Ray Maseman

Artist Statement

Myths, legends, children’s stories and dreams provide the ingredients for my intricate and whimsical etchings.  Through blending these sources and recasting them with non-human protagonists I suggest enigmatic tales of exploration, collaboration, and transformation.

I create scenarios that suggest a narrative without making the story explicit.  In some cases I take a well known story and play with it, exchanging traditional elements for something that upends classical interpretations.  At other times I simply force together incongruous characters and objects together both for my own amusement and to provoke insights.   

My images often contain absurd situations and anachronistic devices.  This tendency is reflected and reinforced by my choice of printmaking as a medium.  In the midst of mass-produced, instantaneous digital culture I use mostly 16th century technology to etch images on copper plates.  By wiping the plates with ink and running them through a hand-cranked press I create small numbers of pictures on paper.   This process is more physical and complicated then simply drawing, yet it allows me wide latitude for exploring ideas.  It also makes it possible for a wider range of individuals to own a hand-made piece of fine art.

Biography

Date and Place of Birth: 1969, Chicago, Illinois             

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking, University of Denver, 1992          

Solo exhibitions:

2010: Fairy Tales, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2008: Odyssey, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2007: Geography of Hope, Bivouac Art Space, Albuquerque, NM

2006: Searching For Home, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2003: Journeys, New Grounds Print Workshop, Albuquerque, NM.

1999: Landscape Chicken Outhouse, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

Group exhibitions:

2010: DU Alumni Present: Past and Future, Teal Art Gallery, Breckenridge, CO

2009: One and Only, John Michael Kohler ArtSpace, Sheboygan, WI        

         Realism in Printmaking, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

          Ink Drops Keep Falling on My Head, Chicago Printmakers' Collaborative

2008: Made in New Mexico, Wolverhampton College, Wolverhampton, England

           Made in New Mexico, Proyecto Ace, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2007: New Members, New Work, Chicago Printmakers' Collaborative, Chicago, IL

2006: Print Portfolio X2, Richland College, Dallas, TX

2003: Montclaire Fine Art Exhibition, Montclaire, NJ.

2003: Euro-Estampe, 5th European Printmaking Bienalle, Lorient, France.

2001: Roots and Routes, Magnifico, Albuquerque, NM

2001: Landscapes, Around the Corner Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2000: Magnifico “Art of Albuquerque: Water,” Albuquerque Museum, NM

1999: Downtown Jazz Night, Fort 105, Albuquerque, NM

1999: Grand Opening Exhibition, Fort 105, Albuquerque, NM

Major Collections:

Proyecto Ace, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Wolverhampton College, Wolverhampton, U.K.
Albuquerque Museum

Museo de la Estampa, Mexico City

University of Denver; Denver, CO

Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, IA

UNM Law School, Albuquerque, NM

UNM Hospital, Albuquerque, NM

Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

Roland Park Country School, Baltimore, MD

Richland College, Dallas, TX

Fayetteville State University, NC

Austin Peay State University, Clarksville TN

Western University, Silver City, New Mexico

Awards:

2010: Best Artist, Local IQ Smart List, Albuquerque, NM