FLUX | SGCI Portland

March 30 - April 6, 2016 | Littman + White Galleries

Reception: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 | 6 - 10pm

Curated by Cass Ray

 Littman + White Galleries are pleased to present a retrospective of work by Arizona-based printmaker and Emeritus Award winner of the 2016 Southern Graphics Council International, John Risseeuw.

The Southern Graphics Council International Conference is a city-wide collection of exhibitions, demonstrations, panels and other events dedicated to advancing works and artists engaged in drawing and printmaking. Flux: The Edge of Yesterday and Tomorrow marks SGCI’s first visit to Portland, Ore.

The artist in society is always in a state of flux. Constant change inside and outside one’s delicate balance of chemistry and synapses inform, alter, block, permit, and incite the creative process. Not every artist is inspired and affected by the surrounding culture but I am. By absorbing our graphic heritage, learning as much as possible about as much as possible, and using the graphic media that give me pleasure, I have found a life in teaching and art. This retrospective selection of print work covering forty-three years of labor at the press is intended to test the theory that by viewing a body of work, one will see something larger than one sees in individual pieces. Viewers can decide on this proposition and appreciate what they will. It’s too late for me to tell you what is here.

Arizona State University Professor Emeritus John Risseeuw taught book arts, printmaking, and papermaking for 40 years. He founded the Pyracantha Press, the book art imprint of ASU, in 1982 and his own Cabbagehead Press in 1972. His prints, books, and collaborative artworks have been exhibited and collected widely. The Library of Congress purchased an archive of John’s work on paper and all books from his Cabbagehead Press. He is founding president of the College Book Art Association and has chaired the Board of Directors of Hand Papermaking magazine. He organized the 1999 conference of the Southern Graphics Council and co-organized the 2002 30th Anniversary Conference of SGC in New Orleans.

SGCI Portland: The printmaking community in Portland integrates tradition, innovation, and technology, while also promoting social awareness and sustainability. Our relationships with industry, community development, and social collaborations point to progress as we evolve with our environments and maintain relevance in the changing currents of contemporary society.

Printmakers and printmaking communities around the world are in flux. We are moving forward, adapting and responding to the changing times while honoring our rich history and foundations in printmaking.

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