Pressing Matters VI

Another glimpse at the 6th annual printmakers exhibit: Pressing Matters:

Here's another shot of Melissa West's block print "La Penitente". It's printed on fabric.

Another piece by Art Hazelwood, "Security" a screenprint.

"Madonna and Dog" a monotype/mixed media by Veronica Buros Kleinberg

 Another nice intaglio one by Bea Benjamin--"Baobabs".

 Geoff Bernstein's  aquatint " Afghan Musicians"

"Italy 2015" drypoint etching by Martha Cederstrom

Another delightful, edgy stone lithograph,"Desolation Angel 2" by Sam Vaughn

Diane Cokely's linocut:  "Somalia, Ethiopia, Libya, Syria, Sudan?"

Two aquatint etchings by Connie Smith Siegel

 Connie's self portrait. A woodcut she did in 1961!

One of Elan Kamesar's prints from the show. Also a woodcut.

From the reception: me with Dahlia Kamesar and Connie Smith Siegel.

Check out the previous post for more on the show. You can also see previous Pressing Matters exhibits by checking the archives of this blog.

"String Theory meets Big Bear Teaching Story".  A collograph by Fred Berensmeier

Postscript:

Here a couple of youtube links to more work by Pressing Matters printmaker Fred Berensmeier

and

Pressing Matters VI: Printmakers Group Show

This November we hosted the 6th Annual printmakers show at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center--probably my favorite reoccurring art show of the year.

"Man with Hat",  Intaglio by Bea Benjamin

As usual the show highlights local print artist’s etchings, woodcuts, linocuts, lithographs, screen prints and monotypes.

This year’s featured artists include Bea Benjamin, Fred L. Berensmeier, Geoff Bernstein, Martha Cederstrom, Diane Cokely, Danielle Fogel, David Getz, Art Hazelwood, Elan Kamesar, Veronica Buros Kleinberg, Sophie Larsen, Katya McCulloch, Cindy Miracle, Elaine Nehm, Larry Rippee, Gabriele Schwibach, Susan Shannon, Connie Smith Siegel, Sam Vaughn, Xander Weaver-Scull and Melissa West.

Here are a few examples:

"Phillip Petit, World Trade Center 1974", Intaglio on cardboard plate also by Bea Benjamin

A knock out piece by Melissa West:

"La Penitente", a linoleum block print on fabric.

"Corn Goddess/Corn Demon", woodcut by Art Hazelwood

"Two Cages" scratch-foam, pencil, rice paper, plexi  by Danielle Fogel.

“Brown Pelican (Endangered Species Now Recovered)” by Xander Weaver-Scull

For this print Xander made his own ink out of soil, water and maple syrup.

The print itself is a stencil using watercolor.

"The Border Wall Divides All Life" a screenprint by Art Hazelwood

"The Golden Book of Art", 4-Color linocut reduction by Katya McCulloch

“Songbirds of Iraq”, 12-color, 2-block linocut reduction by Katya  McCulloch

Both of these incredibly complex prints are part of the "Absence & Presence” project, an international touring printmaking response to the bombing of Al-Mutannabbi Street.

"Star Shaman and Raven Dream the First Signature of the Human Being"

a linocut by Fred Berensmeier

"Colorado II" a screenprint by Dave Getz

"Colorado III- Shooter's Bible" also by artist /musician Dave Getz

"Stripes for Pompeii" a monoprint using solar plate and Chine Colle by Cindy Miracle.

"Santa Maria Novella" monoprint (with image on plate) by Cindy Miracle.

"Silver and Black" monoprint (using encaustic medium on plate)

also by Cindy Miracle.

"Bubba" an etching by Sophie Larsen

"Desolation Angel 2", a great stone lithograph by Sam Vaughn.

"Limbus Infantium 1" a hand toned stone lithograph also by Sam Vaughn.

Wonderful stuff. Great variety.

This really is only a portion of the exhibit. Hopefully I'll have a chance to put up more images from the show soon.

Roger May, R.I.P.

Currently in my life there’s a sad parade of people leaving the planet.

I got word from Michael T. Gilbert on Monday that Roger May has died.

Somewhere near Grass Valley/Nevada City: me, Kevin Brady and Roger May circa 1991

I first met Roger at a comic convention in 1975-- the first San Francisco Bay Con. He was dressed in red long johns, maybe a green cape, with a large red rubber nose. He called himself the Red Banana.

This was a little jolting, even for a comic con back then (and definitely a pre-Cosplay move).

Roger was a wild man. A trickster. Sometimes an uncontrollable force.
He could certainly make things exciting; sometimes he brought along total chaos.

The GroundUnder crew in self caricatures. Roger made a T-shirt out of this.

A cluster of cartoonists from that first Bay Con formed an informal jam night loosely dubbed the GroundUnder Cartoonists. We met on a weekly basis at Kevin Brady’s house. It consisted of Kevin, Marc Miyashiro, Trina Robbins, Michael T. Gilbert, Melinda Gebbie, Dot Bucher, Shelby Sampson, me, and of course, Roger.

Super grainy photo of me (left), Roger (center) and Norman Dog (right) circa late 1970's-early '80's
We're at a Loonies meeting (another San Francisco based cartoonist salon of the day).

Roger had many passions. Two worth mentioning here were mini–comix and stereoscopy (aka 3-D imaging).

A San Diego Con jam with Doug Dougherty, Paul Mavrides, Roger, me, Shel Dorf, Steve Leialoha, Melinda Gebbie, Bob Foster, Trina Robbins, Carlo Lay. Jackie Estrada gave me this photo back in 1979.

Roger was avid creator of mini-comix. He celebrated many a San Diego Comic Con by producing an on-the-spot mini enlisting the talents whoever was handy (which could be Scott Shaw!, B. Kliban, Steve Leialoha, Dan O’Neill, Bruce Simon, Leonard Rifas, Al Gordon, Rick Geary, Pete von Shelly, Revilo, Rogerio, and on and on..).

He also published scads of minis beyond the cons (such as The Short Comings of the Red Banana, Vibratory Provincial News, Mouse Liberation Front Communiqué and High Stakes & Everyday Conflicts).

Somewhere along the line, Roger chanced upon an old stereo camera from the 1950’s and he was off and running. He became wild about 3-D effects and created stereo photography and ultimately produced a series of 3-D comic books (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Spirit 3-D, Steve Canyon 3-D, Zenozoic 3-D).

Eventually these two interests collided and he created  "The World’s First   3-D Minicomix".

Roger amused, enraged and inspired.
Roger was an original.

Michael Rippee, 1947-2015

Since today is Day of the Dead It seems an appropriate time to commemorate the passing of my cousin Michael Rippee.

He died October 3rd. I don’t think I’ve really come to grips with this fact. In my life, Mike has always been there.

He was a musician, a drummer, since his early teens (before that he played trumpet). His parents, Garland and Pat, were completely supportive of his music. The family went to the Monterey Jazz Festival every year (and as an honorary sibling I often went along with my cousins, Mike and David).

Mike’s commitment to his music was total. He was a working musician, certainly not a rock star. Throughout his career he played straight-ahead jazz (his first love), rock, blues, big band swing, Texas swing, Dixieland, country (and western), with pop cover bands and probably anything else that he had the opportunity to try his hand at.

He began his career with the obligatory garage band, in this case, the Rumblers later known at various Battle of the Bands as the Rumblemen.

An interruption for a less musical tour during the Viet Nam War. (But Mike managed to find jam sessions in the Philippines).

                    (A slightly more hirsute version of the Rumblemen)

From there to the sorta-psychedelic, The Flight, to the jazz-rock band Moss (they played the Fillmore West in 1970).

A long tenure with south Bay Area local legends, The Collective Works.  Up in the Sierras with the Texas swing band, the Legendary Stardust Cowboys (and a lot of chili cook-offs).   And with the Hangtown Jazz Company (they played the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee).

Other projects included Caught in the Act, Crosscut and in latter years, the Blues Defenders.

Johnny Rawls, Mike, and Jeff Piche

Jamming with Kenny Neal

The Blues Defenders of Sonoma county hosted a highly successful weekly pro jam. Mike had the chance to jam with Terry Hanck, Zakiya Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Chris Cain, Ron Thompson, Kenny Neal, Lloyd Meadows, Jackie Payne and numerous others. The Defenders have been featured at the Sonoma County Blues Festival and Russian River Blues Festival.

Cousin Mike with Bill Bowker of KRSH radio, Donny Mederos and Johnny Rawls

Over the years Mike had long working relationships (and friendships) with a remarkable array of fine musicians including Bishop Norman Williams, Johnny Rawls, The  Jonutz Brothers (aka Cold Blood Horns), Steve Campos, Larry Stewart, Bob and June Williams, Dave Cardoza, Olen Dillingham, Jimmy Rivers, Lydia Pense and Rick Kellogg  (this is a short, inadequate, list to be sure).

Mike had three children and a considerable network of family and friends.
I was fortunate to be part of that family.