Valeria Gasparrini
Artist, illustrator
About
Valeria Gasparrini ( Rome, 1964), was formed thanks to a rich contribution of artistic and literary experiences: classical studies, research in ceramics, painting, fresco, engraving, drawing from life; attended the three-year course of illustration at the IED, and was trained in the graphic engraved at the Stamperia del Tevere , in Rome. Today she works as an artist, as an advertising illustrator and freelance editorial, as a teacher of drawing, visual and illustration at Quasar Design University, the Academy of Fine Arts of L'Aquila ABAQ, the American University in Rome AUR. He draws live in theatrical performances, and realizes performances with stage machines of various nature that builds and animates on stage. As an artist he has participated in personal and collective exhibitions, and passionately dedicates himself to the creation of artist’s books, combining his remarkable illustrative nature with the infinite expressive possibilities of engraving techniques.
He has exhibited in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Faenza, Venice, Paris, Luxembourg, Rothemburg. Some of his works are part of permanent exhibitions, such as the ceramic work "Rain" at the International Museum of ceramics in Faenza, the artist book "How many irreplaceable lives", exhibited at the national library of Luxembourg, and its printed version exhibited at the Casa della Memoria in Rome.
They wrote about here
Daniele Scalise, Loris Schermi, Francesca Tuscano, Michèle Wallenborn, Devin Kovach, Sarah Linford, Gianluca Tedaldi. Valeria Bertesina. For interested people, I am writing to offer the highest recommendation for Valeria Gasparrini who has held two engraving workshops for the Rome Center of Architecture and Culture at Woodbury University which I direct. He guided the students' works, taking them from the initial drawings to the creation of the definitive prints and their possible display in an exhibition. I find her one of the most creatively contagious and inspiring people with whom I have had the opportunity to collaborate. Let me take the liberty of offering a few details regarding his remarkable abilities. To begin with, she is a very competent artist in her field. She is also generous in sharing her experience and does so with great enthusiasm. In the initial phase of the projects he offers numerous approaches, both experimental and conventional, with the aim of giving birth to works of art that can then be created on slabs. In the workshops we used zinc and copper plates, and the results were surprising. It featured field sketching exercises, complex mapping projects, and digital plate file translations. It has provided Woodbury with some of the most powerful and transformative learning experiences students have had in Rome; also in relation to what they do at home. Our students love her and she has been there for them every step of the way, teaching them techniques to achieve their creative goals. It is a magical moment when the students complete the drawings, prepare the plates, ink them working in their studio. And then they print them. This would not have been possible for us without Valeria's expertise. Thank you for the opportunity to offer a great recommendation for Valeria and I would be happy to discuss her merits further should you wish to contact me at my email: paulette.singey@gmail.c
Best regards Paulette Singley Woodbury University professor, Director of the Rome Center for Architecture and Culture
Xerox transfer lithograpy
The xerox transfer lithography is also called “the poor man’s lithography”, given its simple and inexpensive way of making it. Lithography is a flat printing technique; that is, the matrix that is printed has no pads or marks in which to deposit the ink. The principle of printing lithography is based on a chemical-physical reaction between water and fat substances: a wet surface will not retain the ink, as does a dry surface. In canonical lithography, the first step is then to make a drawing with fat material on a smooth and flat matrix suitable for absorbing water; it can be a limestone or a particular type of aluminum; in the case of xerox transfer lithography the matrix is a laser-photocopied sheet of paper.
The second step is to wet the matrix; the water will be absorbed by the surface with the exception of the points where the grease of the drawing will have rejected the water; in the case of Litography xerox transfer where the photocopy ink has rejected the water. The third step is to ink the matrix; the ink (grease) will be retained only by the dry surfaces, then by the drawing made with grease, in the case xerox transfer will be retained only by the ink that makes up the drawing of the photocopy. The ink used for xerox transfer lithography is added with a little bit of polymerized linseed oil to make it more sticky. The fourth step is to superimpose a sheet of paper to the inked matrix, and to print it using the press pressure (light, since the matrix is “flat” and the sheet of paper immediately comes into contact with the ink).
In xerox transfer lithography: the matrix is a laser photocopy; then a sheet of paper with a photocopied drawing on it with ink that does not dissolve in water (as is the case with digital prints). The drawing is a photocopy of an original treated in any way, from pen drawing, greasy pencil, photography…the important thing is that it is strongly contrasted, and that the grays are rendered with nets (that is by the texture of black and white signs and not by gray inks or delicate gray shades). The drawing must be reflected. The preparation of the matrix is done by wetting the sheet of paper and the inking is done by dabbing with a sponge the ink on the drawing: the ink will transfer only on the photocopied marks and will be rejected by the white and wet areas of the sheet of paper. Printing requires a small thickness of cardboard under the matrix sheet, and takes place on various types of paper and always using the press. Once wet, inked and printed the matrix is no longer usable; to make a print run you will need to make as many photocopies as there are copies you want to print. Given the very artisanal and empirical process, it is almost impossible that the prints come without variations between them.