DAVID RUBIN Land Collective - Gina Michaels

Gina Michaels is a Philadelphia sculptor and printmaker working in monotypes and bronze. While the printing press and bronze foundry are traditionally used to create identical multiples, she uses these technologies in a spirit of spontaneous improvisation; no two works are alike. The monotype prints are a collaboration with the plants in her garden.

The meditative energy of the plants and their structure are the underlying matrix of the work. Leaves and stems are placed directly on the inked surface of the printing plate, initially creating stencils. The plants are removed and the plate is pressed again, printing the impression left by the leaves on the plate. Negative and positive forms alternate, building layer upon layer, as the plant material embosses the paper.