At the end of the Spring semester 2007 I was awarded an Undergraduate Research Grant to study Printmaking in South Africa. Part of the proposal was that I would study techniques used there and incorporate these new techniques into my existing vocabulary. In the Community Art Centers people off the street with no formal training are taught printmaking techniques as a way to give them skills in order to earn a living. Since they are very poor, they are not able to afford the expensive materials we are used to in this country. Often times their print matrix is composed from found materials. Their prints are very simple in construction and composition, but exhibit an amazingly strong presence. As a result for the Fall 2008 semester I simplified my own printmaking techniques in an attempt to get the same qualities so brilliantly achieved in the South African Art Community Centers.
This series deals with social issues, primarily global warming. The first print, which is also the simplest in technique is a salute to the the black artists who suffered through Apartheid, and is appropriately titled "Apartheid." The others in order are titled "Over Population," "Melting Polar Caps," and "Chemical Pollution."