Oregon artist Jenene Nagy completed her two-week printmaking residency at Crow’s Shadow on December 16. Through her collaboration with Master Printer Frank Janzen, Jenene finished approvals to print for three lithographic editions, including two horizontal diptychs and one vertical triptych.
Best known for her large-scale, site-specific installations—with their use of strong, hyper natural colors and close attention to the surrounding landscape and architectural space—Jenene said she was initially unsure how to employ printmaking in a way that would reflect the same ideas of her other work.
“Working in a litho shop has been unlike any experience I’ve ever had before, because my studio practice involves me kind of getting messy, and getting my hands dirty, and experimenting with materials, and not knowing what the outcome is going to be,” Jenene said. “Whereas with printmaking I feel there’s so much planning involved, and there also needs to be this clear articulation in terms of what you want to have happen.”
Jenene said she drew inspiration from her current studio work involving large-scale graphite drawings that change in appearance based on light and perspective due to the direction the graphite is applied to the paper.
“So I kind of riffed off that in terms of black on black, but also the way that light plays a role in viewing the work,” Jenene said. “The shifts are really subtle, but they’re there, so there is reward in the looking.”
For her vertical triptych—which uses shades of white, blue and silver—Jenene said she was particularly influenced by the effects of freezing frost on the Eastern Oregon landscape seen during her drives between Pendleton and Portland.
“The fog here is not like the fog I’ve seen elsewhere, because it’s still divided,” Jenene said. “You can still see the fields. And you can still see the road. And you can still see everything, except that there are all kinds of these different whites that are happening.”
Jenene presented on her artwork and curatorial practice during the December 15 open house and reception.
We will post images from the three editions for sale as soon as the works are printed over the coming weeks.