Karen Baden Thapa

Fine Art Printmaking & Collage

Printmaking is a craft as much as it is an art form. I have a background in painting so I love the more painterly process of making monotypes and monoprints. For me, they begin with either an etched copper plate or a poly plate. I ink the plate and either use reduction to create my image or I add inked handmade or found paper elements and other ephemera, and run it through the press which applies very high pressure. Then, the press does its magic and all of my textures and lines are compressed into one flat image. After the paper dries, I often go in with watercolors to highlight certain areas.

I am working on a new series called “Glacial”. I have done several mixed media collages and I am working on some collagraphs printed on plexi-plates.

Mediums:  Printmaking & Mixed Media Collage

Education:

1983, Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of California, Berkeley

1979-80, Art History Studies, University of the Sorbonne, Paris, France

Teachers & Mentors:

Toru Sugita, Printmaker

Bill Harsh, Printmaker & Painter

Mira M. White, Painter

Jim Melchert, Sculpture & Art Books

Joan Brown, Painter

Elmer Bischoff, Painter

Art Association Memberships

California Society of Printmakers- Board Member

Lamorinda Arts Alliance- Artist Member

Arts Benicia- Artist Member

Publications

Extraction a megazine edited by Sam Pelts with the Codex Foundation.

A Dialogue in Print a catalog published by the California Society of Printmakers.

Mono Variations a catalog published by the CSP and the ARC Gallery.

Etching(web).jpg