ARTIST STATEMENT
The monotype medium, for me, is uplifting and inspiring. Because of its eclectic nature I can combine multiple techniques, and this has influenced the way I work in traditional forms of printmaking. In monotype I may work both spontaneously and in a more controlled manner on the same image. In Japanese woodblock I purposely create textures and marks on some of the blocks, overprinting patterns as I do in monotype, to add interest and depth to the images. Vitreous enamel is another art form I love. Like printmaking it involves multiple steps that can produce tight imagery. When designing and working on an enamel piece I’ll channel my monotype frame of mind to accept and incorporate some of the unexpected effects that may occur during the process.
My work tends toward the narrative, with a touch of irony. I combine elements from my sketches and photographs to create synergy that intimates but does not define meaning. My objective is for viewers to make their own inferences and associations through the content of the work and the emotions it evokes, and to gain a sense of the moment/place/energy that inspired the image.
BIO
Margot Rocklen lives in Connecticut. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Carnegie Mellon University, and an MS in Art Education from Southern Connecticut State University. She studied printmaking at CMU and Tyler School of Art in Rome, Italy. Margot has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. She is on the arts faculty of Gateway Community College in New Haven, and previously taught at Paier College of Art and the Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School.
A founding member of the Printmakers’ Network of Southern New England, Margot coordinated their recent project Visions/Revisions, an exhibit, educational video, and program of demonstrations and workshops held at at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT and the CT Historical Society in West Hartford. During the summer of 2018, she exhibited work in Expressions in Print at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, the New Haven Paint and Clay Club’s 117th Annual Juried Art Exhibit, and received an award at MGNE’s 5th National Juried Exhibition. In April 2019 she will exhibit work and conduct workshops with four printmakers at the Guangzhou Fine Arts Academy in China.
