prints: gel monoprints

I’ve been making prints with gel plates, acrylic paint, and paper using image transfers of printed matter and natural materials. The one-of-a-kind originals are available to buy from the SF Center for the Book BiblioShop in April 2026. Visit in person Weds to Sun 10-5 (375 Rhode Island Street, San Francisco).

My new monoprint series, “The Lure of Sea Shells,” abstracts photos from a March 1969 National Geographic article. I used acrylic paints that remind me of cyanotype blue and deep oceans.

blue rectangular monoprint with image transfer of a nautilus shell in the center
blue rectangular monoprint with image transfer of a spotted elongated shell in the middle
blue rectangular monoprint with pinkish overlay, and two shells in the middle, one cone shaped and one heart shaped
blue rectangular monoprint with black overlay in the center revealing a small conch shaped shell in the middle, with whitish area nearby suggesting a fish
blue rectangular monoprint with abstracted shell shapes and bubbles suggesting undersea creatures
square monoprint with black and blue paint revealing image transfer of two shells

I didn’t plan it this way but Cowgirl One and Cowgirl Two seem to go with This Land, Squish, and The World… and there’s a hidden camera in here, too.

vertical rectangular monoprint, left half black/brown and right half a red and blue silhouette of a cowgirl, wearing the archetypal hat
vertical rectangular monoprint image transfer in red and black of a cowgirl smiling
horizontal rectangular monoprint with a red background and partial stars of the United States flag
horizontal rectangular monoprint red paint layered over blue as a large foot squishes large bubbles
horitzontal rectangular monoprint in red and blue with text transfer reading “the world” bannering across red bubbles
square monoprint in deep red, black and white with image transfer of an old manual camera at its center

Printmaking echoes my dynamic disability as I can't control most of what shows up, and each day offers new ways of seeing. Here are a few of my first, very abstract gel prints. All of these now belong to private collections.

Titled “Orange Scooter,” this abstract monoprint onto banana leaf paper suggests a curtain of blue-green rain obscuring a cubist orange scooter.
Titled “Sauna,” this monoprint offers clouds of white and grey steam, and a hidden figure in the orange corner. It’s abstract so many shapes may appear here.
Titled “Cats Dream,” this is a square monoprint with copper metallic, orange, and white paint. In the lower right corner, a small black shape and a a small white shape entwine like cats dreaming.
Titled “Pool,” this monoprint uses bubble wrap transfer and blue, green, and lavender colors to create the feeling of a peaceful underwater swim.
Titled “Cotton Candy,” this square monoprint with bright pinks, yellows, blues, and greens evokes something about sweet celebrations.
Titled, “Irresistible Treasures,” due to the cursive words that appear in this monoprint onto brown wrapping paper, the piece also hold flowers and shapes in yellow, red, and green.