MoNoprinting: The Artist Behind

“A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession.” These words of Albert Campus are true to each and every artist. They seem to have the wildest ideas expressed uniquely in their art works.

When one visits an art exhibit or gallery, one will surely appreciate the aesthetic quality of a piece of art. Artists will not only see this quality but also the thoughts and meanings behind masterpieces. And speaking for myself, when I interviewed Jeffrey Sisican, a monoprint artist, I could not relate well with his works of art. (You see that “artist” in me still needs more exposure.)

Jeffrey Sisican got his Certificate in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1994. His interest in art started when he was a child since he likes to draw, make letterings, and he even studied drafting in high school. He also enjoyed reading the Art and Culture section of the Philippine Star, which comes out every Monday. He also reads art history books, especially the one by the Art Association of the Philippines, a compilation of artists and their works. It was through this compilation that he first learned about printmaking.

Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper and its techniques can be divided into the following basic families or categories: relief painting, intaglio, planographic, and stencil. On the other hand, monoprinting is a form of printmaking that has images or lines that cannot exactly be reproduced. This is essentially a printed painting. There are many techniques of monoprinting, including collage, hand-painted additions, and a form of tracing by which thick ink is laid down on a table, paper is placed on top and is then drawn on, transferring the ink onto the paper. The beauty of this medium is also in its spontaneity and its combination of printmaking, painting, and drawing media.

This kind of printing is not yet that popular here in Cebu. Abroad, this is widely known as “affordable art.” Just recently, Jeffrey Sisican had an exhibit of his 143 monoprints at the Garage Art studio at the Sacred Heart Parish. The exhibit, his third solo exhibit, featured the products of his three years of monoprinting.

Like any other artist, Jeffrey starts his work with a theme on his mind. Most of the time, he writes the themes so he won’t forget. Then he would find a place to settle down and spontaneously and artistically his hands would start making mysterious strokes. His themes are usually about the environment, human emotions, and social issues.

Presently, Jeffrey has an entry in the printmaking contest in Taiwan. With his passion for monoprinting, Jeffrey will surely be successful.