reflections on printmaking

Doing so much laying around, I have done a lot of reflecting lately, particulary about art. Wanting to be an art teacher, I think about art as an important part of any education. Printmaking isn't as prevalent in public schools because of the cost of equipment and caustic chemicals, but it is such an important discipline because it really reenforces not only drawing and mark making, but how we see and construct. For me, printmaking is a type of visual gymnastics, at least in the constructive process because sometimes you work backwards and you end up with a mirror image of what you have drawn, inked, carved or etched. You have to rethink how you place color because it's different from painting and drawing. One of the things I really appreciate about printmaking is that it makes me think about visual communication and the potential for seeing the world in a new way. ann