Gallery artist Annie Smits Sandano has recently completed a residency at Art Print in Barcelona, Spain where she created two new owl prints:

“During my intensive residency I was exposed to a myriad of new processes and techniques and in these two prints, I explored the new possibilities within hand printing with plexi plate printing using incision techniques, medium application and etching. I also apply the chine-colle process where colour is added with hand-painted and hand-cut pieces of paper adhered to the print before the plate moves through the press. I wanted to mark the works produced by incorporating a subject which is already a recognised part of my imagery and style – the owl, with something which is from to the place I’m in. I’ve been visiting many incredible and endlessly inspiring galleries and museums in Barcelona during my time here, and have been to the Picasso Museum, Fundacio Miro and have seen many Salvador Dali collections. With this in mind, I wanted to infuse my owl imagery with local influences, but rather than take a literal approach and appropriate Picasso-style or Dali-style elements, I decided to make a loose portrait of these iconic Spanish artists within my owl images.

The result are two owl works in two different sizes – Picasso and Dali. Anthropomorphic portraits of Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali. They are a humorous, whimsical and light-hearted works entirely made by hand from start to finish using printmaking techniques acquired while in Spain.”