A partial accounting of the origins of my (nearly) life-long screen print fixation.

A by no means comprehensive and in no way definitive list (though aspiring to an accurate chronology) with some vague recollections of the circumstances under which I may have become aware of and/or acquired an affinity/appreciation for the work. With sh*tty, poorly-lit, hastily taken iPhone photos!

Note: All dimensions are the approximate dimensions of the art – not the frame – in inches. As always, click images for larger view.

Chris, Ralph Maradiaga, 1974Chris – Ralph Maradiaga, 1974, 7.5x10.25. This is the piece that started it all. A family friend, Ralph was one of the early pioneers of Chicano Art and a masterful and prolific screen printer. I’ve got other pieces of his, but this is the one that exposed me to screen printing and Ralph the person who gave me my early appreciation for the process and the medium. While I don’t recall the circumstances under which the piece was produced I’m very much aware of the effect this piece – and another of me on my grandfather’s shoulders – has had on me not simply as a screen print enthusiast, but as an artist and a person.

Mardi Gras, Artist Unknown, 1985Mardi Gras/New Orleans/1985 – Artist Unknown [Signature illegible], 1985, 12.75x22.5. I’m fairly certain that my Mom and step-father brought this back to me (in Berkeley) after their visit to Mardi Gras in ’85. I remember at the time not being drawn to it so much stylistically as executionally. I think it may have been my next real exposure to screen printing after over a decade of living with Ralph’s work (we had a least four pieces hanging around the house when I was growing up). This piece gave me a bit more context – a greater sense of the possibilities. While Ralph’s work got me excited about screen prints as an observer (though, if I’m not mistaken, he taught my 8-year-old self how), this is the piece that got me interested as an artist. Sadly (or not) my early attempts at screen printing (on the homemade screen my mom and I made in the early 80s) are lost to a box in a basement somewhere.

Sissy™, Designers Republic, 1994Sissy™ – The Designers Republic [Link is to old site with older work], 1994, 11.5x16. My first purchase. I think it was ’96. I was already a well-established tDR fanatic by the time I had the wherewithal to take the leap and acquire this piece. A piece that I felt took screen printing and mutated it – with its “techno” style and dayglo and metallic inks – in to something altogether new and fresh. Though unsure of the year I actually began my collection, I do recall the overwhelming covetous urge to begin it with this piece.

Coop in Switzerland, Coop, ca. 1995Coop in Switzerland – Coop, Undated [And no date provided on the site.], 22x34. I’m thinking this was sometime in the mid-90s but I don’t think I got it until ‘00-’02. I can’t remember. I had admired Coop’s work for a number of years – for a period in the mid to late 90s it was practically impossible to avoid his Devil Girls (Possibly NSFW. Depending on where you W.) – and I absolutely loved this big, bold, iconic image that again awed me with the power of “the print”. Still I spent weeks, maybe months, going through his prints online – just to be sure this was the one. But it probably goes without saying that it was his illustrated self’s likeness to my real self that really piqued my interest. There was never really any question which print I’d get. When I acquired this piece I surreptitiously adopted the Coop Devil as my own unofficial mascot.

Joe Strummer Hero Stamp, Shepard Fairey, 2004Joe Strummer Hero Stamp – Shepard Fairey, 2004, 35x45. Maybe it’s just my myopic view of the “scene”, but I’d argue that Shep is undeniably the most visible contemporary promulgator of screen printing and screen prints. He is an icon – and champion – of the medium. Love him or hate him, he’s talented and prolific and – with this piece – he pulled me through my dabbling dilettante phase and turned me in to a collector. One of the four pieces in the oversized Hero Stamp set, this stunning, exquisitely crafted print – at once refined and riotous – provided another paradigm shift in my appreciation for screen printing’s power and possibility.

With only a couple of exceptions, I commited early on (around the time of the Coop piece) to buy only a single piece from a given artist – a challenge to be sure – and since turning the “collector corner” with the acquisiton of the Shep piece, I’ve continued to cautiously currate a collection that includes pieces by Jasper Goodall [In my excitement I included a giclée – which I also love and collect. Just not like I love screen prints.], Bawidamann, Evan Hecox, and Faile. Just a few of a diverse group of exceptional artists all producing stunning screen print works and pushing the medium forward.

Another note: With the exception of the first piece, I can’t attest to the involvement of the artists in the actual screen printing of their work.