Due Process at Gallery 5

It was a busy weekend! Thanks everyone who came out Friday night to Gallery 5 and gave screen printing a try. And I do mean everyone. We brought over 300 sheets of paper for folks to print on and we ran out by the end of the night. We didn't even have any samples left over. So thanks and I hope you all learned a little bit about what a silk screen is.

For those of you who didn't make it out, here's a recap. Kevin Orlosky of Art on Wheels curated the show Due Process which opened last friday night at Gallery 5. He asked us create an original piece for the show as well as conduct a screen printing demonstration for the crowds that inevitably pour in on a First Friday on the Artwalk. Here's our print, "Cross-Corporate Synergetics" by Matt Deans, Spencer Hansen, James Callahan, Rawn Gandy, and Kelly Alder, displayed alongside the transparencies, a few of the layers, and the actual squeegee and screen we used:



For the demonstration we thought we'd keep it simple. We took a character from each artists' section of the print and enlarged them and threw each on a screen. Passersby were invited to choose one of the five characters to lay down over the first silver layer that had already been swiped. It was a hit. People got real excited to pull that squeegee and then lift the screen and see the results right there on the paper. Pure magic! We're definitely planning to incorporate demonstrations like this wherever possible.

Our setup at Gallery 5:


Professor Rawn instructs an eager participant:


The eager participant registers his paper:


The Magic happens!


Here are the prints all those lucky participants printed themselves and took home to hang over their fireplaces:

artist Matt Deans:


artist Spencer Hansen:


artist Jim Callahan:


artist Kelly Alder:


artist Rawn Gandy:


Special thanks to Rawn Gandy and Barf Callahan for manning the tables and offering their expertise to all those inquisitive and adventurous minds.

Upcoming Show: Due Process at Gallery 5

Friday, April 3rd
First Friday Opening Reception

Due Process: An educational exhibit about the many processes of printmaking
Curated by: Kevin Orlosky
First Friday Opening Reception April 3rd 7-11pm
Gallery 5 RVA

Exhibit runs through April 28th

Printmaking is one of the most versatile forms of art making. It has been used by artists for thousands of years. It has had tremendous advancements over the years while the traditional techniques are still being used. Artists are usually drawn to its methodology, intimacy, and subtlety. One advantage to printmaking is that prints can be editioned so that multiples of the same image may be sold. Because of this, printmaking has been used in the reproduction market. Unfortunately outside of the fine art and collector world, a reproduction is what is generally thought of when someone mentions the word "print." This is mostly due to the size of the greedy art reproduction industry. "Due Process" aims to end this stigma that has hindered the reputation of fine art prints to the general public. Fine art prints are original artwork that has been produced by the artist's hand.
Due Process will showcase not only the end result of the artist's works, but will exhibit and explain the steps, tools and materials involved in each print process.

- Gallery5arts.org

We worked very hard on our submission for this show and it turned out pretty well. I didn't have time to photograph the final print properly, so here's the digital version. You'll have to come to the show to see it in person. It's a whopping 40in x 26in! Way too big. Never again! Come to the show this friday anyway and you can swipe you're own exclusive Team Eight Press print during our live print tutorial. Five designs to choose from, each one from a different artists involved in the following piece. I'll post how they turned out after the show.

So here's the skinny on this big-ass poster. Five of us contributed to the illustration, Matt Deans, Spencer Hansen, Jim Callahan, Kelly Alder, Rawn Gandy, and some consultation by Russ Guatier. It should be self explanatory the chaos that ensued.

This poster is titled "Cross-Corporate Synergetics"


Details, clockwise:

Matt Deans:


Spencer Hansen:


Jim Callahan:


Kelly Alder:


And Rawn Gandy:


It was epic, so come out and see it in person.

Screen Printing tips and tutorials

Download a tutorial I did about screen printing and building your own vacuum and light tables:

click here

Learn To Build Your Own Silk Screen Studio!

Team 8 Press is hosting Gallery5's Repressed III Screen Printing Workshop/Tutorial. Here's the details:

Repressed III

Screenprinting Tutorial/Workshop hosted by Team 8 Press

materials fee: $10

March 30th, 1pm-4pm

Learn the basics of DIY screen printing and take a stab at your own poster or t-shirt under the guiding hand of Team 8 Press. Get the scoop on building your own equipment and launching your own cheap, effective screen printing studio anywhere.

Sign up at Gallery5 or email spencer@team8press.com by March 23rd. We'll be meeting there at 1pm on the 30th and carpooling to Team 8's secret underground lair on Northside of RVA.

Don't forget to bring your own blank shirts or we'll supply paper for printing posters. Also, refer to our Artwork Preparation Guide (available at Gallery5 or here) for instructions on creating and submitting your artwork by March 23rd.

Screenprinting and Other Tutorials

There Once Was A Rebellion is a politically charged project aiming to arm the public with guerrilla media techniques such as stenciling and screen printing. It is a wealth of simple DIY info designed to allow communication with the public on a large scale without the need for an inflated budget or a list of inflated connections.

Check out the easy to understand, illustrated instructionals including one by yours truly and start setting up your own shop on the cheap.