Leslie Sutcliffe
Artist, Printmaker
Los Osos, CA
“Shaun and Jordan Conrad made a trip to Central California to service my 1988 Charles Brand etching press and the presses at Cuesta College which include a 1960s Brand, a Griffin press and a Conrad press. All of a sudden one of the pressure gages on my press would not budge and only the Conrad Press was working well at Cuesta. After numerous calls and emails the Conrads diagnosed what we needed and had the parts shipped before their visit. They were a delight to work with. We learned so much about repair and maintenance of the presses. All the presses look like new and function perfectly. I can attest to the quality of the Conrad press and to the breadth of Jordan and Shaun’s knowledge of other presses. They have been very responsive to further questions and advice since their visit.”
– Leslie Sutcliffe,
Artist/ Printmaker
Bio
I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and currently live in Los Osos, California. I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of California, Irvine and California State University, Fullerton. After college I worked printing etchings for other artists and later published etchings for artists at my studio, El Moro Editions, in Los Osos. I taught printmaking and modern art history at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, CA for 27 years.
My introduction to printmaking was an etching class taught by John Paul Jones at the University of California, Irvine. I signed up for a course called “Graphics” and wasn’t even quite sure what that was. I was smitten from the first day. In the 1970s at UCI the focus was on performance and conceptual art so I was happy to immerse myself in learning the craft of printmaking.
Since those early days print has not only been my primary medium but the conceptual foundation of my work. I have appropriated images from a myriad of printed sources such as: illuminated manuscripts, encyclopedias, game boards, and maps. My most recent work explores the nature of printmaking like reversal, pressure, repetition, and how the actual moment of creating a print is hidden. I have come full circle and have placed the recent prints in the bindings of old encyclopedias.
Prints
“Notations”
– 15″ x 12″
– 3 plate etching
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Back to Front”
– 12″ x 10″
– 2 plate etching with chine colle
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Rochambeau”
– 22.5″ x 14″ x 6.5″
– Photo etching, monotype, collage
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Sz’kwa II”
– 15″ x 11″
– 3 plate soft-ground etching
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Roundabouts I”
– 15″ x 11″
– Etching with chine colle
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Sleep of Reason”
– 15″ x 11″
– Etching with soft-ground-aquatint
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Propedia: Bubble Wrap”
– 11.25″ x 18.5″
– Relief print
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
“Propedia: Sz’kwa”
– 11.25″ x 18.5″
– Etching
– Printed on a Vintage Charles Brand etching press – repaired / restored by Conrad
– Los Osos, CA
