Ellen Roberts, Sal’s Garden, monotype with collage, 35 x 27 in., 2025.
Elizabeth Jabar, juror for the 2024 Monotype Guild of New England exhibition, describes Ellen Roberts’ work as “a meditation on the landscape using abstracted forms and textures. The scale of the print creates a powerful multi-sensory experience, washing over the viewer. A tactile quality emerges from the combination of techniques and printing surface, heightening the sensory nature of the work.”
In Sal’s Garden, hidden lilies emerge as quiet surprises within the composition. Their bright yellow hue symbolizes joy, happiness, and new beginnings, subtly woven into the piece. The process begins with hand-cut stencils arranged on an inked plexiglass plate, then pressed under pressure to form the foundation of the monotype. Through layering, careful planning and the inherent unpredictability of monotype printing, the work continuously evolves—capturing both intention and spontaneity in its final form.