The Artist as a Subject of Study

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Rod Goertzen, a studio art major at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, selected Sylvie Covey as the subject of his fourth-year printmaking “artist presentation.” Goertzen did his homework, combing Covey’s website and reading her two books on printmaking[2] to develop his research. The two have struck up an e-mail correspondence, with Sylvie offering insights into her creative process and reflecting on how she’s evolved over her career:

My artistic dreams were, and still are, to learn and evolve through everything I create. There is always something I want to try out. I never want to stay in the same place artistically. Techniques and technology in printmaking for me are exciting tools that open up creative paths. Technology has provided artists with new ways of expressing themselves for a very long time. It is the intersection between the old and the new that present the most interesting opportunities for exploration. For me, that intersection of the old and the new is perfectly defined in the world of printmaking. Printmaking allows me to grow.

“Your work has completed shifted how I approach printmaking,” Rod wrote at the completion of his project. “I now feel free to use any material on which to print and in print, painting, sculpture, etc formats. I feel unrestricted. At our printmaking critique on Friday, it seems I blew apart the structures by which the class approached printmaking. It felt good. Thank you for taking the time to share your reflections about art, printmaking, and your artistic journey online. Hopefully, it gives you an understanding about your positive influence on a developing artist.”

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