Believe it or not Phrump could be your next president. Why is that you ask? Because the evil Wilson has put Phillary (who is she?) up against him, and Bernie, I mean Rutherford the Brave has been put out to pasture. Beware of the Phrump. Now available in my shop:http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/phish-summer-tour-3-poster-set
Another commissioned piece. Really enjoyed this one. Make to look like an old time postage stamp. Features a highly detailed rendering of the Roebling Suspension Bridge, built by John A. Roebling. This bridge spans the Ohio river between Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky. When it open in 1866 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It also served as the model for the Brooklyn Bridge also built by Roebling. Limited supplies are available in my shop:http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/phish-9-20-2000-riverbend-music-center
I am always looking for something new to print on. This week: Foil Paper. Lets just say its been a challenge. Special precautions have been taken, the foil paper is so sensitive and desperately wants your finger prints all over it. For the first time ever I am printing whilst wearing surgical gloves. That’s a lot of sweaty hand action. The room for error when block printing is high, foil adds an entire new dimension to that aspect. A few linocut guys told me I am insane for even trying to block print on foil, yes maybe. My best friend, used to look at me wild eyed when we were younger and say “If you don’t know the rules of physics- they don’t apply to you!” That has been my mantra. Hey, if you like the foils…buy em…I am not sure I will ever attempt foil printing again. Time for me to change my gloves… To purchase: http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/phish-foils-the-set
Here is my latest print. 7 Color hand drawn, hand carved and hand printed linoleum block print commemorating Phish’s Magnaball Shows at Watkins Glen, NY next weekend. The print measures 12 1/4 x 23 1/4 ish and is printed on 80 French Starch White Paper. The lady glows in the dark. Signed and numbered edition of 50. Available for purchase at: http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/phish-magnaball
Originally these were created as a give away for my poster collecting friends during the GD50 shows in Chicago. The original run of thirty was given out but I am still getting requests (every day). So, I am releasing my own proofs for purchase. Each print measures 8 x 8 and is hand printed on 80lb french Speckletone paper and signed and marked as an artist proof. Quantities are extremely limited. Proofs can be purchased here: http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/grateful-tube
My interest in gig posters began as a music fan. Through the years I have gone to “lots” of shows, too many to count. When I could, and when they were available I bought a poster. Before I knew it I was a poster collector. After almost two decades of collecting I started getting interested in making posters. Funny, all those posters I have collected over the years are like reference material to me now. For years I collected in a vacuum, nobody knew I collected and I really didn’t know anyone who collected. Through the internet that has changed. I have forged real life friendships with collectors all over the world. When I headed to the GD50 shows in Chicago I printed up a little something to give to my collector friends.
The print is rather small (approximately 8.5 inch square). Hand printed on French Medero Beach Speckletone paper (80 lb), which were actually scrap cutoffs from another project, as was the small block of linoleum. The entire 30ish piece edition was cut and printed while my 7 year old read and “Ant Man” book aloud.
A while back I was approached by a group of collectors who asked me if I would be interested in creating a print based on a particular musical event within an even larger music event. The folks who wanted to hire me had attended Phish’s Superball IX Festival in Watkin’s Glen, NY in July of 2011. Long after the main concert field had cleared the band set up inside a “storage unit” erected on site and played some of the most trippy, psychedelic music they have ever played. Funny thing, you could not really see the band inside the nit, only their shadows working away. I was immediately interested. We agreed on one multi-colored print with a glow element. The more i watched and listened to the storage jam , the more I became convinced that the best way to depict this event was with four prints, each print focusing on a different band member. I went back to the group and asked permission to change the scope of our engagement. I received and enthusiastic YES, and I began to draw, cut and print. Each print measures 12 x 12, glows in the dark, and is embossed with the show information date, location, etc.
At the beginning of the year I moved my studio to a much bigger space. More room for everything, more light, more horizontal space, a ventilation system (of sorts) and did I mention more space.
The first thing I did in the new space was to print the last project that had been designed in my old space. It went well. I had more than enough space to print and dry the 120 piece project with plenty of room to spare. While printing I began thinking of what was next. Turns out what was next was a project that had been on my mind for about a year. I wanted to create a print to honor my favorite block printer on the planet, Jim Pollock. Jim single-handedly revitalized the music gig poster industry. The industry in its’ current state literally erupted around him. He brought the art back to gig posters, which for too long were merely poorly designed graphic art, a far cry from the high poster art that we saw in the 1960’s. His now iconic hand printed posters created for Phish are some of the most coveted posters of all time. And he did all of this while remaining a nice guy.
At one point I changed from poster collector to poster maker and I attribute all of that to Jim Pollock. His work made me curious about block printing and some of the first things I attempted to print were his old Phish posters. Printmaking has unlocked an unknown joy in my life and for that I will always be grateful. I could go on and on but I think you get the point. Check out the slideshow below to see how this print came together.
These prints are available for purchase at my webstore: http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/
My last post focused on what you could do in a short amount of time. This post is the opposite of that. For the past two weeks I labored over this poster for Phish’s Halloween Run in Las Vegas. Comprised of 5 separate blocks, seven colors, two of which glow in the dark, The Bride of Fishman was a marathon, not a quick sprint. Aside from the cutting time, I printed 50 of these in 2 batches of 25. Each batch of 25 took approximately 12 hours of continuous printing to complete. Enjoy the slide show of my progress from sketch to completed project. This print is available for purchase in my web store: http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/phish-halloween-2014-las-vegas-the-bride-of-fishman
Over the weekend, my wife and son went to Upstate New York to visit her sister. I was left alone to my own devices. I spent most of my time in the printmaking studio. I had one print job that had to be done…paying client. When I finished with the paying gig I had another print in me. So on Saturday morning around 11am, I started drawing. I was able to create, sketch, cut and print three blocks worth of color onto a pretty nice Phish Fall Tour Poster, all before 3am on Sunday. Print measures 9 x 22, printed on Polar White 90lb Stonehenge, with a double deckle edge. Edition Size 50. Prints will be available my webstore: http://marcguertincreative.bigcartel.com/product/phish-fall-tour-2014-phuego
Marc Guertin Creative 