The appeal of the Monotype lies in the unique translucency that creates a quality of light very different from a painting. Energy, improvisation, gesture, impulse, and chance – these are the characteristics of Monotype printing according to William Jung, who together with Susan Rostow developed the popular non-toxic Akua inks. This versatile process allows considerable freedom in the approach to imagery. Although in existence since the time of Rembrandt, Degas created some 300-500 Monotypes and his enthusiasm affected other contemporaries who explored the technique: Pissaro, Cassatt, and Gauguin to name a few. Diane Brinker hasa  generous teaching style, guiding novices and seasoned artists alike to charge their creativity with the spontaneity inherent in this kind of printmaking. Her workshops are popular with an upbeat, fresh, energetic approach to experimentation. She will cover the basics of additive and reductive inking, and then introduce other enhancements such as chine colle (collage), trace monotype or transfer drawing, stencils, and the use of fabrics or other texturing tools. Participants will be encouraged to create a series, or Monotype printing can also be a transition work, drawing and painting over them with pastels, pencils, oil paint, or watercolor.

Diane Brinker spent 30 years designing and leading workshops in San Francisco and the Napa Valley, and in 2009 brought her creative measures full time to Cape Cod. As primarily a printmaker and experimenter, she brings to her workshops an energy and freshness. Her classes are known for the passion and enthusiasm she shows for artists of all ages and abilities. A staunch arts advocate and organizer, she has served as appointee on the Napa Mayor’s Round Table for the Arts, as well as chaired the Napa Valley Arts and Culture Alliance. On Cape Cod, in addition to her in studio workshops, she has taught classes at Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Chatham Fine Arts Center, and The Cultural Center of Cape Cod. Educated at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a degree in Marketing (Art minor), her design creations and products have been widely marketed to the National Parks in the US and Canada since 1984. Commissioned memoir pieces, photography, and abstract painting experiments round out her playful and successful approach to art. www.dianebrinker.com