Composition 25

George Miyasaki

David Acton describes Miyasaki's technique for printing his color lithographs like "Composition 25" on page 160 of 'The Stamp of Impulse - Abstract Expressionist Prints', ISBN: 90-5349-353-0. "Miyasaki made this print from a single counteretched stone. The artist approached lithography as an adjunct to painting and drew spontaneously on the horizontal stone...He drew with a brush and a solution of powdered asphaltum mixed with grease and cleaning solvents, according to his own recipes..."

After printing the initial compositions for the edition in a conventional manner in a single color he then "washed the printing surface with acetic acid, chemically defacing the stone...the image remained as a pale shadow to be used as a guide for the next layer...(he) printed light colors over darker ones. He used translucent tints to soften the image, blurring the edges of forms. By superimposing these translucent hues he created many other colors."

George Miyasaki didn't study at Atelier 17 until well after he'd switched his major from commerical to fine arts at the California College of Arts and Crafts. However, the prevailing interest in the United States in both Abstract art and printmaking had made its way from New York to the Pacific Coast, and Miyasaki's pursuit of the medium proved to be successful.

He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1963, and he traveled to Paris to study at the Atelier and elsewhere. For more information on the artist, please visit our biography, above.