Self-Help Graphics Atelier Printmaking Program
Self-Help Graphics & Art
Los Angeles, CA
2006
Artist Statement by Linda Vallejo
The Electrics are a fusion of my experiences in the golden days of Hippie-Dome and Psychedelia, the magical, hallucinatory quality of indigenous Native American and Mexican ceremonial tradition, and decades spent at the computer manipulating digital imagery. These combined experiences are the basis for my “electrified” paintings and sculptures, where nature appears to glow with an almost otherworldly light.
The Electrics began as “portraits” of the California Canyon and Valley Oak which surround my home in Topanga Canyon. For twelve years prior, I had been painting California landscapes in the tradition of fantastic realism, but as I experimented with the oaks they began “morphing” from realism into abstraction. The transition came about when I tried to capture the glow of an oak bathed in the light of a full moon. The painted field became dissected by multiple organic shapes and marks painted in contrary and contrasting colors.
In thinking through the artistic process I believe that The Electrics are influenced by Andy Warhol’s psychedelic pop icon, the splotchy “pixels” of Chuck Close’s portraits, the cosmic 60’s pallet and minimal line of Peter Max, and Klimt’s emphatic patterning, combined with the visual repetition and coloration of Huichol yarn painting and indigenous ceremonial bead work. In revisiting these artists and their work I am reminded of how the artistic mind “gathers” information and experiences, sometimes over a very long period of time, to reaffirm these influences in the creation of new work.
Electric Oak, 2007
Silkscreen print 1/88
24 x 24 in.
About Self Help Graphics Atelier Professional Printmaking Program
Self Help Graphics & Art’s (SHG) acclaimed Atelier Professional Printmaking Program offers artists of various experiences the opportunity to create limited edition silkscreen serigraphs and monoprints through a peer-led approach that is dedicated to providing an environment that nurtures and supports our artists’ creativity and careers.
Each year, SHG conducts one to two atelier projects. 10 artists per atelier are invited to create new work in SHG’s nationally recognized printmaking studio. An artist/curator is selected for each atelier and projects range in theme and focus. The artist/curator selects participating artists and presents the project’s concept to SHG’s Program Manager and Executive Director, after which it is presented to participating artists. The project’s method of peer-to-peer learning through the role of the artist/curator continues the tradition of SHG’s artist-led mission and programming.
Once the artists are selected, a weeklong artist residency is held in collaboration with the artist/curator as well as SHG’s Printer and Program Manager at SHG’s fully equipped silkscreen studio. Artists are free to use traditional painting techniques and to experiment with text, digital, or photo manipulation in the creation of their work. The artist works with the Master Printer and Program Manager throughout the entire process. Each edition is printed on archival paper, receives SHG’s studio chop, and is certified in accordance with professional printmaking standards.
Self-Help Graphics Printmaking ProgramThe Electrics