This workshop is currently full. Please contact me to be placed on the waiting list.

Hugo Anaya’s approach simplifies color printing into a layered process where each color is printed separately and built up to create the final image, or key. Using CMYK theory, transparent layers of ink overlap and mix, producing a wide range of colors from the primaries. The ink is intentionally distressed through marks that are either planned or intuitive, allowing each layer to create an element of surprise as it interacts with the others. Running the print multiple times through the press is essential, as the transparency and buildup of layers brings the image to life. This method is ideal for learning how color behaves, especially when working with transparency agents and varying ink viscosities. It also supports the development of rich textures and dynamic, colorful compositions. While it is fundamentally a monotype technique, it can be combined with drypoint, chine collé, or other processes to create a more dimensional, almost sculptural quality in the final print.

Traditionally, CMYK is a color separation process used in commercial printing that creates full-color images by layering the four process colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Instead of mixing secondary and tertiary colors beforehand, CMYK printing uses separate plates or screens for each color, layering them one at a time. As the inks overlap, they combine to create a wide range of colors while the black plate adds depth and detail.

In the Complex To Simple Printmaking Workshop, a simplified version of this process will be used. You will ink and manipulate one or more plates with the primary colors. Then, by carefully registering with each printing and layering these transparent inks, a wider range of colors will be created. Where all the colors overlap, black will often be the result. Black can also be added as a final printing with monotype or drypoint.

Hugo Anaya is a professional printmaker with many years of experience teaching and exhibiting. While attending Portland State and the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Anaya apprenticed under several Master Printers and later assisted world renowned printmaker, Carol Summers launching him on his career path. His teaching style is personal, direct, and always tailored to accommodate the interests and needs of his students. Anaya has exhibited with numerous galleries and taught extensively in the US and Mexico. Hugo currently operates Piramidal Grafica, a fully equipped professional studio as well as managing Alma del Sol, a sweet bed and breakfast along with its intimate rooftop studio in his home town of Guanajuato, Mexico.

The tuition for this three day workshop is $495 (plus tax) and includes 21 hours of instruction and supervised work time (9am to 5pm with an hour for lunch each day). All materials will be provided and includes one full sheet of BFK or Arches 88 paper per person. Additional sheets will be available for purchase. A deposit of $100 is required to confirm your participation (refundable, less Paypal fees, before June 21, 2026).