Pushing the Press

Melissa Harshman

bio Melissa Harshman received her master of fine arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1992. She has taught at the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art since 1993 and is the chair of its printmaking and book arts department. Harshman has exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad. Recent shows include Print- making Now , at the Imago Gallery in Warren, Rhode Island; 4th Art at Wharepuke Open Printmaking Exhibition , in Northland, New Zealand; Shock Print , at the Ulrich Museum at Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas; and Re-Riding History , at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum in St. Augustine, Florida. She was an artist in residence at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in 2014 and at Zea Mays Printmaking Studio in 2015. artist’s statement For the past two years I have been interested in the aesthetic influence of the chandelier on my work. This idea has been germinating for several years with small additions of chan- delier beads to pieces in the past. Recently, I have decided to make this idea the main focus of my work. My goal is not to replicate a chandelier, but to reference its arrangement with the use of printed chandelier crystals along with actual beads attached to these printed components. I am also interested in the play of the shadows created by the hanging beads juxta- posed with the aesthetic qualities of the printed pieces. Works are created to expand on a wall, emphasizing the scale of chandeliers. This work has been referred to as “wall jewelry.” I enjoy this comparison as both jewelry and chandeliers can be viewed as objects of beauty and adornment—items that enrich our lives.

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