About the Artwork
In this print, Glen Baldridge embeds the words “No Way” into the composition using a bright turquoise ink. This choice of words has become a favorite of the artist’s – it can often be seen in his work distorted with swirls of paint or hidden through woven pen marks. The phrase is strong and declarative, an attitude in and of itself. Yet the words can be difficult to notice if the viewer isn’t already looking for them. Baldridge shows immense control of his materials. In his marbled paintings, each line dragged through flows of paint is decisive and works to enhance the greater composition. Here, each line showcases an illusion of being dragged, instead taking the forms of sixteen meticulously silkscreened layers. It must be said that paint and ink in their liquid states can be unpredictable, and the order Baldridge brings to produce patterns is nothing short of breathtaking.
No Way was printed by the artist and master printer Luther Davis at BRT Printshop (now Powerhouse Arts Printshop). Luther and Glen have worked frequently together for years, even cofounding the printshop, Forth Estate at Axelle Editions, which was active from 2005 – 2015. Each edition of No Way was created by silkscreen printing (also known as serigraphy). This method requires stenciling techniques wherein ink is pressed onto paper through deliberately exposed areas of a mesh screen one color at a time.
