Provenance

Woltjen/Udell Gallery, Edmonton

Private collection, Victoria

During a visit to New York in 1981, Joan Mitchell took a rare extended break from her home in France to create a series of lithographs in collaboration with master printer Ken Tyler. Known for her rigorous and emotionally charged approach, Mitchell brought the same intensity to printmaking as she did to painting—carefully layering, revising, and exploring color as a sensation rather than a literal reference. Deeply rooted in Abstract Expressionism and the subjective aesthetic of the New York School, her work transforms nature into emotional landscapes, where the act of mark-making becomes a record of inner experience.

The Bedford series, ten multicolor lithographs, completed between February and March 1981, reflect Mitchell’s expressive struggle between freedom and control, coherence and wildness. Emphasizing the physical properties of the medium—greasy crayon, liquid tusche, and the absorbent paper—the prints pulse with the same energy found in her paintings. Each piece is a visible record of process, revealing revisions and imperfections that celebrate emotional truth over conceptual polish. Printed on Arches 88 paper and signed by Mitchell, the edition stands as both a technical and artistic triumph, exemplifying her belief in the unity of means and ends, and the transformative power of art grounded in authentic experience. This work is 47/70 from the edition. Published by Tyler Graphics, Ltd. Bedford, New York.