Dinah Coakley
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Artist Statement & Process

Artist Statement


My art is mainly based on domestic objects.

I was raised in a constantly changing, crazy and creative environment with a single mother living and struggling with mental illness.

I was always intrigued by the homes and possessions of my childhood friends. The objects in their homes documented their lives and triggered memories from the past.

In my prints I am exploring the household, what we surround ourselves with and how these objects have a story.
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The Printmaking Process

Watercolor Monoprinting is a printing process that I use frequently, feeling like it adds a brilliance and glow that is only found in watercolor. My monoprints often use a repeatable matrix. I most often make my monoprint plate with sign vinyl and frosted lexan to make a low relief for watercolor to ebb and flow around. I incorporate this printing technique in the background of many of my images. I love the spontaneity and unique character it gives each print. 

Relief is a process I use to obtain many of my images, I carve away the surface of various substrates, sandblast mask, linoleum, etc., to make a plate with the image I want. I can then use this plate over and over again.

Intaglio is another way in which I incorporate my image. I mark on copper plates, that have been covered with a ground that is resistant to acid with tools and 'bite' the drawing in an acid bath.

Combing the three processes above allows me to mix a bit of the crazy, unpredictable nature of watercolor monoprinting with more traditional printmaking methods that give me control.

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