Gel plate workshop hosted by Clinton Art Gallery promises paint, texture and zero pressure

Anyone who has ever wanted to make art but felt intimidated by a blank canvas may find a friendlier starting point Saturday, Sept. 12, when the Clinton Art Gallery hosts a gel plate printing workshop at 10:30 a.m. at 110 Musgrove St. in Clinton (not at Clinton Art Gallery on Broad Street).

For the uninitiated, a gel plate is a soft, squishy slab that looks a little like a giant gummy candy and behaves like a printing press without the press. Artists roll paint across the surface with a brayer, a small hand roller, then add texture using stencils, leaves, lace, bubble wrap or whatever happens to be within reach. Pressing paper onto the plate lifts the image, and the result is a one of a kind print. Peeling that paper back is the best part, and no two pulls ever come out the same.

It is also nearly impossible to fail at, which is why the class is open to beginners. No experience is necessary.

Participants will spend the morning making greeting cards and decorative papers, and everyone goes home with an 8-by-10-inch gel plate, a brayer and a set of stencils, so the fun does not have to end when the workshop does.

Leading the class is artist Jamie Friedman Stewart, who sells both abstract and realistic work in South Carolina and North Carolina. She studied classical oil painting techniques at the Fine Arts League of the Carolinas in Asheville, North Carolina, training under John Mac Kah for four years, and spent eight years at Patton 16 Fine Art Gallery, where she developed expertise in curating and hanging exhibits.

“Gel plate printing is one of those techniques that gives you something you’re proud of on the very first try,” gallery owner Jeannie Browning said. “You do not need any background in art to walk in, get your hands messy and have a good time.”

Registration is $40 and can be paid through Venmo or Cash App. Registration is also accepted in person at the Clinton Art Gallery on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Questions may be directed to Browning at the gallery.