at once i loved the smell of the darkroom. in the dark with only the glow of the red light, i found it to be a place of solitude and magic.
each lith print and photogravure image begins as a film negative, made with either
35mm or medium format vintage cameras. my photographic work is quiet, feminine, and within the intimacy of working small, inviting the viewer to draw closer.
in contrast, there is energy, movement, and freedom in my charcoal abstractions,
allowing me to work quickly and intuitively.
i have recently begun experimenting with traditional printmaking techniques of
monotype and monoprint.
i love the immediacy of the monotype; inking the plate, running it through the press, transferring ink to a quality watercolor paper resulting in a one of a kind image.
monoprints employ a handmade matrix, which is inked and hand pressed
with a japanese bamboo baren onto fine japanese paper. the matrix can
be re-inked and printed numerous times, although with no two images ever alike.
Tracy Carhart earned a BA in Art History from Meredith College and a
BFA in Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her
work has been exhibited at the Visual Art Exchange, Durham Art Guild,
Litmus Gallery, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Frankie G. Weems Gallery,
the National Humanities Center, and is held in private collections in the
US and Germany.
contact: thcarhart@gmail.com