ARTIST STATEMENT
Glyphs, ancient material culture, and maps of archaeological sites inspire my most recent series of prints. The images are abstract depictions of recovered artifacts and ancient marks rendered with an earthiness that reflects their centuries-long entombment in the ground. I am intrigued by the mysteries that surround these buried cultures and how present day discoveries of their remains can only hint at the complexities of these once culturally rich and thriving societies.
I am drawn to a primitive aesthetic. I prefer the tattered, the worn, and the crude over the refined and polished and, for this reason, I make my intaglio plates out of cardboard, papers, fabrics and acrylic mediums. In this way I can produce textures in my prints that convey the notion of earthiness, decomposition and the patinas of time.
BIO
Joan Hausrath received an MFA in Printmaking from Bowling Green State University where she studied etching. For the past fifteen years Hausrath has focused on alternative and non-toxic processes including monotypes, collagraphs, and polyester plate lithography. She has participated in residencies at the Edinburgh Printmakers’ Workshop in Scotland; Studio Caminitzer in Valdottavo, Italy; and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She is a member of several print and art organizations and exhibits her prints internationally.
Hausrath is Art Professor Emeritus from Bridgewater (MA) State University.
