Short Stories: Ron Meick’s November Exhibition at Washington Printmakers Gallery
This November, Washington Printmakers Gallery welcomes back Ron Meick for a solo exhibition titled Short Stories, a compelling new body of work that continues Meick’s exploration of printmaking as both a technical process and a philosophical inquiry.
Prints as Memory, Metaphor, and Meaning
In Short Stories, Meick invites viewers into a visual dialogue shaped by personal narratives and collective resonance. These prints are not literal illustrations but metaphorical landscapes—layered, textured, and open to interpretation. They echo the artist’s belief that meaning is often found in the spaces between clarity and ambiguity, between the familiar and the elusive.
Each piece in the show is a story told through imprint—a gesture that is both immediate and meditative. Meick’s choice of printmaking is deliberate: it is a medium that bridges individual memory with shared experience, allowing the physical act of pressing ink to paper to become a metaphor for the imprint of time, emotion, and history.
Featured Works
Among the works on display are:
“Last Call From a Broken Horn” (Relief, 1/1, 2025): A large-scale print that evokes the echo of something lost or fading, framed at 34" x 26.25".
“Concealed Silence of Conditions” (Lithograph, chine collé, varied edition of 4, 2025): A smaller, intimate piece that suggests quiet resistance, framed at 18.25" x 15.25".
“Red Eye” (Lithograph, edition of 4, 2025): A bold, layered composition that pulses with urgency and introspection, framed at 28" x 22".
These works are complemented by short stories generated by AI—each prompted by Meick’s own descriptions of the prints. These 100-word narratives offer a speculative lens through which viewers can engage with the art, adding another layer of interpretation and interaction.
The Studio Behind the Stories
Meick’s studio is a testament to the tactile and technical rigor of his practice. With an 8-intaglio relief press, a litho grinding station, and a combo press among other tools, the space reflects the physicality of printmaking and the artist’s commitment to process. It’s here that the stories begin—where ink meets matrix, and ideas take form.
A Continuum of Exploration
Short Stories builds on themes Meick has explored in past exhibitions at the Gallery -- Anomaly and Illuminations. In the former, the artist celebrated the beauty of imperfection and the interplay of control and chance. In Illuminations, he examined light and enlightenment through layered prints and digital transparencies. Now, with Short Stories, Meick turns inward, reflecting on how memory imprints itself on form, and how stories—whether personal or political—can be pressed into paper and shared.
Visit the Show
Meick’s exhibition opens in early November at Washington Printmakers Gallery, located at 1675 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, 11am–5pm, and Sunday, 12–4pm.
Whether you are a longtime follower of Meick’s work or a newcomer to the gallery, Short Stories promises to be a poignant, poetic experience—one that invites you to read between the lines, feel the press of memory, and discover meaning in the marks left behind.
