September 2006: Margaret van Patten Intaglio

Margaret van Patten will be presenting a mix of intaglio prints, drawings and collages.  Her new work includes a selection of new prints employing a variety of intaglio processes, including drypoint, etching, and aquatint and mezzotint.  She will be showing several small black and white etchings from her ongoing series, "fantastical garden" , where human and flora elements become intertwined. In one such print, "Fertile Garden", a twisting, leafy plant laden with pods grows out of a human heart.  Other prints focus on using natural elements, including visceral anatomical forms, birds, and insects, expressing metaphorical ideas while retaining a somewhat narrative context.  Her show will also include a series of small mixed media collages and drawings, which were created on bird lithographs and cards.  These pieces are a collection of fragmented symbolic imagery relating to themes of memory, personal identification, and history. Margaret van Patten is a member of Inkling Studio, a Portland cooperative print studio.