PROOF: 28 Year of Printmaking
Continuing Lecturer, Randy Hussong contributes his archive of 1,400+ student etchings, lithographs, relief and screen prints from every printmaking class since 1994. It will be an extraordinary opportunity to view nearly three decades of etchings, lithographs, relief and screen prints. All student artists’ names can be viewed here.
PROOF proof /pro͞of/
noun
evidence establishing a fact or truth
For 28 years the proof has been in the printing.
2. PRINTING: an impression taken from film or plate or stone.
Before printing the edition, the artist pulls a proof.
PROOF 28 years of printmaking at UC Berkeley presents at least one print from each of the 1,135 students that I have taught in a printmaking class. Both Art Practice Majors and non-majors from across campus are represented in this exhibition. This is a celebration of the print program, the efforts of the students and the punctuation of my time heading the print program. I joined the faculty in 1994 and began the print archive immediately which now boasts over 2000 prints that have been donated by the students.
The prints in this exhibition are installed by print process: Relief, Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Print. Relief print matrices are, for the most part, linoleum, but there are several prints here that were cut from wood. The Intaglio prints are etched with nitric acid using zinc plates as the matrix. Intaglio processes include: drypoint, hardground, softground, step etch aquatint, sugarlift, spitbite, openbite/flatbite, deep etch, multi-plate color and viscosity printing. The bulk of the Lithography prints have been produced on limestone yet all of the larger prints have been executed from metal plates. The Screen Prints are made using a light sensitive emulsion with film positives to create the stencil from which the ink is squeegeed through.
Those who took print classes matriculated through a series of lower and upper division art classes taught by our diverse faculty and visitors. These courses on drawing, color & composition and painting equip students with solid foundations for printmaking. To view this work from printmaking classes represents the Department of Art Practice, as a whole, for nearly three decades. It is important to note that the success of each of these prints would not have been possible without the help and skill of the printmaking mechanicians. I have had the pleasure to work with five mechanicians: Brett Buckman, Mike Henry, Tim Higbee, Chinn Wang and Tamar Beja.
At the end of this school year, after 28 years working with some of the most gifted and like-minded hard-working artists, educators, staff and students, I will be retiring from the University of California Department of Art Practice. It’s been a highlight of my life as an artist and teacher to be at Cal. I wish my colleagues and students all the best in the future.
With gratitude, Agnes Martin says it all, “Fulfill your potential. That’s the way to happiness.”
Randy Hussong
While it was difficult to document every print featured in this show, we hope this collection of photos will give you a sense of the extraordinary talent of the UC Berkeley printmaking students:
Photos taken and edited by Shayne Huang and Gloria Yang. Additional photos taken by Tasneem Khan, Tim Ryu, and Jazmin Velazquez.