In 2019, my travels took me to the upper reaches of the Rio Grande. Over the course of three western sojourns that year, I followed the river from southern Colorado down into New Mexico. Through a mutual friend I met master printer Michael Costello, who since 1987 has owned and operated Hand Graphics; a fine art print studio in Santa Fe.

Over the years Michael has worked with artists such as Carol Anthony, John T. Biggers, Robert Colescott, Luis Jimenez, Forrest Moses, Nathan Olivera, and Emmi Whitehorse. Upon seeing my field-books, Michael suggested that we try a couple of sessions to explore transforming some of the images into monoprints.
What’s a monoprint? Instead of working on canvas or panel, one paints a reversed image onto a plate, then runs it through an etching-press. The result is a painting on paper. Michael and I booked four days in May, and three days in October. Many of our prints used a technique known as Chine-collé—literally “China paste.”
A thin piece of Japanese washi (rice paper) is sandwiched between the plate and the paper with a dusting of powdered adhesive, such as wheat starch. When the print is pulled, the ink sits on this barrier-material, which also contrasts with the whiteness of the sheet. To explore added tension between line and color, I produced several drawings in orange ink, which were scanned and printed onto the Kitakata paper we used in the Chine-collé process. This six-minute video offers a look into our process.

Michael Costello and I will be working together again in April, as part of the MONOTHON SANTA FE 2023; a week-long monoprint marathon, which benefits local print shops, galleries, and youth arts programs.

Monoprints and other works of art are available in Santa Fe at Gerald Peters Gallery, 1005 Paseo de Peralta. Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501. Contact Maria Hajic at

mh****@gp*******.com











, or call +1 (505) 954-5769