Optiprismatic Travis Porter
June 1 - July 28, 2018 Opie Gallery
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center 2012 Baltimore Ave. KC MO 64108 www.leedy-voulkos.com 816-474-1919
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
Optiprismatic Travis Porter
Artist Statement A combination of the words “optimistic” and “prismatic”, "Optiprismatic" is a collection of colorful, multifaceted monoprints. My process throughout "Optiprismatic" involves layering elements of color and cropped pieces of patterns. The layering simultaneously builds secondary colors while splitting the patterns into smaller facets. The intersection of unique characteristics creates tension. The resolution creates new shapes and colors with unpredictable yet familiar features. This integration of separate, perhaps opposing, elements doesn’t mean the surrender of identity. Rather, the inclusion of it within a larger context. The hope of creating a new beginning from disparate identities is a driving force throughout this collection. Biography Travis Porter is a designer living and working in Kansas City. He studied design at The Kansas City Art Institute School of Design, earning his BFA in 2005. He established The Porterhaus in 2012 as a studio where he could combine his love of printmaking and design. Porter works in suites creating limited edition, hand- printed pieces. These collections are printed in his studio or in collaboration
with Bedrock Art Editions. This suite blends my interests in American textiles and design with the aesthetics of printmaking. The compositions layer elements to simultaneously build secondary colors and split patterns into smaller facets. I print as quickly as possible layering wet ink to create deep secondary colors that mix on the paper. In this body of work I put primary elements on a collision course to create secondary colors and shapes. Answering the question, “What happens when patterns are disrupted and identities are layered?”
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
These shapes are the primary design elements for my monoprints. They are cropped portions of larger patterns, each hand cut to retain an element of humanity. Their function in the printmaking process is to receive ink and transfer it to the paper. But, I think of them in a broader context, representing identities with characteristics defined by shape and color. I put these characteristics on a collision course to create new identities as secondary colors and varied facets.
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Various Primary Elements Dimensions Vary $100 each
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
The “Host” (left) is the first impression I create in the printing process. This impression has notably bolder, more saturated inks than its counterpart on the right. The “Ghost” print (right) is the second impression I create by re-running the same plate through the press. This impression has the same geometry as the first, but the color play is very different. The inks are less saturated. Textures from the “Host” transfer through the ink. Overprinted areas move forward. In many ways the “Ghost” print is counterintuitive, creating a unique counterpoint to the “Host” print.
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Spearhead 2018 Monoprint 34” x 24” print 38” x 28.75” framed $900
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Ecdysis 2018 Monoprint 34” x 24” print 38” x 28.75” framed $900
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Cairn 1 2017 20.5” x 13.5” print 22.75” x 17” framed Monoprint $500
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Cairn 3 2017 20.5” x 13.5” print 22.75” x 17” framed Monoprint $500
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Triolith 2017 Monoprint 30” x 45” print 32” x 48.5” framed $1,500
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Red Flash 2017 Monoprint 20” x 16” print 26” x 21” framed $750
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
I think of overprinting as a metaphor for syncretism, the combination of separate, perhaps opposing, elements into one. Overprinting separate inks forces them to blend characteristics. As a result, these layered intersections morph into an entirely new form, while still retaining recognizable features from each primary element. All of this synthesis creates energy within the design.
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Momentum I 2018 Monoprint 33” x 44” print 32.5” x 47.5” framed $1,750
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
June 1 - July 28, 30 2018
Optiprismatic | Travis Porter
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center 2012 Baltimore Ave. KC MO 64108 www.leedy-voulkos.com 816-474-1919
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center