Five-layer silkscreen, each layer was hand pulled on this silver leather jacket, printed in 2008 by Alison Wallis in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY.Most great things that have happened to me in my life, have happened by divine serendipity.
For example, learning the art of silkscreening. I happen to get a private lesson from Ray Cross, now owner of Bushwick Print Lab. I was thrown into the mix of live printing event one night in the fall of 2005 in Dallas, Texas at Art Prostitute Gallery. Peripheral Media Projects (PMP) was doing a pop up show and live print night, surrounded by Ron English’s art show. The day before, one of the PMP partners got sick. I was there to support in anyway I could. I happened to be an artist of other mediums but pick things up pretty quick. So, I helped set up the images, burn screens, tape them out, set up the print station. And watched.
This event lead me to move to Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, in March of 2006 to run the back end of the silkscreen shop and lend a hand with design and printing when needed at festivals, underground parties or corporate gigs. When everyone was out working or traveling on jobs, I would take full advantage of having a huge fully functioning shop and would stay up all night to print what ever I wanted. I had access to so many colors and over 150 screens that I had a say in some of their design.
This is one of the things I printed on my own from that time.
Alison C. Wallis is Creative Strategist, Bettie O’s, BettieOs.info@gmail.com.