Trials & Proofs

From the flat files of a master printer.

This special release of printer’s proofs from the private collection of Steven Campbell comes at a conspicuous moment in the master printer’s career. He’s in the process of migrating Black Rock Editions, the print workshop that he founded with his wife Christina Ziegler Campbell, to new headquarters. He recently took a teaching post at Santa Fe Community College where he’s setting up an educational lithography studio. And he’s ramping up his personal artistic practice in preparation for a solo exhibition at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art this fall.

If the printmaking field can teach us anything about life, perhaps it’s that with every trial comes a proof to examine with curiosity and care. The prints in this online exhibition span decades of creative output. They represent intense collaborative work between Campbell and the featured artists. Take a look back at six prints that helped bring Campbell to this transformative moment in his career, with words from the master printer himself.

-Jordan Eddy, Director

Will Mentor, Three Sisters

1997

I always enjoyed having Will in the shop; not only is he a consummate draftsman, but he calls square dances when he is not making art. The whole crew was on call to create this one: Barb and Jack on the litho end, and I was pulled out of etching to spearhead the screenprinted and collé elements in the print. We typically host an artist for 5 days to make a print, so it gets moving pretty fast and furious and the utmost focus is needed by all. Will was a champ and exuded a calm throughout the week, which I partially attribute him taking his lunch breaks to practice transcendental meditation.

Greg Murdock, Silhouette

2000

Greg personifies the old adage of “work hard, play hard." It was not unusual for Greg and I to go out for a drink or two or three or four after five. Silhouette is a multiplate etching with several chine collé elements. Technically challenging, akin to keeping several balls in the air at once but with compelling results. A quiet and contemplative image, Greg’s prints were always a favorite with collectors. Greg is British Columbian and I learned all of my Canadian jokes from him.

Kay Rosen, Only the Lonely

2010

I’m a sucker for smart art involving text and Only the Lonely hits all the right buttons for me. A deceptively simple one-run print on handmade paper, Only speaks volumes . It's understated and intelligent, and I swear we were channeling the ghost of Roy Orbison throughout the the entire running of the edition. For me it still carries that spirit.

Diego Romero, Saints and Sinners

2017

Hands down one of my favorite artists. An internationally renowned potter from Cochiti pueblo, Diego seamlessly merges a traditional aesthetic with contemporary and historic subject matter. Saints and Sinners is a great example of this cohabitation of tradition and politics, and speaks to the violence that colonization had wrought on native populations. We are forced to confront the uncomfortable sins of our past and acknowledge a collective culpability.I spent many enjoyable hours talking with Diego on a broad range of topics and feel he is one of the smartest and most giving persons I know.

About Steven Campbell

A gentleman and a scholar. Bay Area boy who traveled to the Midwest where he taught and landed the perfect job: printing with Jack Lemon at Landfall Press. Eventually found himself moseying out to the Southwest: blue skies, cacti, coyotes and high desert monsoons. “I’m not from here; I just live here.” – James McMurtry

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Trials & Proofs: Prints selected by Jordan Eddy, Director