Monoprint Extravaganza
By Eduardo Barraza
Melody Savannah contributed to this story
BARRIOZONA
April 30, 2006
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.
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. “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.
Copyright © 2006 Hispanic Institute of Social Issues
Melody Savannah contributed to this story
BARRIOZONA
April 30, 2006
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.
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. “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.
Copyright © 2006 Hispanic Institute of Social Issues
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