UV Protection

I was asked by artist Rebecca Morales to help protect the life of some prints she was going to have made.  Her project, in it's entirety will exist as a sculpture made up of smaller resin cast sculptures and bronze cast sculptures assembled on an illuminated table. The table will then be scattered with detailed lithographs of writings done by artists and friends of hers who are helping to inform the work of art.  The lithographs were printed by George Page, at Versailles Press, in florescent colored inks. Florescents are characteristically very fugitive. To help retard their discoloring process, I screenprinted layers of transparent base, containing a UV absorber,  over each sheet of super thin Gampi paper.

The result made for an even richer look for the flourescent inks and the Gampi became more satin to the touch. All 153 prints loked like individual treasured gems inscribed with insight. I am looking forward to seeing the project finalized.

The Littlest Print Exchange

Recently I participated in "The Littlest Print Exchange" , which involved an edition of 50- 3.5in x 3.5in prints The practice of a coordinating a print exchange creates an opportunity for printmakers, such as myself, to create an edition of prints, in this case 50, which are then combined with the prints of other artists to create portfolios. These portfolios then get redistributed back to each of the printers. In exchange for the 50 prints I gave, I get 50 different ones in return. Usually exchanges have  coordinating sizes and/or themes.  I can't wait to see all of the little guys!

This is an image of my participating print--pretty close to actual size!

It is a screenprint on Mexican wood paper.

RUR posters

In conjunction for with the RUR T-shirt project mentioned before, I was asked to print the posters to advertise the production. The poster was designed by graphic artist David Croy. There were 100 posters printed total: 50 of the female robot figure, and 50 of the male robot figure. I think they look great! try to check out a performance, November 12-14!

The posters were printed on 18" x 24" paper

RUR T-shirts

I was recently asked to assist in a printing project for Caltech's new play, RUR--Rossom's Universal Robots. The Costume Designer for the production, Janne Larsen, needed shirts printed for robotic characters featured in the performance. The small mechanic door images were printed on the back shoulder of the shirts, and the RUR title was printed on the front. 

 All shirts were printed using plastisol

Finding out that Caltech had it's very own printmaking facilitty was very exciting! Look at how great this quiant old Pasadena back-house-screenprinting-shop is! Older Caltech students' T-shirt designs were strewn all over the walls. Check out some of the work!

"I put the 'stud' in study" and "When your best just isn't good enough" !?!?

JUSTICE

This project will be featured in an exhibition of sewing and social justice that accompanies the Performance, "BEHIND THE SEAMS." The project was made possible with a social justice grant from Loyola Marymount University, where I started teaching a silkscreening class this semester.  The artist who designed this work is Saeri Dobson, an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at LMU.
   I didn't have much time to do this project, so alot of usual testing and proofing had to be forgon and I jumped headfirst into to printing onto folded mens suit pants.  Fortunately most of the small text printed legibly. In addition, I printed 10 sets of the complete image on varying papers black, brown and white--including tracing paper.

  The entire project was silkscreen printed using matt black, gloss black, and gray ink.

The pants spell out the word JUSTICE

 

More eyeballs!!!

We completed another session of Emily's crazy crazy prints!  This one is half the size as the others shown previously.  It is a semi-square format measuring 47.5 " x 55".  This is one of my favorites!

After drying, the prints are carefully rolled onto glassine-lined tubes

Machine Project Benefit Tickets

   Today I completed printing event tickets for Machine Project , a non-profit community space in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles investigating art, technology, natural history, science, music, literature, and food.  In their storefront on North Alvarado street they produce events, workshops, and site-specific installations using hands-on engagement to make rarefied knowledge accessible.  Outside of the storefront, they operate as a loose confederacy of artists producing shows at locations ranging from the Santa Monica beach to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. They are currently developing a year long project (starting in January 2010) exploring how visitors experience the Hammer Museum.
   These tickets are for a benefit event being held to help raise support for this Los Angeles gem. For more information, please visit their website.
   The tickets were printed on heavy card stock using Bembo metal type.

Performing letterpress surgery

The final product!

Delirium from hours of printing makes you see a strange water creature...

  

June Wayne

Last night I was informed last minute that there was an opportunity to see June Wayne speak in an intimate setting in Hollywood.  Because June is in here 90's, I canceled class at LMU to see her.  June is a remarkable woman who is responsible for the creation of Tamarind and the livelihood of printmaking in this country. Her tale is long and facsinating.  She tells a tale of being a female artist during The Depression, the influence of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the craft of making the perfect edition worthy lithograph.  Because I had heard her speak before, I felt her very present within my experience at Tamarind. She is a strong,ambitious woman with a warm insightful sensibility. I was very lucky to get to speak to her about my experiences with Tamarind.

OtisFitToPrint

I am a new author added to the OtisFitToPrint blog. Please visit often to hear about other print related topic outside of my own! Thanks for following me!!!!!!

Yarnbling!

I printed business cards for my mom's new line of knitted accessories--Yarnbling!

I used a boxcar photopolymer plate on a Universal I letterpress. She uses various yarns and vintage buttons.

Emily Joyce-EYEBALLS!!!!!

Hello everyone.

I wanted to share some pictures from a project I recenly completed with an artist named Emily Joyce. Emily was referred to me by a former teacher of mine from Otis, Melissa Thorne. She called me just as I returned back from Tamarind. Her work is very similar to the pictures below in scale and imagery, but are made up of vinyl stickers stuck to a mylar-like material called Duralar. The problems she was facing were hours and hours spent cutting, and the vinyl was working it's way off of the Duarlar as temeratures changed. How to solve such problems? SCREENPRINT them!

As you can see this was a crazy ambitious project to start, but clearly fun and exciting.

As the prints took shape we became hypnotised by the optic spinning eyeballs. Hours of taping, exposing, mixing, figuring out registration tools, blow drying, cleaning, testing, cupcake eating, pandora serching, muscle spasms...with the help of many assistants, and the Otis printmaking lab, we completed 3- 55" x 88" prints, 1800 pulls, close to 70 hours of work. And they are beautiful!!!!