Amber Gaul – “Braid on Black” monoprint

Inspired by the influence hair has had in my life and driven by my obsession with the emotional and powerful conn-tations hair holds, I allow these themes to drive my work. Aesthetically, the formal qualities of hair has kept my visual attention but what really makes me want to keep working with it is the deep and hidden meanings embedded in hair as an object and a force. Femininity and the idea of the woman as a powerful force is something that I continuous think about and work with as well. These two things go hand in hand for me. Process is a key component to my studio practice and work. I am a deeply hands on and material based artist and need to be able to directly interact with materials of choice. Printmaking naturally lends itself very well with this tendency, as well as the decision to work with making images using real hair to print from.  Mono printing is another important choice for my image making. The fact that there is only one of that single print is something that holds power for me and directly enforces the themes and concepts I am interested in working in.