Stamp Of Approval

While the foundations of printmaking are thinning out in a digital age, there are those who carry the legacy forward. Beauvais Lyons is one of those artists. A professor at the University of Tennessee since 1985, Lyons finds humor in nature’s improbability. He monster-mashes animals together, producing work with scholarly titles like “American Badger Swallow” and “North American Raccoon Crow.” Those images are often layered over backgrounds that resemble watercolor creating a finished product that’s both as timelessly beautiful as it is a fascination. Lyons is one of five panelists, ripped from academia, meeting on Thursday about the topic Impressionable: Printmaking Techniques and Innovations, which will be moderated by artist and educator John Taylor. While Lyons leans toward the classics in his personal work, in his teaching role he applies a heavy emphasis on digital media, as do the rest of Thursday’s big printmaking brains: Lari Gibbons (UNT), Larry Scholder (SMU), James Sullivan (SMU) and Letitia Huckaby (textile artist). That technology shift from more traditional methods to modern ones will be addressed at the forum, which is being organized and sponsored by CADD. They’ll also dip into the question on every young artist’s mind: How does someone become established using printmaking techniques? It’s free to attend and it runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Business Council For The Arts at NorthPark Center (8687 N. Central Expressway, Suite 2131). But if you plan to go, you must RSVP to [email protected]. Only the first 100 folks can get in. As of press time, they’d hit 80.
Thu., Nov. 8, 2012