My work is more about asking questions than finding answers.
-Analia Saban
Transcending Pigment from Paint to Canvas, from Canvas to Paint is an edition of 40 unique, mixed-media monoprints in which Saban continues to test the limits of printmaking. Each print is a work without paper. Similar to Saban's previous collaboration with The Lapis Press, this new edition uses layered, acrylic paint as a substitute for paper, but takes the process one step further by printing on paint as well as Belgian linen.
Throughout history, pigment was added to a medium such as turpentine to create paint for its application on canvas. In this series, pigment is layered on top of a white layer of acrylic paint transforming what it means to add color to paint. Transcending Pigment includes four color compositions, each in two orientations. The color schemes are inspired by the printing process itself and refer to the 'color targets' that are used to test and calibrate ink and printer functionality. These targets were developed in the 1970's as color printing became more accessible, and the process needed to be uniform. As printing evolved the color targets became more sophisticated and are now used to determine the accuracy and calibration of pigment and ink. In Transcending Pigment, Saban synthesizes the history of pigment and paint making with the technological advances in printing.