Entering heaven

A monotype is commonly referred to as the ‘painterly print’. A monotype is generated solely from autonomous marks on a surface – such as PVC, perspex or metal. The monotype contains no ‘re-usable’ elements. In other words, in creating a monotype, the surface an artist paints (with oil- or water-based materials) does not hold any fixed information that can be printed more than once. Unlike the printing surface of an etching, which has been permanently etched and thus can be printed in an edition, the monotype exists as a once-off – a unique print.