Photo Credit: Shawn Theron www.SOGH.orgGuess what happens when you give printing ink, acetate, nice printing paper, a quick demo on additive and subtractive monotype approaches and basically no rules to thirty 6th graders? They "discover" Rorshack prints, nearly 100% of the time, every time. And they love it. And they go faster and faster, trying to make as many as they possibly can in as short a time as they can. AND everyone starts running around, showing prints to each other saying, "it looks like a bat!", or "a face!", or "a monster!".
During clean up time, I noticed an abandoned plexiglass palette with a stunning red goopy ink mess on it with a blob of yellow in the the upper left. I had to print it. It was too goopy, so I didn't rub the paper too hard and then ghost-printed it right below. I'll be darned, but it looked like two red monsters. I did another couple, let them dry and took them home.
At home I got out my all time favorite inks, Dr. P.H. Martain's colored India inks. Oh, how I could wax poetic about the wonder of those inks! Anyhoo, I started painting on top of the blobs, and my first monotype monsters were born! (all thanks to the playful influence of my exuberant 6th graders!)-- And hey, if you want to read an awesome book about the influence of childrens' art on the modern artist, get The Innocent Eye: Children's Art and the Modern Artist. Many, MANY famous pieces by Picasso, Paul Klee, Miro, Dubuffet...all *directly* influenced by very young children's art work).
As I made more monsters, I took them down to a smaller scale first on metallic gift wrap as a printing plate, then printed (hand-rubbed) on really great quality watercolor paper, pre-cut to standard frame-sizes. Man, are they fun to make! You should try! Then, it's like seeing a face in the grill of a car or something--you just draw/paint/ink on top---the sillier the better!
I took them down to my pals at the AVAM giftshop (Sideshow), and they agreed to put them up for sale--100% of the proceeds go to the artists in Haiti that The Sidewhow has direct and personal relationships with, to help in recovery efforts from the earthquake(s). If you look at the 2nd photo, you will see one of the MANY breathtaking sequined Drapos (flags) for sale to raise money for the artists there. You can purchase one of these gorgeous drapos at the Sideshow's site http://www.sideshowbaltimore.com/SIDESHOWsite/Home.html
If you can go in person though, DO! You just won't believe the intricate beauty of this traditional Haitian art form till you see and touch it for yourself!
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