Interview with Mark McDevitt of Methane Studios, Inc.

Biography

Methane Studios gotits start in 1998 when Mark McDevitt and Robert Lee formed apartnership to produce silk screen posters for the East Atlanta clubThe Echo Lounge that featured some of the best independent bands inthe late 1990s.

The roots of thispartnership started in the mid 1980s at Columbus College of Art andDesign located in Columbus, Ohio. Robert and Mark, both from smallOhio towns, majored in Illustration and bonded over bad '80shaircuts, corndogs, good music and creating art to form a friendshipthat would transcend into creating award-winning artwork recognizedworldwide. Our status as well-known designers has led us to winawards in design competitions in How, Print magazine, and the Graphisposter annual.

In college we learnedin a more traditional way, which allowed us to explore techniquesthat we use today. We never let our posters "look"computerized. We use the computer like a pencil or paintbrush. Thecomputer has allowed us to speed things up and to explore moreoptions for sure, but we still belly up to the drafting table often.We draw inspiration from many artists, be it musical or visual, and ourwork tends to have a vintage influence and is shipped from oursecret, haunted (true story) studio located in East Point, GA.

Why do you like to print?

I like to silkscreen because the imageslowly comes alive right before your eyes color by color. I like theboldness of the medium, the imperfections and happy accidents thatcome along with it, plus its long history in the art world.

What is your favorite print medium andwhy?

Silkscreen is my fave. I took classeswhen I was in college and later on in my career experimented in mygarage for fun, which turned into Methane Studios. We’re producingsome letterpress cards that we’re excited about and hope tocontinue with more letterpress prints in the future.

How long have you been printing andhow has your work evolved?

We started printing in 1997 and at thetime we didn’t have any expectations for the work since it was moreexperimental, but now we strive for quality and good design. We arealways trying new solutions and growing as artists every year. Thelast thing we want to do is grow stale.

What inspires you?

A lot of the artists from the1940s-1960s inspire me, and I’m always discovering new old artworkposted on design blogs. We’re both music junkies and probably haveenough music that if I dropped dead at my computer it would continueto play music well after I have been mummified.

My family and Robert (my partner andbest bud) always inspire me to work hard, not to mention my boys seemto eat and grow out of everything quickly.

How do your promote your work?

We promote our work through ourwebsite, facebook, blogs and enter a lot of design competitions. Wehave also started to have booths at a lot of different craft fairsaround the country, which are fun. So if you see us, stop by and sayhowdy!

Are you working on any particularprojects now?

We are putting together work for ourFebruary gallery show in Raleigh, NC. In March we have a show inSavannah, GA, at the Bandwagon event, and then we’ll be at SXSW inAustin. In addition to all of that we are busy creating our firstgreeting card line, creating gig posters and getting ready for thebusy summer tour season, which could mean we might create and print more than 50 posters over a four-month period. 

We also get random projects from timeto time, so it’s always interesting to see what comes up on a dailybasis.

Tell us one random fact about yourself.

I used to collect beer cans back in thelate 1970s. I would cruise around Lancaster, Ohio, on my moped anddig in old dumps looking for rusty cone top cans, which were andstill are the most collectible. I can still remember how exciting itwas to make a big find and think about this every time I watchAmerican Pickers. Those cans reside in my man cave today!

Check out Methane Studios' Etsy shop, website and facebook page.

Interview with Clare Winslow

Biography:

Having originally studied painting and drawing, I discovered printmaking later when I took classes at the Corcoran College of Art in [Washington] DC and at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Maryland. As soon as I tried printmaking I was immediately captivated by it. This art form gave me an outlet for all of my creative identities: draftsman, photographer, digital artist and painter.

What is your favorite print medium and why? Although I love all forms of printmaking, I am especially drawn to screenprinting because it lets me easilycombine layers of color and imagery from my drawings, paintings and photography. Although screenprinting is often associated with flat, poster-like images, through the use of new techniques including building many layers, sanding and sponging ink through the screen, it can also produce prints with texture and painterly surfaces.

Tell us about your work:

As far as process goes, after coming up with a concept, I often use the computer to develop an initial sketch as well as the transparencies, but then I depend on my background in drawing and painting to make decisions about color, value, shape, texture and composition. Ultimately, I try to maintain a balance between process and feeling.

My latest prints deal with the theme of navigation. I am interested in working with signs and symbols that represent our attempts to chart a course through life and the physical world. This year I will produce work for a solo show in 2013, and will attempt to do more experimental printing, working with alternative materials such as textiles and bamboo. I’d really like toget the imagery out of the boundaries of the picture frame.

How do you promote your work?

Regarding shows and sales, I exhibit at the Washington Printmakers Gallery, outside Washington, D.C. I opened my Etsy shop a while back but only recently have had time to promote it. Etsy is a fun place to connect with artists from all over the world. Promoting my work is challenging, but I’m getting more comfortable doing it online through Facebook, by sending out emails to contacts periodically, and by simply talking to people about my work more often.

Tell us about your studio space:

I go to a screenprinting studio in Washington, DC which I can rent by the day and is big enough to allow me to work on large pieces. Now my kids are 8 and 12, I have more time for art, but there's still a lot of juggling going on, a scenario probably familiar to most artists with kids. I try to carve out time every day for art, even if it's a short period.

A random fact about me: I'm the child and grandchild of DC painters and a native Washingtonian. There aren't many of those!

Please stop by Clare’s website & Etsy Shop

Screenprint Treasury!

Printmaking Treasury!

John Maneval

John's Etsy Site and My Space Site are linked at the bottom of this interview.



Biography

I live in a small town in Pennsylvania. I love music, strange old things, cats and screen printing. I never went to art school.


How did you get started in printmaking?

My senior year of high school I took a graphics class, mostly because I wanted to make t-shirts. I loved doing it and that summer got a job at a local screen printing shop. I spent the next two summers printing family reunion, pizza shop and little league t-shirts and I loved it! A couple years later, I booked a show and the one band had screen printed posters. I thought that poster was the coolest thing ever. I fell in love all over again and eventually started to print posters of my own.

Describe where you work

Everything is done in my apartment. The actual printing is done in my kitchen, my living room floor is my “drying rack”, and I expose screens in my bathroom. It’s not pretty, but it works. There are days I get frustrated and feel like I am living in my printing space rather than printing in my living space, but I get over it. Someday I would like to have a more dedicated printing space though.

What's your favorite printmaking process?

Screen printing hands down, although there are some (methods) I have never delved into. I love the boldness and thickness of the colors, dragging the squeegee across the screen, then lifting it up and seeing what was just created.

What's your creative process for any given print?

After I have some sort of idea of where I am going with it I will start doing some little sketches. They are tiny and very rough, consisting of stick figures and notes in the margins. If people saw them they would think I was the worst artist ever. It’s like when your third grade teacher tried to draw an example of an Indian canoe on the black board and it looked like a radio riding in a banana. Once I have one that I like I jump in and start drawing it out. I try to use computers as little as possible along the way. I like things to look gritty and handmade. There is probably a Photoshop filter for “gritty and handmade”. Screw that! I search for ideas on a computer and sometimes do halftones and such on there, but I do my lettering, drawing, and color separations by hand.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?

That’s a tough one. There are a few things I really love. I love being able to draw and be creative. It’s an outlet for me. I love actually printing and seeing the work I have put in turn into something; like I said before, lifting the screen and seeing what you have made. Especially when it’s the last color and you get to see this image in your head right there on the paper, how it was meant to be. Maybe it’s just how you imagined all along or maybe it’s a touch different, but there it is, right in front of you! That’s exciting!

I love sharing my art, meeting people, and getting their feedback. I like hearing what people have to say about my work and how it makes them feel. Maybe they get something different out of it than I felt when I made it, or than I intended, but that’s the beauty of any art. It is right there in front of you as it exists, it looks the same to everyone. However every moment of your life up until you see that piece effects how it makes you feel. That feeling you get could be drastically different than the person next to you or even the artist. The fact everyone can take something different away is what really makes art amazing and powerful to me.

What's your least favorite part of the process?

Cleaning. Does anyone say anything other than cleaning? If I could I would have a setup like that episode of the Simpsons where Homer sees where the bowling pins come from, but with screens.


What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?

Jay Ryan, Leia Bell, Drew Millward, street art, cartoons, old roadside attractions, my friends Jeremy, Ryan and Tim's art, music, things I find at the flea market, horror movies, cryptozoology, old circus posters.


How has your work changed and evolved since you started?

I'd like to think I have gotten better.


How do you get past creative slumps?

This can be rough for me. If it's a gig poster, I will listen to the band and try to pick little interesting nuggets out of their lyrics. I look back through my sketch book, look at other's art, do Google image searches for weird stuff. You'd be surprised what you can see when you search “annoyed frog” or something. The funny thing is I usually get like three ideas for other projects before I come up with what I'm looking for!


How do you promote your work?

I do interviews for awesome blogs about printmaking! I make flyers and post on message boards. I guess I promote like someone would promote their band, cause that's what is familiar to me. Occasionally I set up at punk rock flea markets or alternative craft fair type events too.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?

My first bit of advice is just jump in and do it. Don't worry if you're good or not, it's not that important. Art totally changed for me the day I figured out that you don't have to be good. I grew up in the punk scene and its just like punk bands, they aren't very good at playing their instruments, but there is a passion there. Just do what you want to do, put your heart into it, and you will probably be surprised how it goes. Someone will like it. Then you will enjoy creating and you will accidentally get better.

For all those printing at home, CLR will clean all the ink and emulsion out of your bathtub. Don't get too attached to your security deposit. Ink gets on stuff, it's just what it does. Lock your cat in another room when you print. There is a reason cats don't screen print, they aren't very good at it.

John’s My Space Site

John’s Etsy Site