Monoprint Reflection landscapes with Gregory Kondos

DISCUSSION:

Landscapes from a new perspective

Artist and the artwork: Sacramento River, 1981 Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

Washes

graded washes

centered horizon lines

reflective water

monochromatic

value

Mono prints

Artist: Gregory Kondos

1923-

Painter Gregory Kondos executes thickly painted landscapes known for their buttery spread of bright, warm color. Even the cool tones of the color blue in a Kondos painting are heated, evoking sun-warmed expanses of summer sky and waters. Perhaps this is because of the intense light that drenches the Sacramento and Napa Valleys that he likes to depict. Heat also plays a role, causing the regional landscape to shimmer in a veil of heavy air that mutes the intensity of color and broadly flattens detail. This, of course, is common in Sacramento, home to the artist, where he has painted and taught for half a century. 

In his use of high-keyed color and broad paint handling Kondos shows an affinity to artists such as Wayne Thiebaud, with whom he shares an abiding friendship, Roland Petersen, and Bay Area artist Raimonds Staprans. Unique to Kondos, however, is his verity to subject. Arguably, Petersen and Staprans overtly generalize the landscape, while Thiebaud’s landscape forays are about pattern and its role in establishing illusion. Kondos’s compositions are balanced in order to express not only the tranquility of the scene, but also the pleasure of solitary communion with nature. The artist offers, “If you look at my work, you will find qualities of quietness and cleanliness, but, above all, you’ll find that I’m a loner.” 

PROJECT: 

create a reflective landscape using the mono print method

Step1: Fold your paper in half horizontally

Step2: Using liquid watercolor Paint a tree trunk

Step3: fold your paper to print the tree trunk

Step4: continue painting and printing tree trunks until you have 3-7 trees

Step5: add a tree top on one of your trunks, fold and print your tree tops

Step6: continue until all of your trees have tops

Step7: add land under your trees, grass or hills, etc. and fold your paper to print them 

Step8: add your sky behind the trees, remember to print them before they dry you might print several times during teh painting process

Last: using wet brush with clear water pull the reflection slightly to give it a more real reflective quality

MATERIALS: 

watercolor paper

watercolors