,” an exhibit by artist Johnny Plastini, begins its run at the Tointon Gallery with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 6 at 651 10th Ave. Enjoy light refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artist while examining the variety of printmaking techniques used to examine the complex relationships between humans and nature.
The exhibit runs May 6-June 11 and is free and open to the public during normal Greeley Recreation Center business hours and Union Colony Civic Center performances for ticket-holding patrons. The Greeley Recreation Center recently added Sunday facility hours and extended normal hours.
A Lesson in Italian
"Chimere Incerte,” (KI-mera in-CHAIR-tay) is Italian for “uncertain chimeras.” In this exhibition, the artist explores mankind’s past, present, and future relationships to nature through the lens of symbiotic lichen cultures, organisms you often see on rocks or trees, examining our place within these delicate and complex relationships.
A Lesson in Printmaking
To produce these works, Plastini, a printmaking instructor at Colorado State University, employs several techniques, including book-forms, RISOgraphs, cyanotypes, and laser-etched intaglio engravings.
Intaglio, an Italian word meaning “to bite,” is a 600-year-old printmaking process. Traditionally, artists used an acid bath to achieve the “bite” or engraving, but modern techniques employ a laser.
The Cyanotype process is a photochemical reaction causing areas of the paper, treated with a sensitized emulsion, to react and chemically change to a bright blue or cyan when exposed to light. Early use of the technique by architects originated the term “blueprints.”
The RISOgraph, the printmaking technique most people are familiar with, uses vivid colors to produce a digital print.
The Tointon Gallery features up to 12 different exhibits annually. As the only city-run gallery in Greeley, the facility provides visitors with opportunities to experience the visual arts and enjoy educational and thought-provoking discussions. By contributing to the city’s thriving arts community, the Tointon Gallery enhances the community and the quality of life of its residents. To learn more about Greeley’s public gallery, visit greeleyart.com or contact Stan Scott at stan.scott@greeleygov.com.
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