Tricia O’Brien
Sunday, March 7, 2027
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
$120 non-member/$95 member
$20 material fee paid directly to the instructor
Location: Arts Benicia Annex, 991 Tyler Street, Suite 116, Benicia
Levels: All
Age minimum: 18+
Minimum 2 | Maximum 10
Class Description: In this class, you will use the idea of experimenting, and use the printing presses available to us at the Sonoma Community Center to create images using recycled materials. These found materials create all kinds of markings, shapes and images – as they make their way through the press. When peeling back the paper for the look, it is the surprise element that keeps me coming back to this process. This process also works well with other printmaking processes. Using materials that would otherwise end up straight in landfill, they are given another chance to play on our plexi-plates, and create interesting artful images that are so intriguing, they might even be considered poetic.
Essentials: Please bring a bag lunch and water, as the water is non-potable in the building, and there aren’t any restaurants nearby. We will take a break between 12:30-1:00pm for lunch. Bring any materials that might interest you to see how they would look going through the press. Make sure they are soft and pliable, not metal or anything stiff (without give, ie; bubble wrap is fine, chipsticks are not).
Please reach out with any questions or concerns. I look forward to having a wonderful experimental class with you all! Tricia
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Tricia O’Brien was born in Michigan and moved to San Francisco for college in 1981. She studied textiles at SF State with Candice Crockett, then later finished her BFA in Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking at Cal State Hayward in 2001. At Hayward, she was introduced to printmaker Jimin Lee and was inspired by the many facets of printmaking. She earned a juried Award for Excellence in the 3-dimensional work of Xerox Photo Transfer for a hand-crafted book. In 2021, after retiring from the food & wine industry, she reignited her relationship with printmaking. Her unique, one-of-a-kind Monoprints are made using recyclable materials: plastic bags, string, cardboard, tissue paper and other packing materials, as well as rubber inner tubes from bicycle tires. All of these items are either inked or arranged on a plate and put through the printing press. Some of her work involves drawing, watercolor or acrylic and pen and ink directly onto printed monoprints. She is interested in the play and surprise of the abstract, organic images and markings that occur by these discarded materials as they intersect with the structure of the printing press and traditional applications of registration, and clean edges.
Tricia has been greatly influenced by both the California Impressionists and Bay Area Figurative movements, as well as Wayne Thibaud and Richard Diebenkorn’s use of color. There are many artists that inspire her, including: Kiki Smith, Inez Storer, Raymond Saunders, Georgia O’Keefe, Richard Serra, Christopher Brown, Helen Frankenthaler, Li Lin Lee, Nathan Oliveira and more, along with a recent find, contemporary Australian artist, Belinda Fox.
Tricia O’Brien teaches printmaking at the Sonoma Community Center in Sonoma, as well as at the Benicia Arts Center Annex and Adult Education at Diablo Valley College. She is a member of the Sonoma Arts Guild and lives in Sonoma with her husband Glen.
Instructor website: TriciaOBrienArt.com
Instructor email: tobcaters@gmail.com