| monoprint extravaganza |
Five of the most renowned Arizona artists got together in
Mesa on Saturday, April 29, for a remarkable and
multicultural art show at “Tortuga Studios.” Navajo painter
and illustrator Baje Whitethorne, Hopi/Navajo sculptor and
carver Kevin Quannie, Crow Indian master printer and
painter Damian Charette, Chicano muralist and sculptor
Martin Moreno, and Choctaw/Euchee-Creek flautist and
artist Randy G. Kemp gave attendees a spectacular
demonstration of hard work, talent, and passion. The “Hot
off the Press” Monoprint show presented the best in
Chicano/Latino and Indian art.
Attendees had the opportunity to watch these artists during
the creative process that consisted of painting original
artwork on a clear plastic plate, and then running it through
a print press to print the image on paper. Monoprints are
essentially printed paintings. Artists apply color directly on
the plexiglass plate surface, and then print it by running it
under a press. The main characteristic of a monoprint is that
only one copy is created, even though a second run of the
same painting can go through the press one more time,
giving as a result what artists call a “ghost,” a much lighter
print. The original artwork cannot be reproduced.
Mesa on Saturday, April 29, for a remarkable and
multicultural art show at “Tortuga Studios.” Navajo painter
and illustrator Baje Whitethorne, Hopi/Navajo sculptor and
carver Kevin Quannie, Crow Indian master printer and
painter Damian Charette, Chicano muralist and sculptor
Martin Moreno, and Choctaw/Euchee-Creek flautist and
artist Randy G. Kemp gave attendees a spectacular
demonstration of hard work, talent, and passion. The “Hot
off the Press” Monoprint show presented the best in
Chicano/Latino and Indian art.
Attendees had the opportunity to watch these artists during
the creative process that consisted of painting original
artwork on a clear plastic plate, and then running it through
a print press to print the image on paper. Monoprints are
essentially printed paintings. Artists apply color directly on
the plexiglass plate surface, and then print it by running it
under a press. The main characteristic of a monoprint is that
only one copy is created, even though a second run of the
same painting can go through the press one more time,
giving as a result what artists call a “ghost,” a much lighter
print. The original artwork cannot be reproduced.
| Artist and Master Printer Damian Charette, owner of "Tortuga Studios." looks at the last piece of the "Hot off the Press" show: an impressive monoprint created by Chicano artist Martin Moreno. The plexiglass can be seen on the pressbed. Due to the historic and social value of this artwork, BARRIOZONA purchased this piece. |
The show was impressive because artists were
simultaneously creating at a rather fast pace, while
Damian Charette was in charge of running the plexiglass
with the created painting through the press. Within a
couple of hours, several monoprints were hanging,
drying, while art lovers who attended the show were in
awe, admiring the beautiful and original artwork
produced by these incredible painters.
At the end of the show, when most of the attendees had
left, Chicano artist Martin Moreno begun to wok on an art
piece. Inspired by the recent immigrant's marches in
Phoenix, he painted an amazing image that combined the
City of Phoenix skyline and the Phoenix bird,
representing the sun. In "El 10 de Abril" (April 10th) as
Moreno titled his piece, a Mexican man holding a sign
with the famous chant "Si se puede" is seen, other men
and women, and a representation of the multitude of
demonstrators who marched in Phoenix seeking an
immigration reform. Because of this, and besides being
an artistic expression, Moreno's piece acquired a social
relevance, a characteristic of most of his work.
Many of the other monoprints created by the artists who
participated in the "Hot off the press" art show were
pieces of singular beauty and great cultural value.
Overall, the event itself was an incomparable opportunity
to see some of the best artists in creative action, as well
as a unique visual experience of monoprint art.
simultaneously creating at a rather fast pace, while
Damian Charette was in charge of running the plexiglass
with the created painting through the press. Within a
couple of hours, several monoprints were hanging,
drying, while art lovers who attended the show were in
awe, admiring the beautiful and original artwork
produced by these incredible painters.
At the end of the show, when most of the attendees had
left, Chicano artist Martin Moreno begun to wok on an art
piece. Inspired by the recent immigrant's marches in
Phoenix, he painted an amazing image that combined the
City of Phoenix skyline and the Phoenix bird,
representing the sun. In "El 10 de Abril" (April 10th) as
Moreno titled his piece, a Mexican man holding a sign
with the famous chant "Si se puede" is seen, other men
and women, and a representation of the multitude of
demonstrators who marched in Phoenix seeking an
immigration reform. Because of this, and besides being
an artistic expression, Moreno's piece acquired a social
relevance, a characteristic of most of his work.
Many of the other monoprints created by the artists who
participated in the "Hot off the press" art show were
pieces of singular beauty and great cultural value.
Overall, the event itself was an incomparable opportunity
to see some of the best artists in creative action, as well
as a unique visual experience of monoprint art.
| Baje Whitethorne |
| Martin Moreno and Damian Charette |
| Whitethorne, Quannie, Charette, Moreno and Kemp, taking a quick break to pose for BARRIOZONA's camera. |
| Randy Kemp with young monoprint fanatics |
| BARRIOZONA |
| Bilingual Community Expression Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues |
| Kevin Quannie |
| Text and photograps by Eduardo Barraza Contributed to this story Melody Savannah |
Five of the most renowned Arizona artists got together in
Mesa on Saturday, April 29, for a remarkable and
multicultural art show at “Tortuga Studios.” Navajo painter
and illustrator Baje Whitethorne, Hopi/Navajo sculptor and
carver Kevin Quannie, Crow Indian master printer and
painter Damian Charette, Chicano muralist and sculptor
Martin Moreno, and Choctaw/Euchee-Creek flautist and
artist Randy G. Kemp gave attendees a spectacular
demonstration of hard work, talent, and passion. The “Hot
off the Press” Monoprint show presented the best in
Chicano/Latino and Indian art.
Attendees had the opportunity to watch these artists during
the creative process that consisted of painting original
artwork on a clear plastic plate, and then running it through
a print press to print the image on paper. Monoprints are
essentially printed paintings. Artists apply color directly on
the plexiglass plate surface, and then print it by running it
under a press. The main characteristic of a monoprint is that
only one copy is created, even though a second run of the
same painting can go through the press one more time,
giving as a result what artists call a “ghost,” a much lighter
print. The original artwork cannot be reproduced.
Mesa on Saturday, April 29, for a remarkable and
multicultural art show at “Tortuga Studios.” Navajo painter
and illustrator Baje Whitethorne, Hopi/Navajo sculptor and
carver Kevin Quannie, Crow Indian master printer and
painter Damian Charette, Chicano muralist and sculptor
Martin Moreno, and Choctaw/Euchee-Creek flautist and
artist Randy G. Kemp gave attendees a spectacular
demonstration of hard work, talent, and passion. The “Hot
off the Press” Monoprint show presented the best in
Chicano/Latino and Indian art.
Attendees had the opportunity to watch these artists during
the creative process that consisted of painting original
artwork on a clear plastic plate, and then running it through
a print press to print the image on paper. Monoprints are
essentially printed paintings. Artists apply color directly on
the plexiglass plate surface, and then print it by running it
under a press. The main characteristic of a monoprint is that
only one copy is created, even though a second run of the
same painting can go through the press one more time,
giving as a result what artists call a “ghost,” a much lighter
print. The original artwork cannot be reproduced.