In 1981, Joan Mitchell (1925–1992) produced a series of prints at Kenneth Tyler’s workshop in Bedford, New York aptly titled the Bedford Series. The series includes several sub-groups, including Bedford, Sides of a River, Brush, and Flower. Bedford II is among the most richly dense and painterly prints from the series, featuring eight layers of colored ink, most of them aquamarine.
Endlessly seeking to translate her feelings into her art, Mitchell approached printmaking with the same openness to improvisation and revision with which she applied to painting. Aiming to facilitate Mitchell’s process of experimenting with color and composition, Tyler gave her sheets of Mylar on which to draw her images for the Bedford Series prints. The sheets could be layered easily to view an entire image or selections from it, and inspired Mitchell to incorporate more colors into these prints than she had used in any previous printed works. To execute the multifaceted prints, the printmakers transferred Mitchell’s drawings directly from the Mylar to lithographic plates.
Recalling the experience of working with Mitchell, Tyler once remarked, “I [had] never worked with anyone since [Josef] Albers that had such a keen knowledge of color and how colors interacted with each other.” In fact, Mitchell experienced synesthesia, wherein she associated certain people, sounds, and even words and letters with specific colors. This heightened sensitivity to color illuminates why Mitchell described her artworks as being “about a feeling that comes to me from the outside, from landscape.”
Although Mitchell had made many prints prior to 1981, Tyler Graphics was the first workshop she encountered where a full range of printmaking techniques were available to her. Tyler referred to the workshop as his “candy store,” and Mitchell embraced the broad expertise of the workshop whole-heartedly. Rather than learn the printing processes herself, she put her ideas in the hands of the printers, often asking Tyler, “which piece of candy do I get today?”
The success of Bedford II comes not only from its range of hues but also the rich density of the ink, which renders the print deceptively painterly. A true collaboration between Mitchell and Tyler, the print is clearly the product of a master painter and master printer working together to marry aesthetic vision with technical skill.
Courtesy of Susan Sheehan Gallery, New York.