Artist Statement

My practice of printmaking relies on the intersection with my drawing background, with new, computer-based media (computer graphics, character animation), and with some of the more recent printmaking techniques such as solarplate etching. For me, solarplates provide a means to combine elements from many different fields. With this technique I usually create the print matrix by drawing directly on transparent media. Sometimes I digitize large-scale studies and complete them by hand in the computer using a stylus. I also create digital collages using my drawings or photographs that I have taken specifically for the subject at hand. Drypoint is another form of printmaking expression that I use extensively, sometimes intermixed with monotypes. The goal always remains the capture of the fluid atmosphere beyond and within the human; the story behind the picture.

Through my prints I’m attempting to preserve the qualities of fine lines in traditional drawings, the liquid properties of watercolor media, and the chiaroscuro nature of a charcoal drawing. Having dealt with drawings, the world of prints fascinates and inspires me with the possibilities of exploring the same subject in multiple variations throughout the creation of the edition. Some of these variations are subtle (change of inks, paper), and many others more dramatic or extreme to provide an alternate perspective of the figure or its surrounding atmosphere. I often make use of a la poupee or hand coloring (watercolor washes, pastels, and pencil) to achieve my goals. For me, the right variation as I pull it from the press marks the birth of a new original.

My subject is exclusively the human figure; a look at imaginary or everyday personas, our given or chosen roles. The figures (often in the form of self-portraits) stand within a fluid environment that shapes them yet still allows them to maintain their individuality. From Not so Funny jesters to Greek angels / messengers, to icons that surpass their own symbolism in order to define and reclaim their own humanity, imagery encompasses the ridicule, the pathos, the divinity. All of these figures, and many more - quick gestures or completed entities - deriving from the ordinary world as well as the paganistic, mythological, and Byzantine fields, are the result of my attempts to create realistic (or surrealistic) psychographs of the human.

Biography

Matina Marki Tillman was born and raised in Western Greece, and currently resides in Connecticut. Her culture combined with her university background in Greek Medieval and Modern Literature and Poetry (B. A., University of Ioannina, 1989) have been the source of much of her artistic inspiration. These came together with a lifelong interest in the human figure and portraiture to inspire the largest portion of her artwork. After moving to the United States, a later exposure to college fine arts classes, independent studies, and workshops with a focus on figure drawing and printmaking helped to define a new direction of her work. Elements of illustration and cartooning employed in conjunction with training in the new computer-based media provided new artists’ tools that she uses in many of her creations. Relatively new in the printmaking field, she has exhibited her work in several local, national, and international exhibitions since 2007 including the Center for Contemporary Printmaking 6th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition, and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside 20th, 21st, and 22nd National Small Print Exhibitions.