Print Exchange 2023: Chadwick Tolley

The process of making work is equal to, or more important than the final outcome. Each piece begins as an idea or desire to explore one of the many technical aspects of printmaking. I start by collecting images, sketches, and textures and use these to begin creating prints, drawings, or collages. As I develop the image, I try to avoid planning too far ahead by intuitively responding to each step of the process. I deliberately leave visual evidence of deletions, corrections, or accumulation of marks as a form of documenting the process. I do not intend to create autobiographical images but through the process of developing meaning, I often create narratives that are based on personal experience or point of view. It is through introspection and visual exploration that I hope to develop a better understanding of themes related to shared human experience. My recent work explores new ways of combining digital drawing and composing with traditional processes. My work follows a stream of consciousness narrative mode, with two main reoccurring themes of suburban living and aging. Though there are serious topics of race and toxic masculinity that bubble up from time to time, the overall tone is playful, ham-fisted, and self-deprecating.