Juan de Dios Mora pulling print.
Shortly after opening the doors of his new gallery Ivester Contemporary in the Canopy complex, Kevin Ivester shared some of his favorite Texas-based printmakers with our Instagram followers. Below is a summary of the artists he spotlighted and a sneak preview of a special event he will host during PrintAustin 2021.
Ivester Contemporary represents some exciting Texas-based artists working across a variety of media. I’m happy to introduce you to a few of our artists that incorporate printmaking into their creative practices.
Bradley Kerl, Loblolly Sunset, 2020, Edition of 20, Soft and hard-ground etching and multi-plate aquatint, 4” x 3”
Bradley Kerl is a Houston-based artist and educator. Kerl’s work often reflects the fleeting moments and meditative spaces of his own day-to-day life. Kerl enables his viewers to see the world one carefully crafted vignette at a time and to discover a heightened respect for what might otherwise seem trivial.
Rachel Livedalen, Apricot Horizon, 2020, Screenprint and acrylic airbrush on panel, 24” x 18”
Rachel Livedalen is a Fort Worth multimedia artist and printmaking educator who incorporates printmaking techniques like screen printing into her practice. Even in the elements of her work that are not traditional printmaking media, Rachel consistently references printmaking techniques by employing stencils, text, and laser cutting. Her creative practice explores representations of femininity through the lens of art history, visual culture, and commodification.
Brooke Burnside, 19.6.2020, Linocut and mixed media, 11” x 14”
Brooke Burnside was born in the Bahamas and is currently living and working in Austin. Her background in Architecture is often evident in her chalk pastel drawings and in her ceramic sculptural work, and Brooke has recently incorporated linocuts into her practice.
Burnside uses many of the prints she has produced as “tools” that she can cut up and integrate into mixed media collages. Those collages reference Black womanhood and Black femmehood by focusing on Black hair styles and textile patterns. Oftentimes, her prints are paired with a hard-edge chalk pastel linework and crossing strips of collage that function as an abstraction describing how Black people navigate systems and spaces.
Juan de Dios Mora, Mira, ta’ que Vuela con Esas Pilas (Look at that, Looks like He’s going Faster with those Batteries), 2010, Linocut, 18” x 23”
Juan de Dios Mora is an artist currently living in San Antonio and serving as Senior Lecturer at UT San Antonio. Mora’s linocuts achieve a rare combination of technical precision and narrative depth. The artist is heavily influenced by his time living in the border town of Laredo, Texas, where different cultures clash yet expressions and emotions coalesce.
Mora will collaborate with Ivester Contemporary in this year’s PrintAustin. We will host two in person demonstrations, led by this artist, for an audience of up to six people during the PrintAustin festival. Tickets sold to the demonstrations will include a complimentary freshly pulled 11×14 inch print from an edition of 20 that Juan will finish carving right in front of you!
For more information and to reserve your tickets, please email kevin@ivestercontemporary.com, or call the gallery at (737) 209-0379.
Kevin Ivester is the owner of Ivester Contemporary, an Austin-based contemporary fine art gallery committed to connecting people with leading local and regional artists and ideas. Rotating exhibitions are focused on creating a context for contemplation, deepening appreciation for the visual arts, and facilitating a dialog between the artist and their viewers.
