When you work in a series, there’s never a dull moment: in the beginning you work to figure out how to go about things. There are rules and formats to be established, and gradually the work becomes more specific to your concerns. It seems like once the “rules” are set and the specifics have become extremely detailed, that everything will be smooth sailing from there on. For me, it’s actually the opposite: having a firm set of rules creates a situation where I start incessantly questioning whether the grass is greener on the other side.

That’s exactly where I am right now: last night as I was printing, I started wondering whether these images would be more effective as ink drawings. I’m trying to ignore this thought so I can push forward and finish these monotypes. I remind myself that the transformation and processing of the image is one aspect of printmaking that is important.

I’m a firm believer that this questioning process is essential to developing the work, but there are times when I think this process can be more of a detriment than a benefit. I work hard to keep an awareness of my process, but there are definitely times when that needs to be turned off.