Monoprinting artist Lisa Moon Self, of Durango, will hang her art at Olio, 114 W. Grand Ave., this month. An artist reception will be held at Olio from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14. To learn more about this artist, visit LisaMoonSelf.com. We recently caught up with Moon-Self, and she answered a few questions for the Mancos Times.

Question: For those of us who don't know your back story, when and how did you get into art?

Moon Self: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended great schools with rich art programs that I really loved. After a communications degree from UC Berkeley, then a graphic design degree from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, I began a long process of creative work in professional window display and graphic design. This evolved into a love of painting and print-making. Now, in Durango for over two decades I have a very small art studio at home and enjoy the close commute.

Question: What is your creation process like?

Moon Self: I create art for the love of creativity and sensory feel of the process. I start with a sense of settling into the present, feeling the stickiness of ink, the shapes and textures, the rhythm and spacing, even the rustle of paper and the clink of tools. As I work with the sometimes unpredictable printmaking process, I am not consciously addressing meaning, theme or concepts. I engage in the process of art and surrender to the arising creativity. That's what I love to do.

Question: Explain your art? It isn't quit print making and it isn't quit painting? How did you come to this technique?

Moon Self: There is a lack of direct control in hand-pressed monoprinting that allows the novel and surprising to manifest. Wonderful layers and textures arise from the history on the printing plate (marks from previous prints) and multiple layers of ink, and some drawing and painting directly on the paper. This results in unrepeatable and complex prints. It is quite simple - but not easy.

Question: Are you a full-time artist? If you have a day job, how do you balance family, art and career?

Moon Self: I mix art-making and life as best I can. Of course, everything influences the art, and the artistic process also influences my way of being in life. I enjoy that mixing.

Question: What inspires you?

Moon Self: I receive inspiration from within and with-out. Sometimes it is something that arises in my body or my inner senses and that mixes into the process. Other times it might be good design in fashion or architecture. My background is in graphic design so I am sensitive to nice layouts and what others are doing with typography, textures and white space. I love Japanese aesthetics and their reverence for wabi-sabi. Over the years, what I've taken in visually to the subconscious, blends and naturally arises in the creative process. So I try and have a good visual diet!

Question: What can people expect when they go to see your new show?

Moon Self: Wow. It can be tricky to tell people what to expect, but. Some of the art is bright, colorful and fun. Other pieces are more detailed, neutral and even dark. As one looks closer the details grow and deepen. Some pieces are small, like 4"x4", with dramatic matting, others are larger, like 8"x10", with different sizes of mat and frames. I try and keep the framing clean and simple so the art glows outwardly.

Question: Anything else you would like to add?

Moon Self: From a distance some of the pieces can appear simple. But when the viewer approaches closer and pauses to look deeper, new textures, colors, lines and depth are revealed. I love this aspect of the way I am using monoprinting, it allows one to pause in the everyday flow and go deeper and be rewarded for opening one's awareness and looking.