Fragment of Love. Denise Markbreit, artist
By Gina Malone
Creativity isn’t usually thought of as hazardous to the health, but artist Denise Markbreit developed respiratory problems from the solvents and chemicals commonly used in print studios and gave up printmaking for more than 20 years. Fortunately for her, however, and for other printmakers sensitive to traditional mediums used in the process, another solution presented itself. “I am very indebted to the printmaker Susan Rostow, the formulator of Akua Inks (now a Speedball product),” Markbreit says. “She developed a soy-based, non-toxic ink that has changed the way printmakers worldwide work. Using these inks and ultimately studying with Susan led me back to my passion of printmaking—and in a safe way.”
My Heart, My Home. Denise Markbreit, artist
Markbreit immersed herself in creative pursuits from childhood, surrounded as she was by family members who were artistic. “Some of my most cherished memories are of painting with my dad, using oil paint and table easels in the kitchen, as well as sewing and crafting with my mom,” she says. “The smell of turpentine and linseed oil will forever be a deeply happy scent memory.”
Growing up in Flushing, NY, Markbreit had access to museums and other cultural offerings. “I discovered printmaking in high school,” she says, “first getting introduced to drypoint intaglio on plexiglass and then moving onto linocuts. I loved the repetitive nature of printmaking processes, as well as the physicality involved in printing, from the start.” She studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and then at the Rochester Institute of Technology, earning her BFA and MST.
“Working in the print studios in both those places, I found that folks work in community, helping each other with their processes and physical needs, moving litho stones and the like,” Markbreit says. “I absolutely loved being in the environment. There was a sense of community and camaraderie.”
Among the luminaries with whom she studied was master printmaker Bob Blackburn. He was, she says, “a mover and disruptor in the print world and the founding force behind a community workshop that still bears his name more than 40 years after its founding in NYC. Although a lithographer, he introduced me to woodblock carving. Those lessons are still with me.”
Shadows and Layers. Denise Markbreit, artist
She worked as a public school art teacher in the Bronx and in Queens, teaching high school, junior high school and, for the last 23 years of her 32-year teaching career, elementary school. “I did a short adjunct stint in a community college, and worked with seniors too,” she says. “I absolutely enjoyed working with every age group. That aha moment when the classroom is abuzz with creativity is electric.”
Markbreit founded the eco-friendly Asheville Print Studio + Gallery (APS+G) in the River Arts District almost seven years ago. “I couldn’t have predicted upon retiring from a long and fulfilling teaching career that I would be a small business owner,” she says, “let alone representing more than 40 printmakers. I saw a need that was being unmet in the printmaking community here in Asheville, combined my deep love of teaching and the ethos that Bob Blackburn instilled in me, and APS+G was born.”
The working studio is now in its third and largest space in Riverview Station, and true to Markbreit’s background as an educator and someone who appreciates community, APS+G is a mecca for printmakers of all levels. “We now offer a myriad of printmaking classes from beginner to advanced topics, host nationally known printmaking educator/artists to conduct multi-day workshops, host group shows of the Asheville Printmakers Group, act as a meeting place for printmaker critique groups, rent space for special events like weddings and parties, have memberships to the studio and host public print events like Big Ink and Print Day in May, as well as Second Saturday demos,” she says. “I also do one-to-one printing with individuals who have a print project they would like to work on, but don’t have the equipment or knowledge to bring their project to fruition or want someone else to print their work in a small edition.” In addition, APS+G has an open call for bimonthly thematic shows. Participation is free and submission guidelines may be found on the APS+G website under “Call for Artists.”
Collected. Denise Markbreit, artist
With all that’s involved in running the gallery, welcoming visitors, organizing shows and more, Markbreit says she is often left with little time to feed her own creative urges. “Finding the balance is my 2024 goal,” she says. ‘Having just completed a new body of work in short bursts of intense working time taught me this recently. I’m very proud of the latest body of work that is in response to urban spaces and was part of a group show in the gallery. Utilizing all of my skills from the various creative modalities I’ve worked in has resulted in three-dimensional water towers, silos and other structures utilizing print as its driving force.”
Through the years, Markbreit has explored figurative and plein air painting, urban sketching, stained glass, pottery, jewelry, knitting, gardening, book arts, weaving and cooking. “But I always consider myself a printmaker first and foremost,” she says. She prefers to work in mono printing and woodblock, but is well-versed in all of the printmaking processes.
“Mono printing is very improvisational and is akin to jazz,” she says. “I approach each series of mono prints with a loose idea and see where the ink takes me.”
Asheville Print Studio + Gallery (APS+G) is located at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman Street, #108, in Asheville’s River Arts District. Learn more (including about upcoming classes) at AshevillePrintStudio.com, or on Facebook and Instagram (Asheville Print Studio). A curated group show of the Asheville Print Makers Group, celebrating its 10th anniversary, will open with a reception on Saturday, March 9, from 4–7 p.m. The show will run through April 27. Work exhibited by more than 30 printmakers will feature a mix of techniques, imagery and pricing.
