Contemporary Art in Context: Dan Welden

Dan Welden, artist, master printmaker, educator, and author, has been making art for more than sixty years. At the forefront of the alternative health and safety-oriented printmaking movement, he originated an etching technique called Solarplate and he co-authored the definitive manual on the process with Pauline Muir titled Printmaking in the Sun (Watson-Guptill, 2001). Welden promotes creativity as an endeavor that should be reserved for museums and galleries. Standing before his work, one can easily drift off as if in a dream and become absorbed in his expressive abstractions. His art is based on observations made in nature and his five senses. Mystery and emotion are always present in his highly personal visual statements that are influenced by his travels around the world, whether it be Norwayʼs fjords, New Zealandʼs sheep tracks, or the Navajo rock fissures of Arizona. His landscapes are not intended to be read as pure geography but as connections to land, people, and his inner journey. Itʼs essential to Welden that people form their own interpretations of his work.

Emotion Over Subject Matter
Weldenʼs most recent works are one-of-a-kind, challenging the tradition of making multiple prints from a single etching. After the printmaking phase, Welden adds additional pigment with pencil and paint, creating what he refers to as a hybrid work on paper. In his words, “Itʼs sort of magical in a way because I donʼt have something in mind when Iʼm creating. My head is empty. The work starts to develop as I start making marks, and thatʼs when it comes alive for me.”

Traditional Etching and the Solarplate Alternative
Etching is an intaglio printmaking process in which a polished iron, copper, or zinc plate is covered in an acid-resistant varnish or wax called the ground. An etching needle or other tools are used to scratch the artistʼs desired imagery, exposing the metal underneath, after which acid is poured over the plate or it is dipped in acid. The acid eats into the metal only in the exposed areas, creating recesses that retain ink. The ground is removed using a solvent, and the plate is ready for printing.

Traditional forms of etching, lithography, and screen printing involve noxious chemicals and are considered hazardous and not environmentally friendly. However, the Solarplate offers an expanded range of techniques and aesthetic versatility without the toxicity of acids and solvents. A Solarplate has a light-sensitive emulsion that enables the artist to paint or draw directly onto the plate or create a film transparency through a digital file or by drawing onto a transparent film. The plate is processed by exposing the direct drawing or the film in contact with the plate to the sun or placing it in a UV exposure box. Tap water is used to develop the plate, leaving behind furrows with an exact impression of the artistʼs drawing. Once processed, the plate is ready for receiving ink and printing on paper.

About the Artist
Dan Welden lives and works in Sag Harbor, Long Island. His work has been featured in 102 solo exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide, as well as over 700 group exhibitions. As the director of Hampton Editions Ltd., he steps away from his personal work to share his talent and vision with the curious novice and to collaborate with other artists including Willem de Kooning, Eric Fischl, Kiki Smith, and Dan Flavin.

Artist Q&A
How did you discover your love of art?
DW: I can remember from my kindergarten days feeling jealous of everyone who got to paint on easels. Somehow, I was bypassed and never had the opportunity to do an easel painting. When I was ten, my fifth-grade teacher, Augusta A. Hoffman, recognized my ability and gave me the privilege to “work right off the Manila paper.” She was not my only supporter. My totally blind grandmother always told me she could see the beauty in my work. That encouragement and support elevated my confidence and self-esteem.

What led you to Solarplate printmaking?
DW: While spending post-graduate time in Munich, Germany, my professor and mentor, Kurt Lohwasser, dangled the proverbial carrot in front of me. His manner of teaching was not to spoon-feed but to challenge me with deeper thinking and have me figure out the way, the how, and the why. He placed a polymer plate in my hand and told me to figure it out. After years of working with the material, I managed to perfect and create art with it.

How long does it take to create an image that you are satisfied with?
DW: Although much of my work is printmaking, I have become less of a purist and have learned to play and mix techniques. Iʼve found it to be more rewarding to create individual images as opposed to editions. The Smith Corona (p. 26) utilizes print, drawing, photography, and painting. Even though there are multiples of the image, no two are alike. Becoming satisfied with an image has no time restraint since each work differs depending on the materials, technique, size, and intention.

What are some of the biggest influences on your work, including other artists, events, or things outside of the arts?
DW: Kurt Lohwasser was key to my aesthetic and technical development. His knowledge and enthusiasm in philosophy and spirit were above and beyond all the famous artists Iʼve worked with. Iʼve had the privilege of working with giants in the art world, such as Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Dan Flavin, Roy Nicholson, and countless others. Their spiritual presence had a subconscious positive effect on me.

Currently, I have completed experimenting with some unused fifty-year-old, decayed, oxidized, and corroded zinc plates I discovered in an abandoned artistʼs colony. Time and nature had taken a significant toll on the plates, and they were unsuitable for their original purpose. I looked at them and thought, Oh my gosh, theyʼre beautiful! I can do something with this. I took the plates, cleaned and inked them, put them on my press bed, and made impressions of them. Found in pairs, sandwiched together, they were reminiscent of Rorschach images. I added my personal touch by layering numerous colors and line work over the printed image. The theme of opposites emerged as I worked and the Greek fabulist Aesop, who wrote tales such as “The Frogs and the Ox,” “The Wolf and the Lamb,” and “The Hare and the Tortoise.” I made up titles to be opposites of each other and to correspond to the various sets of plates. The series became inspirational to me, enough to apply for a Pollock-Krasner award and receive $30,000 at the onset of the pandemic. It was perfect timing!

What are the benefits of sharing your passion for Solarplate printing with emerging artists?
DW: Each time someone uses the technique of Solarplate, I feel proud, but not for an egotistical reason. I just made it possible for everyone in the world to enjoy a new process and to share in the gift of health, safety, and the environment. I have witnessed emerging and established artists use Solarplates and win huge awards and prizes. Exhibitions and singular works, due to the process, have helped them launch their status in the art world, bringing joy to my heart.

Discussion
Introduce students to examples of abstract art in both traditional and digital media. Then share Weldenʼs Broad Spectrum (p. 25). Ask students to define what a broad spectrum is. Have them identify the main elements of art and principles of design within the work. Do any of the shapes and line work resemble a person, place, or thing? Upon reflection, do students feel the title aligns with what is being depicted, or do they think that because the work is an abstract, the title has more to do with an emotion or feeling? Based on the discussion, have them generate an alternative meaning or intent behind the piece.

Studio Experiences

Choose three distinct types of music that evoke different moods. While the music is playing, have students create an artwork using illustration software or traditional materials. Did the change in music affect their abstract rendering? Have students swap their work with a peer and try to describe the mood or meaning behind each otherʼs work.
Have students use illustration software or traditional materials to create an artwork that explores different paintbrushes, traditional or found, to apply color, line, and shape. If digitally rendered, have students print out their work. Then ask them to use materials found in nature to add scratches and marks to their work in a meaningful way.
Ask students to use illustration software or traditional materials to recreate a place special to them using that placeʼs sounds, smells, tastes, and colors. Remind students to interpret those places through their senses and how it makes them feel rather than creating an actual depiction.

Worldwide Printmaking Revolution