Page 5 - FLAG Sanibel Symposium 2009 catalog FINAL.pdf

Dan Welden on Solarplate Interview by Maureen Booth
After finishing his master's degree in the U.S., Welden, "dissatisfied with his situation and longing to learn," decided to go to Munich for further study. According to Welden, Munich's reputation for music, art and beer was a great lure. Thus trained on both sides of the Atlantic, Welden returned to the States, eventually making his home and studio in Sag Harbor, Long Island, a couple of hours outside of New York City. Besides succeeding in his own career as an artist, he has printed for artists like the de Koonings, Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Jasper Johns, Robert Motherwell, Fischl, Salle, and Flavin among many others. He kindly agreed to talk to World Printmakers.
Q: We would be fascinated to know when and how and in what context the Solarplate idea occurred to you?
A: Kurt Lohwasser showed me a polymer plate and explained its use in industry. I took it and 'changed' its use from the relief principal to the intaglio technique. It was no great stroke of genius to try something new with a material, it was, however fortunate timing. People were beginning to become more aware of health and safety issues revolving around tradi- tional printmaking techniques.
Q: What do you see as the principal advantages of Solarplate techniques? A: Instead of using acids, solvents and grounds for etching, Solarplates
use sunlight and water. The same results and more, are obtained. In addition, the plates are more spontaneous, direct and quicker than tradi- tional techniques. Printmakers also approach the technique more with a lithographer's directness than the etchers multi state method. The artist can also create with the positive image in mind, not the reverse, or negative sense of the intaglio plate. The speed at which the printmaker can pull impressions is also a great attribute. Since the backing of the Solarplate is steel, it can be inked on a magnetic table creating a solid, stationary surface for quick, simple wiping.
Q: What do you forsee for Solarplate printmaking in the future?
iA: I don't have any expectations. I would hope,however, that printmaking in general would make progress in the future. I would love to see more and more-active presses in schools and communities and younger people getting their hands into ink. If Solarplate can help stimulate the activity,
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