Special Projects
Deep Dive Art Projects works directly with artists and galleries to develop print-based fine art. Bellamy Printz can assist in developing individual prints or larger scope printmaking ventures based on the artist’s proficiency and facility capacity. Experienced printmaking artists are encouraged to rent the studio to print and experiment with their own projects.
Michelle Grabner
Michelle Grabner conceived and printed two prints with Deep Dive Art Editions in conjunction with her exhibition of paintings at Abattoir Gallery. The pair of soft-ground etchings were created from a matrix of burlap fabric and explore the density and characteristics of this humble utilitarian fabric which also factored into the creation of Grabner’s paintings rendered in monochrome whites, grey and almond.
In describing the context for her recent paintings, Grabner invokes the tale of Penelope waiting for Odysseus’ return. She marks time passing while weaving at her loom, only to unravel the day’s work each night. So Grabner picks apart the warp or weft of a selected fabric for the paintings, which are based on the de-weaving of a primary textile-- either soft thermal hospital blankets or burlap. When overlaid on the prepared linen surface, these deconstructed textiles establish a guided imprint for the painter’s work. In this work, the artist forces attention upon the specificities of the surface, the hand and the quiet presence of women’s making, so central to her artistic identity.
Grabner is a Wisconsin-based artist, writer, and curator. Her practice incorporates different types of media including drawing, painting, and sculpture. Grabner co-curated the 2014 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and served as the inaugural artistic director of FRONT International, a triennial exhibition in Cleveland. Her work is included in the permanent collection of museums around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Dallas Museum of Art, Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She served for eight years as Senior Chair of the Department of Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is the founder and co-director of two non-profit art spaces in Wisconsin, The Suburban and The Poor Farm, with her husband, artist Brad Killam.
