Pace Prints is pleased to present a series of new felt hand stamp editions by Chuck Close. The felt hand stamp prints are a completely new process for creating multiples engineered by the artist. Among the seven prints currently available are a new Self Portrait/ Felt Hand Stamp, 2012 as well as portraits of the artists Cecily Brown and Kara Walker.
In creating these prints, each color was individually stamped by hand. The stamps are hand made by the printer by gluing a hand cut small round piece of felt to wooden dowel. Each stamp can only be used to apply one color, making it necessary to use hundreds of stamps for each print. Oil paints are used instead of printing inks. The oil paint creates a textured surface and many of the colors are exactly the same as Chuck would use on his paintings. Without screen, plates or stencils to control where the color is applied charts had to be made to standardize the placement of each color.
There are three separate layers of color applied by stamp. The first is to set up all the basic color relationships and is very full, covering the whole image. The second layer adds complication clarifying the image and adding detail. The final image is the smallest of the three layers. It is used to fine tune the details and sharpen the image. After each layer of oil paint is applied it has to dry for a week before the printers can start the next layer
Chuck Close (b. 1940, Monroe, WA) is renowned for his highly inventive techniques of painting the human face, and is best known for his large-scale, photo-based portrait paintings. In 1988, Close was paralyzed following a rare spinal artery collapse; he continues to paint using a brush-holding device strapped to his wrist and forearm. His practice extends beyond painting to encompass printmaking, photography, and, most recently, tapestries based on Polaroids.
In 2000, Close was presented with the prestigious National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. Close is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, has served on the board of many arts organizations, and was recently appointed by President Obama to serve on The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
Founded in 1968, Pace Prints is a publisher of contemporary fine arts prints with three printmaking workshops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Since its founding, Pace Prints has collaborated in creating print editions with over 125 artists. Pace Prints is a member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) and the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) and is affiliated with The Pace Gallery. Gallery Hours at 32 East 57th Street are Tue-Fri, 9:30-5:30, and Sat, 10-5.