
Gray Matters
Solo Exhibition of Monotypes by Karen J. Axtell
Karen Axtell is a printmaker and painter whose work has been exhibited throughout the region over the past four decades. She studied at Portland School of Art, and worked with a papermaker and printmaker in Portland, Maine, before receiving a BFA at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
On view in the Artspace Gallery On View October 17th - November 21st 2025
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OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, October 17th, 5-7pm
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Gray Matters is a new suite of mixed-media monotypes on handmade papers and mounted on canvas. There are a few pieces in this series that are printed directly on latex and hard rubber. The imagery is meant to confound one’s senses not unlike the way we feel when we see, hear, and otherwise digest all of the happenings we encounter. These pieces are about how we process the information we are presented with, including all the media, imagery, news, and commentary that we absorb every day. The prints are specifically referencing our current state of unrest and chaos. The abstract mark-making is a combination of aqueous inks and paints and is intended to evoke curiosity, confusion, and perhaps even some clarity as we contend with the world around us.