"Seven Lakes Further North", Monotype Printmaking by Chayle Cook

Reception and Opening: Thursday, Oct. 21st, 6.00 - 8.30 pm
Talk by Chayle Cook at 7.00 pm
Show dates: October 22nd to November 7th 2010

Chayle Cook is a gifted artist, also a jeweller (organic, architectural and enamelled), bookmaker (handsewn) and a printmaker. This show is a narrative of monotype prints,
or monoprints, so called because each piece is a one-off, original. When we think of printing presses, or even copper etchings, we think of the purpose as being to make several, or many, copies. The monotype technique, that Chayle Cook uses, results in an original work of art.


As to the subject of show, well known Quebec writer Robert Lalonde's novel "Sept Lacs Plus au Nord" (Seven Lakes Further North), I will let Chayle Cook explain:


"Inspired by the novel, "Sept lacs Plus au Nord" by Robert Lalonde, the printmaking process of monotype lends itself well to the representation of its atmosphere and narrative. I have become captivated by the universality of the journey in this story. Vivid images have been imprinted on me; landscapes and figures, created through intricate metaphors and analogies.

The imagery evoked in the writing is rich in emotional significance, though vague in specifics, it leaves it up to the reader to define many of the details about the history of the characters and events that lead to crisis. My work does not seek to illustrate the story, rather to capture this relationship between the reader and the literary work. The monotype process has given me opportunities, through happenstance, to explore the notion of interpretation and the means to relate to the viewer.