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Thursday, October 25, 2001
Artist captures his life in printmaking
Local student will demo technique at CMR gallery with wood and brick
By Cassandra Hinojosa
Caller-Times

Michelle Cristenson/Caller-Times

Christopher Stroop works on a woodcut called 'Bluejeans and Baseball' in the studio of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi fine arts student Christopher Stroop captures memorable moments of his life - playing college baseball, going fishing, celebrating at his bachelor party - in an unusual way.
   He doesn't take pictures with a camera, but preserves treasured moments with printmaking.
   "I just wanted to (chronologically record) events in my life," Stroop, 22, said. "Instead of writing, I create a visual image. It all tells a story for other people."
   Stroop does all his printmaking by hand, a process that takes longer than using a machine.
   He will demonstrate the technique of relief printmaking from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the CMR Art Gallery and Frame Shop, 313 Chaparral St.
   Teaching the art
   In-store demonstrations teach the public how different artists use different mediums to express themselves.

Michelle Cristenson/Caller-Times

Prints by Christopher Stroop include 'Into the Light' (top) and 'Knock the Cover Off.'

   "I wanted to show the difference between store bought prints that are made by machines and hand-pulled prints, which are very limited in number and take a lot more work," said Chris Raynor, owner of CMR Art Gallery & Frame Shop.
   The gallery has also featured demonstrations on reverse glass painting and oil painting. Raynor plans to schedule two in-house demonstrations each month.
   Stroop was introduced to the art at Flour Bluff High School and has taught printmaking in San Angelo. He's won awards in recent years and was commissioned to paint a mural of a flight crew preparing for takeoff on the Lexington Museum on the Bay in 1999.
   "Every image I have created has a lot to do with...my personal feeling toward an event that transpired - whether it was something I did or an event like the Sept. 11 tragedy," Stroop said. "If you can't capture that moment, I guess you're missing out."
   For his style of printmaking, Stroop draws and then carves a picture on material that will act as a sort of stamp for the final image on paper. He uses materials like wood, glass, metal, stone or brick to create different effects.
   Working with wood
   Carving into wood allows Stroop to express raw emotions, he said.
   "I can put it into the wood and not have to worry about it," he said. "The only way I can convey those emotions are on the plates that I'm working on at the time. It lets you display your emotions in a different manner than painting would. I can kind of chose."
   He rolls different colors of ink on the carved plate and then transfers the image to paper.

What: Printmaking Demonstration with Christopher Stroop
Where: CMR Art Gallery and Frame Shop, 313 Chaparral St.
When: Noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Cost: Free
Info: 884-3606

   Wooden plates create a more rugged look; linoleum creates a smoother effect. Oil-based ink gives a crisper image, he said.
   Printmaking dates back to prehistoric times, but many developments in new materials have been made over the years, said Mark Anderson, professor of art at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
   "It probably dates backs to the caves in France, with the idea of stenciling a hand to a cave wall," said Anderson. "It was a repeated image they could make easily and was a personal mark - evidence of someone having been there."
   The printmaking process differs from paintbrush and canvas because there are more materials and steps between the artist and the final piece. And it's a medium that can be learned without formal art training.
   "In painting for example, there is a direct relationship between the artist and the result," Anderson said. "There are ways to make images (in printmaking) that don't require highly polished drawing skills."



Contact Cassandra Hinojosa at 886-3617 or hinojosac@caller.com

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