Hi!
My name is Irenka Pareto and I am a relief printmaker. I make linocuts and woodblocks that pay radical attention to the wonder and beauty in everyday life.
My work is grounded in the idea that what we pay attention to (and what we ignore) can have a fundamental impact on what we think is possible. And so, while the protagonists of my prints vary -a small bunch of forget-me-nots hidden in the path, a gesture of kindness, a child drawing, etc.– they all recognize and remind us that beauty and awe are around us. Not a small thing in these times! The choice of relief printmaking as my medium is not accidental: This hands-on, process-laden craft acts as a way to reclaim human attention against today’s social and digital push for distraction. A reminder to me and to others to be present, to notice, and to document what’s worth valuing and protecting around us.
About the process: Relief printmaking is a wonderfully slow, handmade process. My work starts in my sketchbook with lots of observational drawings and sketches. After the design is set, I transfer it to a linoleum block, or blocks, to be carved. The carving process is slow and methodical. Mark-making and balancing tonal variation is one of the pleasures of the process and I take my time with this part. Once carved, I ink the blocks to test print and adjust the carving until I am ready to print the final edition. Inking –mixing the right colors and transparency levels, creating textures with brushes or rugs in addition to using brayers, finding the right brayer move—has been one of my most recent areas of experimentation and growth and one I feel really excited to continue exploring.
About me: Originally from Barcelona, Spain, I moved to the Bay Area in 2006 for my graduate studies. After decades of a very fulfilling and successful career as an educator, social scientist, and writer, Printmaking came to my life like a revolution. Art has had the power of changing and expanding the way I see the world, making the ordinary extraordinary, and connecting me to people in a deeper way. Initially, art was only my secret passion, something I did after work and parenting, and all the other adult responsibilities. But when the pandemic impacted my job/life I decided to make lemonade out of the pandemic lemons and threw myself fully into printmaking, bringing a renewed sense of joy and focus to my life. I find myself constantly fascinated by the little things in life and aim to make art that reflects that. Art for the curious, the joyful, the kind, and the constantly wonderstruck.
Thank you for dropping by, let me know if you have any questions!