Depth of Feel, ghost

In printmaking, there is often the option to pull a ghost print — an option artist Cheryl Humphreys always opts to do as part of her meticulous practice. Pulled using the remaining ink on a plate after an initial print, the result is a faded, ghost-like version of the original. At the same time, it is also completely unique.

This specific piece is the ghost of another current work titled Depth of Feel — recently on view at Long Beach Museum of Art. Curated by Paul Loya, Color Fields presented “an exhibition of first- and second-generation Color Field painters alongside contemporary artists engaging with ideas similar to those in the 1940s when the movement emerged in New York. A subgenre of Abstract Expressionism, Color Field art rejected gestural mark-making which up until this point, had been synonymous with painting. In its place, stretches or fields of color shifted the focus onto the viewer.”

Wanting to make something specifically for this current exhibition, Humphreys chose a raw ivory paper with texture. The surface of the faded blue gradients gently push and pull through the composition, creating dimension and space in this uniquely subtle piece.