Talleen Hacikyan

Talleen Hacikyan is a printmaker, illustrator and art educator, based in Montreal.  She received her BA in Fine Arts and Fine Arts Education from Universite du Quebec a  Montreal.  Awards include First prize at the Loto-Qubec Printmaking Competition and Prix Pierre Henry, awarded by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Talleen has exhibited widely in Canada and internationally.  In 2013 she had a solo exhibition at the Armenian Museum of Art in Watertown, Massachusetts.  Her works are included in major private and public collections such as Alcan, Domtar and The National Bank of Canada.  She is a member of Atelier Circulaire printmaking studio, in Montreal, and has been teaching art in printmaking studios, schools, art institutions and museums for thirty years.

I started using Akua Inks in 2014, after a long practice of using oil based printing inks. While my passion for printmaking remained insatiable, I was becoming disenchanted with the arduous and toxic process of printing with traditional methods and inks.  My printmaking practice revolves around collagraphy, monotype and relief, all of which involve non-toxic plate making.  It was a natural step for me to gravitate to non-toxic water-based Akua Inks, to render my entire printmaking method safer and more pleasant. When I started researching about the water-based printing inks on the market, I was immediately drawn to Akua.  I liked that it was designed by printmakers.  The informative demo videos on the Akua website motivated me to start experimenting with the inks.

I joined the Akua Demo Artist Program because I want to help spread the good word about Akua Inks, here in Quebec.  Quebec printmakers are becoming increasingly interested in expimental techniques such as monotype and mixed print media.  The time is ripe for introducing these artists to Akua Inks.  I enjoy teaching art.  Becoming a demo artist will be an exciting way to compliment my teaching and to interact with the public in a new way. Akua has changed my approach to monotype printing in particular.  The rich palette of colors, slow drying time and easy clean up let me build up my prints layer by layer.  Because the printing process is so simple I compose my monotprints with up to eight thin layers of ink, experimenting with transparency and opacity.  The process has become very liberating, thanks to Akua.