"Color, materiality and luminosity continue to be the conceptual foundations and the building blocks of my aesthetic of intimate minimalism, reflecting my interest in the architectural and in geometric abstraction. Driven by the freedom to question, “What constitutes a print?”, I explore the boundaries of traditional printmaking through a painter’s printmaking process of monotype, where I apply oil-based printmaking inks directly on to metal plates. Each monotype, or unique print, is individually inked with oil-based printmaking ink and run through the press one time. The freedom of the monotype process is the brainchild of my Slab Sculptures as well, in which hundreds of slabs of hand-torn printmaking paper are heavily inked on both sides, run through the press, and then constructed into various architectural configurations.

I am deeply engrossed in the power of color to evoke emotion, to echo sense of place, and to encourage contemplation. I strive to create works which have a sense of inevitability about them and which reveal a sense of oneness with the viewer."

- Betty Merken