I rarely ever do gigposters anymore. But when the opportunity to do a Primus print came up, there was NO WAY, I was going to say no! Big thanks to the mighty ZOLTRON for the opportunity to take part in creating a print for the Lincoln, NE show. They were lovingly printed by Monolith Press. -RobRegular edition
When I was younger I used to travel a lot. I'd go on tours with bands, travel with my family, friends, etc. On one of those trips, I had the opportunity to see something called the "Wall of Death".
Motorcycle daredevils riding at what seemed like breakneck speeds, on a vertical wall, inside a large wooden shaped silo. I knew centrifugal force was holding them in place, but the sights and sounds of the whole experience was electric! It stuck with me for some time.The print is 18" x 24" Hand screen-printed with water-based inks on French Madero Beach Speckletone paper.
This print is a tribute to those incredible performers who tempt fate daily as they ride the Wall of Death.
As some of you know from one of my earlier prints, I've been a Doctor Who fan since the '80's. The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is less than a month away and I can't wait!
Taking inspiration from one of my favorite comic book creators, what had started out as some random doodles while I was reading a Jack Kirby book, quickly blossomed into the TARDIS print.
My kids have been begging me to do another art print. We always have a good time making them, and I’m happy to pass on whatever screen printing knowledge I have to them, hoping one day they may follow in my footsteps.
We scheduled this past weekend as “Family Print Weekend”. My 7 year old son drew a killer robot the other day. It just looked too cool NOT to turn into a print and “Tin Can Man” print was born. My 10 year old daughter loves cats, so her print idea was a “Calico Kitty”, each one hand embellished with a pink nose.
The kids did great! I stepped in and helped out when needed, but both of my kids worked the squeegees on each of their prints. Needless to say, I’m a VERY proud Dad.
My son is following in my footsteps… I couldn’t be more proud of him. At 7 years old he knows what he wants, and that is some extra spending money for his summer vacation. With a little help from me, guiding him as he printed, we worked together to make this 4 color art print come to life. Daddy and me time at its best!
When I was a kid, I used to run home from school to watch my favorite TV shows. One of them, was this British television program that ran on WTTW, (the PBS station in Chicago). It was a quirky science fiction show about a time traveller called the Doctor. He and his companions whisked around space and time in a blue phone booth looking thing called a Police Box.
The year was 1980. The show was called Doctor Who, and I, was hooked.
The Doctor at that time was played by an actor named Tom Baker, who wore a ridiculously long scarf. I decided I needed a long scarf too. I wrote a letter to some long forgotten address I obtained, and received a knitting pattern for the scarf. I somehow talked my grandmother into making one for me. It was awesome. Even though I was ridiculed mercilessly by my peers for wearing it, my love for the 4th Doctor and his adventures never diminished.
Well, it just so happens that 2013 is the 50th year anniversary of Doctor Who. It's the longest running science fiction television series in the world.
This is my homage to those days from my youth. Days that were filled with countless hours spent watching Doctor Who and pretending that I too, could travel in space and time.
I first learned about Harry Houdini when I was a little kid, one lazy Sunday afternoon while watching the 1953 film starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, on TV.
In that movie, there's mention of a great magician, named Von Schwager.
Naturally, I had to find out more about this magician who shared a similar surname with me.
I poured over whatever Houdini books that I could get at the library to find out about this mysterious "Von Schwager" person. Turns out, he was just a character made up for the movie. However, in doing all this reading, I came to learn a great deal about the incredible man known as Houdini. I became obsessed. I learned of his meager upbringing. His drive to excel at whatever he did. His incredible work ethic. How reading a book about magician Robert-Houdin, at an early age changed his life and set him on the path that would eventually make "Houdini" a household name. He was the catalyst for my life-long love of the art of magic.
In celebration of Harry Houdini's 139th birthday, (March 24th) I'm releasing this print, as a small tribute to him. The man who had made a giant impact on my life and inspired my imagination.
Happy birthday Harry. Your legend lives on….
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Most kids these days don't know what it's like to play outside for hours on end. My children are guilty of it as well. They're consumed with technology and hand-held gadgets at every turn. When I was a kid, we'd leave the house as early as possible, have adventures outside all day long and then we'd practically have to be hunted down by our parents after dark to come in for dinner and then eventually bed. -Rob Schwager