Can you remember who you were,
before the world told you who you should be?
– Charles Bukowski
Pulling a lithographic proof, Lithography
I’ve completed a two-month stint working on lithography at The Art Students League and now I’m thinking about what is my next journey.
Working on lithographs at The Art Students League felt great. I wondered why I waited so long to get into an art space and to make prints.
When I complete a painting it tells me what the next painting will be. So this is a time to allow myself to imagine the next step of the journey.
Now when I’ve enjoyed this great experience I am taking a moment to absorb how it feels so I can replicate it and keep going. I know what I like. Being in an art community like The Art Students League is where I feel like I am being myself.
I want to find my way as a working artist. The pieces are in place. I need to put them together.
Let’s count recent wins
Since Covid, I have returned to making art
I am painting with egg tempera and drawing
I was invited to be in a group show in New Mexico
I taught two egg tempera workshops in spring 2025\
I worked in lithography and etching at the art students league
I gave a presentation about variable fonts to tech developers
I am building an application tool and experimenting with AI tools
So now the next thing. I am looking for opportunities and open to possibilities. There are a lot of art resources in New York City, often hidden in plain sight. But art is everywhere. What I want is a stable home for the next 5 \- 8 years with room to work.
I want to take this moment to do a war dance and celebrate my wins, and meditate on how to best manifest myself as I take the next step.
August 15, 2025 10:00 am | by Craig Webb | Posted in
Art
1st print image on the stone
Today is the last day of the summer session at The Art Students League. I am finishing up my work in the lithography studio.
Midway through the July monthly session I was hired as a monitor for the two printing studios, etching and lithography. The Art Students League has a system of classroom monitors to open and close studios, and to watch over the artists who are working there. The monitor job is a minor position of responsibility and trust. I received credit towards tuition as compensation, which allowed me to work in August.
I found the artists and culture at The Art Students League to be engaged and friendly. The Art Students League has been a gateway and window into the New York City artist community.
The Battle of Hong Kong – Tear gas fight
I recommend The Art Students League to anyone who wants to connect and make art in New York City. Their system is that artists sign up for monthly sessions. Rather than paying semester-long fees, participation costs are thus minimized. Artists can ask to have sessions count toward a certificate program if they so choose.
In July I created a lithograph entitled “The Battle of Hong Kong – Tear gas fight”. I made a small edition of 20 prints. In August I embarked on a two-color print which is untitled. That project ended with a series of artist proofs. I did not make an edition of the print.
Friends lithograph
Yesterday and today I knocked out a final print, a touche-wash print entitled “Friends”. I made a small edition of eleven prints.
I look forward to working again at The Art Students League as well as other art opportunities.
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