HI I'M ANNA SNÆDÍS SIGMARSDÓTTIR

About Anna Snædís Sigmarsdóttir

Artist Profile

Anna Snædís graduated 1994 as a printmaker from The Icelandic College of Art. She is a member of the Icelandic Graphic Association (IPA) and is currently a board member and has also been in the organising committee for the Graphic studio in Reykjavík.  Anna has been a teacher from 1997 at the Technical College of Reykjavík at the Department of Design and Innovation. She has an M.Ed degree in art history and vocational education from the University of Iceland. Other experience in teaching; short courses of print, book- and papermaking at the University of Iceland and various private courses in printmaking.  Anna Snædís has participated in many exhibitions, both in Iceland and abroad since 1993.

Since 2005 has Anna Snædís been a member of the Icelandic book artist group ARKIR (QUIRES) https://arkir.wordpress.com.  Members of the group have been working and studying book art together and made several book art shows as a group and participated in larger group shows in Iceland and abroad.

„The ideology behind my work is connected to the aesthetic subject of the nature where I explore my personal environment of lava landscape, moss, and wild flora. The bursts of the lava are deep, wide and dark and the colours of the moss and the wildflower that grows in between the lava give a strong and large spectrum.

When I started my art printing work in 1994 I got familiar with steel and copper etching techniques. To get the right effect and results I now work with Carborundum printing technique, both with wood- and aluminium plates. I believe aluminium plates give more possibilities and I can scratch deep lines into the plates (like dry point). But the disadvantages of those plates is how thin they are. The wood plates are stronger and they last better. I always start printing my plates in black and white but usually I make my prints with many colors, 5 or 6 on each plate. One plate makes one unique print.  Now I am printing 2-3 plates together, first in black and white and then I will make some prints in colour. I also like to use Carborundum technique when I create Art books. Carborundum is easy to use, almost nontoxic, recycling plates from offset prints and no acid. I use gesso painting, sand in different roughness and pva glue. I paint directly on the plates with clean gesso and gesso mixed with sand (diffirent roughness) to get the grayscale tone and draw with pva glue to get the white lines.  I let the product dry for two days and after that I can start printing the plates. I use print colours from Graphic chemical print & Ink Co and Charbonnel etching ink and Hahnemuhle or Bfk Rives paper 250-350gr.“.

I think it is very important to have experiences of material because it will make diverse senses for the audience.  All experimenting in my art give me a good vision and sensitivity in what I want in my prints. I hope my experiences of reproducing natures view in my art will be a good solution. The most interesting part of being a printmaker is that the artist never knows how the result will be and always looks forward to seeing new results.