Process & Collaboration

Chuck Close's paintings are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and his prints are more so.  While a painting can occupy Close for months, it is not unusual for one print to take upward of two years to complete, from conception to final edition.  And with few exceptions - separating the Mylars for silk screens or carving the woodblocks - Close insists on a decidedly interactive and "hands-on" approach to the creation of his prints.  He carves linoleum blocks, draws on and applies acid to his etching plates, and personally directs all the intricate handwork involved in pulp-paper multiples.  He also revels in his collaboration with master printers: "Like any corporation, I have the benefit of the brainpower of everyone who is working for me.  It all ends up being my work, the corporate me, but everyone extends ideas and comes up with suggestions."

"It is a very different attitude than coming into an atelier, drawing on a plate, and giving it over to printers to edition.  My prints have been truly collaborative even though control is something that I give up reluctantly." (Excerpt from "Introduction of Chuck Close Prints," by Terrie Sultan) The works of Chuck Close shown on this page are products of this collaboration.  By clicking on each image, you will be able to view the print at various stages in the process of its creation.