During the Booked 8 Exhibit, the BAR had the treat of getting a sneak preview of a new monoprinting plate developed by our own Joan Bess! The Gelli Plate is a flexible plate with the qualities of a gelatin printing plate but which can be stored at room temperature and used over and over! 
Joan showed us a dizzying array of techniques that can be used.
She showed how you can keep adding layers using color changes, stencils, texture plates, brushes, rollers, paste paper techniques and stamps.
Joan's tips on ways to keep the mess under control were fascinating, such as using a container with a wet paper pad to clean off the roller.
She used a sheet of waste paper that was waxy and translucent for clearing the inks off rollers and tools which was a work of art in itself at the end of the session.
We also heard about the interesting process of taking an idea and turning it into a product that can be brought to market.
The demo whetted members' appetites for a hands on experience but the plate wasn't yet for sale to the public. The plate is now available for sale and Joan gave a drop-in workshop on June 15th where about a dozen BAR members went wild trying out this new printing option!
It was amazing how different and beautiful each person's prints were. Joan pointed out that it's a great way for someone who usually works in a very tight controlled way to cut loose and have a lot of fun.
Here is the link to Joan's Gelli Plate website:
