Buddha Cat Press

Affordable Art Fair, Los Angeles

2012-01-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

BCP is gearing up for the Affordable Art Fair in Los Angeles!

Twelve years ago, Will Ramsay changed the model of the traditional art fair by creating the Affordable Art Fair, where contemporary art is accessible to all. Now in ten locations around the world, with the upcoming L.A. fair being the eleventh, Affordable Art Fair proves that you do not need to be an art expert or a billionaire to have original works of art by living artists in your home or office. With the fair taking place in Amsterdam (spring and fall), Bristol, Brussels, London (spring and fall), Los Angeles, Melbourne, Milan, New York (spring and fall), North London, Singapore, and Sydney, over $270 million worth of art has been sold at the fairs. The success of the brand continues with the estimated millionth visitor to the Affordable Art Fair expected in 2011.

Buddha Cat Press is working in conjunction with Edition 100 to produce a print for the Affordable Art Fair. A percentage of this print, "Family" by Yuri Shimojo, will go towards helping relief in Japan. Yuri will be at the Art Fair to talk about her printing process with Master Printer Karen Fiorito. Along with being an official sponsor, Buddha Cat Press will be giving FOUR workshops during the weekend of January 21-22 in our booth, A-13. These workshops are an introduction to the serigraphic process (screen printing as you may know it.) So, come by our booth, check out our new prints and take a workshop!

Here is more info on Yuri's piece:

http://www.awakeafterquake.com/wordpress/2011/03/yuri-shimojo/

LACMA Print Fair: Edition 2

2011-12-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Print Fair on December 10, 2011. A good time was had by all! Thank you to Dawn, Sarah, Chris, Kevin and Oscar for helping out!

Robert Pollard Prints on Sale!

2011-11-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

7 color screen print (of an original collage) is entitled, "Greetings from Camp Confusion."
15" by 20.5". Edition of 100, signed and numbered by the artist.
Printed on Arches Silkscreen 88 paper by master printer Karen Fiorito in Los Angeles, CA.
Price: $100.00

ON SALE FOR $75 plus shipping and handling!

Re: Augustine Kofie & Theo Jemison – Afrika Bambaataa

2011-11-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Fine art screen print in honor of Afrika Bambaataa, the Godfather of Hip Hop. A portrait of Bam by photographer Theo Jemison, remixed by Augustine Kofie, and printed by Karen Fiorito at Hard Pressed Studios in Los Angeles. A hip hop art instant classic. 8 colors (which includes metallic gold ink, 2 blacks and a clear varnish) on Stonehenge 100% cotton paper. 2008. Edition of 100. 18″ x 24″. Signed by Bambaataa on the front, and Kofie and Jemison on the back. $100

Serigraphy Workshops at Buddha Cat Press

2011-10-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Professional screen printer and artist Karen Fiorito takes you through the process of making a limited edition of fine art screen prints using imagery you supply. Topics include strategies for making color separations; options for photo emulsions, screen meshes, films, inks and papers; techniques for photo silk screening, including digital images; processes for multiple color registration; procedures for care and handling of prints; and steps for analysis and troubleshooting.

Two week workshop runs 2 days, 7 hours per day for 2 consecutive days (Lunch provided). The first workshop will be on November 12-13, 2011, and the second workshop will be the following weekend, November 19-20, 2011. Space is limited, so sign up today! To reserve your spot, please email karen@buddhacatpress.com for more details. Price: $250 plus $50 for materials (paper, ink, emulsion, newsprint, etc.) Participant will walk away with a multi-color edition of their own work, an advanced knowledge of the process and a screen of your images!

Bio:

Karen Fiorito received her Master’s in Fine Art in Printmaking from Arizona State University and her Bachelor's of Fine Art in Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Pennsylvania.

For the past 7 years, she has owned and operated Buddha Cat Press, a socially conscious printmaking studio and publishing company. Most recently her work was showcased at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles for the Pacific Standard Time Project.

Her work has also been featured in major publications such as Art in America, the Huffington Post, the LA Weekly, and URB Magazine. She is the recipient of a Puffin Foundation Grant in 2005 and a Change, Inc. Grant from Robert Rauchenberg in 2004.

Fiorito also recently curated Evolution Revolution: the Interconnectedness of All Beings, an exhibition featuring the work of William Wegman, Sue Coe, Gee Vaucher and other prominent artists.

She recently was the first resident artist at Jo Lankester Limited Edition Prints in Townsville, Australia. Her recent work in Townsville also includes a 2-sided light box on Flinders Square, and her future plans for involvement within the Townsville art community include a mural on Flinders Street, a solo exhibition at Brush and Press Studio, and a workshop at Umbrella Studios Contemporary Art.

Currently Ms. Fiorito divides her time between Los Angeles, CA and Melbourne, Australia. She is also planning a workshop at Dial House in London this Summer.

New Print by Karen Fiorito

2011-10-11T20:44:00.001-07:00

Goddess of Print

6-color reduction cut

24" x 32"

Rives BFK paper

Edition Size: 5

APs: 5

$300

Artist Statement:

This reduction print is based on the Hindu legend of the Goddess Durga:

A long time ago, the world was in great peril. War and famine were widespread, and demons ruled the earth. The great demon Mahisasura, who took the form of a bull, was their leader. Despite all their efforts, none of the male gods could defeat the demon. The gods retreated from battle and summoned a goddess, for it was foretold that only a woman could save the world from such destruction. Out of a supernova of their collective energies appeared the Goddess Durga with 10 arms riding a tiger. She defeated Mahisasura and his army. Peace was restored and the earth was healed. Although the people of earth begged her to stay and rule them, she refused. "That is not my way," she said, "but if ever you need me again, just think of me, and I will come."

I have recreated this image of the Goddess Durga and replaced her weapons with tools used in printmaking. She represents the creative, emotional, compassionate and powerful aspects of the divine feminine. Durga is the destroyer of ignorance and represents determination and will power, fierce compassion and patience. I believe that only through these qualities can we bring about peace on earth and to all of its creatures. My hope is that through my art I can cultivate these aspects of the divine feminine and inspire others to do the same, whether they be male or female,

New Gum Bichromate Workshops

2011-10-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

Gum Bichromate Workshop in Los Angeles with Karen Fiorito

October 23rd and November 6th, 2011

This workshop covers the essentials of the time-honored gum-bichromate process. You will leave the workshop with a small edition of your own two -color gum-bichromate prints. Master printer Karen Fiorito will guide you through the entire process - from the creation of individual plates from the digital image you provide through the care and handling of the final prints. She will also describe some best practices for the process and make suggestions for individual images which may require special treatment and help you make your own set of fabulous gum-bichromate prints. Please note - you will need to e-mail a scanned image that you'd like to use within three days of the workshop start date.

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Location: Downtown Studio

Instructor: Karen Fiorito

Duration: One Day.

Dates: See available sessions below

Topics covered in the workshop are:

making separations from a digital file or flat artwork

registration of films

color strategies for separations and the creative process

choice of inks

choice of paper/ alternate material selections for substrates

historical practices and creative options

image enhancement/modification (bleaching, brushing, masking and other advanced practices)

analysis and follow through/troubleshooting session where warranted

care and handling of final prints

Space in the workshop will be limited to 10 (ten) participants..Each participant will go home with their own edition of silkscreen prints. The workshop fee is $275.There is an additional lab fee of $45 to cover the cost of fine art papers and inks for this workshop. . The workshop takes seven hours and includes a lunch with a non-alcoholic drink of your choosing. The fee also includes handbook summarizing topics included in the workshop. Individual instruction is also available upon inquiry.

Students of accredited educational institutions are also eligible to receive a 15% discount on all workshops. Please inquire about multiple workshop discounts too.

See also: Silk Screen Printing with Karen Fiorito and other workshops coming soon.

Please contact karen@buddhacatpress.com for more info and to reserve your place.

Gee Vaucher Print Release!

2011-03-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

"Pretty Polly"

Serigraph on Stonehenge Paper

Size: 15" x 22"

Edition # 50

Price: $300 + Shipping and Handling

Signed and numbered by Gee Vaucher

Printed by hand by Karen Fiorito (with a special cameo by Gee Vaucher)

Artist Statement:

"All humans are animal, but some animals are more human than others."

Artist Bio:

Her work with Anarcho-punk band Crass was seminal to the 'protest art' of the 1980s. Vaucher has always seen her work as a tool for social change and in her collection of early works (1960-1997) Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters, her artwork moves easily from gouache, pastel, collage and everything in-between, to show her strong political, and feminist views.

In Vaucher's second book, Animal Rites, she reflects on the relationship between animals and humans. This book of collage work comments on our determination to imbue animals with human behaviour and sentiments.

New Gee Vaucher Print Coming Soon!

2011-02-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that Gee Vaucher has been collaborating on Buddha Cat Press!

Here is a preview of the prints.... you can check it out in person at the Evolution Revolution Exhibition at the Santa Monica Art Studios this weekend! Gee will be there and the next day for the Artist Panel. For more information on the exhibition and its artists please visit the Evolution Revolution website.

Gee Vaucher in the studio.

Her work with Anarcho-punk band Crass was seminal to the 'protest art' of the 1980s. Vaucher has always seen her work as a tool for social change. In her collection of early works (1960-1997) Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters, Dagenham, East London. Vaucher is shown to use paints and collages to show her strong anarcho-pacifist, and feminist views through her artwork. Vaucher also uses thesurrealist method to express her aforementioned ideals and styles.

In Vaucher's second book, Animal Rites, she gives a commentary on the relationship between animals and humans, centered on the quote "All humans are animal, but some animals are more human than others."

Second Peter Kuper Print from BCP!

2011-01-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

"Fat Cat"

Serigraph on Stonehenge Paper

Size: 15" x 22"

Edition # 40

Price: $100 + Shipping and Handling

Signed and numbered by Peter Kuper

Artist Statement:

As the wise old cat was heard to say:

"If life is a bowl of cherries, can I have a second bowl?"

Description:
This is the second image taken from the book, The Last Cat Book (1984), in which Kuper illustrates an essay on the value and nature of cats by Robert E.Howard, an American author best known for his character Conan the Barbarian.

The original 49 prints were carved from linoleum blocks, then printed by hand by the artist. Each image was only printed once or twice and never editioned. We have chosen to reproduce a few of these linoleum prints using serigraphy (silkscreen). This image of Fat Cat was printed on top of a split fountain background on archival rag paper.

As with ALL Buddha Cat editions, EVERYTHING was printed BY HAND!

This print will be release on January 28th, 2011 at 12 NOON!

Email karen@buddhacatpress.com to purchase or for more information.

Pepsi Refresh Project

2011-01-04T22:06:00.001-08:00

Evolution Revolution is participating in the Pepsi Refresh project and we need your votes!

Please go to http://www.refresheverything.com/evolutionrevolution and vote for us!

It's free and you can vote up to 4 times a day!

Peter Kuper Prints at Buddha Cat Press

2010-11-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

Peter Kuper and Buddha Cat Press are releasing a limited edition print and t-shirt!

Ying Yang is a one color silkscreen to be included in the Evolution Revolution: The Interconnectedness of All Beings exhibition.

Based on a linoleum cut by the artist.
Signed and Numbered.
Edition of 50.
15" x 22" on Stonehenge paper.
$60 plus shipping and handling.

Artist's Statement:
"When I quoted Saul Bellow's line " In an age of madness to be untouched by madness is a form of madness" to my cat, she replied,
"Prrrrrrrrr"
I couldn't have agreed more and promptly created this image."
-Peter Kuper

SPECIAL OFFER!
Buy a limited edition t-shirt of Phoenix Cat in addition to your print for only $75! *T-shirts sold individually at $25.

Bio:

Peter Kuper co-founded of the political zine World War 3 Illustrated and has remained on its editorial board for 30 years.
His illustrations and comics have appeared in Time, The New York Times and MAD where he has illustrated SPY vs. SPY every month since 1997. He has written and illustrated over twenty books including The System and Stop Forgetting To Remember.

Peter has also adapted Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and many of Franz Kafka’s works into comics including an award winning version of The Metamorphosis. Peter lived in Oaxaca, Mexico from July 2006-2008 and his work from that time can be seen in can be seen in his latest book Diario de Oaxaca.

Phoenix Cat design by Peter Kuper.

Evolution/ Revolution: the Interconnectedness of All Beings

2010-11-11T16:14:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Bita Shafipour
info@EvolutionRevolutionArt.org

LOS ANGELES, CA – November 9, 2010 - Evolution/Revolution: The Interconnectedness of All Beings is a collaborative art exhibition and forum between Buddha Cat Press, nine renowned visual artists, Santa Monica Art Studios and SoCiArts Productions. The team has come together to produce a socially conscious exhibition focusing on animal welfare and the environment.

The mission of this project is to use art to open new dialogues and explore human perceptions about nature and the environment, awakening and inviting people to make more conscious decisions about their food, clothing, pet and lifestyle choices. Through the astonishing work of these nine prominent artists, the producers wish to bear witness for those beings who do not have a voice and to contribute to the shift in consciousness which is needed to end pain and suffering for all beings. The exhibition also includes a vibrant forum of activists, educators, filmmakers and thinkers who deal with the subject of animal liberation. Now is the time to start a social movement through art and dialogue, a revolution in humanity and an evolution of consciousness.

The exhibition is curated by Karen Fiorito and features the work of William Wegman, Robbie Conal, Sue Coe, Gee Vaucher, Peter Kuper, Yuri Shimojo, Emek, Cole Gerst and Karen Fiorito with an installation by Pouya Afshar. The show runs from February 19 through March 26, 2011 at the Santa Monica Art Studios – Arena 1 Gallery at 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405.

Opening Reception: February 19, 2011 5 – 9 PM
Artist Panel: February 20, 2011 3 – 5 PM
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday 12 – 6 PM

For more information on the art exhibition and the events please visit:
www.EvolutionRevolutionArt.org

To contribute to our Kickstarter campaign, please go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/evolutionrevolution/

The Artists:

• William Wegman was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1943. He graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, in 1965 with a BFA in painting, then enrolled in the Masters painting and printmaking program at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, receiving an MFA in 1967. After teaching at various universities, Wegman’s interests in areas beyond painting ultimately led him to photography and the infant medium of video.

His most recent exhibitions have gone to Japan, Sweden, and the Orange County Museum of Art in California. Wegman lives in New York and Maine.

• Robbie Conal grew up on the upper west side of Manhattan--his parents were both union organizers who considered the major art museums to be day care centers for him. He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York, got his BFA at San Francisco State University and his Masters of Fine Arts degree at Stanford University.

He developed an irregular guerrilla army of volunteers and put his posters up in the streets of major cities around the country. He has made more than 50 posters satirizing politicians from both parties, televangelists and global capitalists. He also takes on issues of censorship, the Supreme Court's ruling against women's freedom of choice, and environmental issues.

• Sue Coe is one of the most important politically oriented artists living in the U.S. today. From the outset of her career working as an illustrator for such publications as the New York Times and Time Magazine, Coe was committed to reaching a broad audience through the print media.

Widely written about and exhibited, Coe has appeared on the cover of Art News and been the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Her work is in the collections of many major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

• Despite her much sought after work as an illustrator and later as a painter, gee vaucher is perhaps best known for the extensive body of work she created during the late seventies and early eighties. quite apart from her now famous collages, as designer with the renowned punk band ‘crass’, she concentrated her highly developed painting skills on ‘photorealism’, creating some of the most disturbing and acclaimed images of the time. Her work is generally accepted as having been seminal to the iconography of the ‘punk generation’.

Most of her work since then has in some way been connected with the human form, intimately exploring the psychological diversities of social inter-relationships. she has been exhibited extensively both solo and in group shows throughtout the world.

• Yuri Shimojo is drawn to the world of indigenous cultures, which has led her studying universal shamanism as an energy worker. Yuri has published several books in Japan, including: “Makkana Mangetsu~Crimson Full Moon”(1995), which showcase her earlier illustration works, “Vagabonds” (2001), a journal work from her trip in Central America and Mexico, and “Chiisana Rakugaki~Tiny Scribble” (1997), an autobiography of her unique childhood, which has republished in 2007.

Now, living the nomadic bohemian lifestyle, Yuri explores the planet from the heart of metropolis to the outposts all over the world being guided by her own intuition, hopping between her home base and studio in Brooklyn to her tropical “boonie” hideaway in Hawaii. These extreme opposites from jungle to urban life balances her creative & spiritual yin and yang always bringing new sources of inspiration.

• Emek graduated with a Major in Art, and a Minor in Unemployment. His first poster commission was done immediately after the L.A. riots/uprising of 1992, for a unity rally and concert held on Martin Luther King Day. The poster was a success and from then on, Emek was hooked on the art form.

In Emek’s posters, psychedelic ‘60s imagery collides with ‘90s post-industrial iconography. To this collision of the organic vs. the mechanical worlds he adds humor, social commentary and fantasy. Even in the smallest details there are messages. All of Emek’s artwork is originally hand-drawn and then hand- silkscreened for each actual concert or event, usually in limited editions of around 300.

• Peter Kuper co-founded of the political zine World War 3 Illustrated and has remained on its editorial board for 30 years. His illustrations and comics have appeared in Time, The New York Times and MAD where he has illustrated SPY vs. SPY every month since 1997. He has written and illustrated over twenty books including The System and Stop Forgetting To Remember.

Peter has also adapted Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and many of Franz Kafka’s works into comics including an award winning version of The Metamorphosis. His graphic novel, Sticks and Stones, won the Society of Illustrators gold medal Peter lived in Oaxaca, Mexico from July 2006-2008 and his work from that time can be seen in can be seen in his latest book Diario de Oaxaca.

• Cole Gerst is a graphic artist and painter in Los Angeles, California. Originally from the deep south of Albany, Georgia, he grew up surrounded by many outsider and folk artists, including his grandfather, a respected local craftsman. As a kid, Cole enjoyed many of these artists’ fantastical stories about faraway lands, or conversations with Higher Powers. He was inspired by their ability to create art that revealed the world as only they saw it.

He now heads up the firm, option-g, which is a multidisciplinary design firm which provides illustration, graphic design, art commisions and animation to the music and entertainment industry. Option-G also includes a t-shirt company, option-g apparel, that releases a new line twice a year.

• Karen Fiorito is a political artist and curator residing in Los Angeles, California. She has been exhibited in over 50 exhibitions and has had 5 solo shows. Her art continues to be exhibited nationally and internationally and has appeared in such publications as Art in America, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hustler Magazine, the LA Weekly, URB Magazine and the Huffington Post.

Monet Clark's Thanka Prayer Blessing Incantation Medicine Spells

2010-10-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce the completion of Monet Clark's series "Thanka Prayer Blessing Incantation Medicine Spells."

This serigraph is eleven colors with very fine detail (no that is not pencil lines you see but pencil lines translated to silk screen!)

Individual prints are $30, and the four printed together as one print (as sh

own) is $85.

Here is also a flyer for the show in which these prints will debut. See you there!

Please contact monetclark@mac.com for more information!

A Three-Week Screen Printing Workshop

2010-08-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Buddha Cat Press is giving a three week intensive in Silk Screen Printing (AKA Serigraphy, Screen Printing) during the month of September.

Master screen printer Karen Fiorito takes you through all the steps of the process. Using imagery that you supply via a digital image you e-mail to us, you will be guided through the process of making a small edition of two-color silkscreen prints!

You will take home an edition of approximately 10 prints of your own.

September 15th, 22nd and 29th from 6 pm-9 pm.

Price: $150 (includes materials and refreshments)

Part of the proceeds will be donated to our friends at Self Help Graphics!

Please contact Karen [at] buddhacatpress.com to reserve your place today!

Stencil workshops

2010-08-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

Buddha Cat Press is hosting a series of Stencil-Making Workshops.

Participants will learn how to make a stencil and use it to make t-shirts and prints. Experienced stencil artists will be lined up to give instruction on beginning and advanced techniques for cutting stencils.

September 12th and 26th from 1-4 pm

The Stencil workshops are $60, which includes all materials and a free t-shirt.

Refreshments will be served.

Bio:

Karen Fiorito is a political street artist and curator residing in Los Angeles, California. Her art contines to be exhibited nationally and internationally and has appeared in such publications as Art in America, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hustler Magazine, the LA Weekly, URB Magazine and the Seattle Weekly.

She also owns and operates her own fine art printmaking studio and socially conscious publishing company, Buddha Cat Press, which produces prints for such submersive and visionary artists as Robbie Conal, Winston Smith and El Mac.

Fiorito received her Master’s in Fine Art in Printmaking from Arizona State University and her B.F.A. in Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In 2005, Fiorito received a Puffin Foundation Grant to install a billboard in Santa Monica, California, and in 2004, she was a recepient of a Change, Inc. grant.

To reserve your place at our workshop, please email karen@buddhacatpress.com

Part of the proceeds will be donated to our friends at Self Help Graphics!

"Hope" Raises Money for Hollywood Arts

2010-08-07T16:43:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles-based artist Karen "Fury" Fiorito released "Hope," a six color print based on a photograph that speaks volumes about homelessness. With her belief that printmaking itself is a political act, "Hope" artfully questions society's perception of homelessness. From her artist statement:

“"Hope" depicts a homeless shelter underneath a sign for the Hope Sportswear Corporation, a corporation which has gone extinct. Underneath are the facts: 'Approximately 3.5 million people, 1.3 million of them children are likely to experience homelessness is a given year.' Hope has become the new catch phrase, but for whom do we speak? Many people think that homeless people are mentally ill or have drug problems, but this is not the case. They are people like you and me, only one mistake or circumstance away from being out on the streets. Many of them are victims of domestic violence, children, and war veterans. Regardless, all people, all sentient beings, deserve love and respect. All beings deserve hope."

“Hope”
6 color serigraph
printed at Self-Help Graphics by Mater Printer Jose Alpuch.
Edition size 77
19" x 25.5"
6 colors
$200 plus Shipping/Handling
Signed and numbered by artist

90% of the profits will go to help Hollywood Arts.
Hollywood Arts is a ground breaking educational facility that uses art and music-based learning to help high-risk young people over the age of 18 improve self-esteem, develop thinking skills, master educational concepts and receive job-readiness training.

Hollywood Arts provides classes in arts, music and media, at no cost, to
young people in transition ages 18 to 24—young people who are homeless or
transitioning out of foster care.

Please contact karen@buddhacatpress.com for more information.

Buddha Cat on the Huffington Post!

2010-08-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our friend Matt Gleason for this awesome article on our show at Urban Sanctuary!

Screenprinting Survey Spans the Streets to the Sublime:
The Work of Buddha Cat Press at Urban Sanctuary Gallery, Boyle Heights, July 16 - July 31

Karen Fiorito's Buddha Cat Press enjoyed a small survey show at the Urban Sanctuary gallery in Boyle Heights. BCP has published and produced screen print editions for an impressive panoply of artists. A print from many of these editions was on display along with a large sampling of Karen's own politically charged work.

Robbie Conal's Dalai Lama portrait includes a layer of gold leafing

Any small screen-printing publisher would have bragging rights for publishing or co-producing an edition by just one of the many big names that Buddha Cat Press had in this exhibit. In the show, L.A.'s original street artist Robbie Conal had two triptychs published under Karen's supervision in the past few years, each featuring an iconic portrait (Dalai Lama, Hendrix, etc.) with a slogan underneath which comprise a larger theme and summarize the works of these men.

Winston Smith's arresting critique of organized religion is familiar to any aficionado of punk rock

If Conal is too hippie for you, Fiorito has co-published work by Britain's Gee Vaucher, the artist who worked with Crass, as well as Winston Smith, responsible for adding the most arresting images to Dead Kennedys albums. In fact, Smith's image of Christ on a cross of money under a barcoded 666 (the cover of the DK's 1981 "In God We Trust Incorporated" EP) was published (in conjunction with Paperworks Laboratories) last September on black background titled simply "Idol".

Street art roots translate seamlessly into fine art, here in a collaboration between El MAc and Retna for Buddha Cat Press

While Conal, Vaucher and Smith establish a punk backbone and political seriousness to the small publisher, Buddha Cat Press has street credibility too. Urban Sanctuary Gallery had BCP editions from well-known graffiti calligraphists Chaz, El Mac and Retna on display along with a print edition on paper of photographer Estevan Oriol.

Amidst these icons, all represented with quality images, expertly presented and hung unframed, backroom style with paper clips, there were fine art prints that extolled themes of beauty and composition. They were without the benefit of an established name; they were, however, exquisite enough that politics were not needed to deliver their message of a search for that tranquil moment of transformation to which all great art aspires.

Buddha Cat Press has not printed itself into a corner with one approach to aesthetics or one type of street slogan. It is the epitome of interesting Los Angeles art to draw from more schools of influence than pizza toppings available at a restaurant; BCP epitomizes the making of a melody by embracing the complete cacophony of L.A. that the best art of our time seems to return to again and again.

There was no theme to be derived from the wide variety of images in this show save for the possibilities that arise when the personal and the political are curatorially interwoven, when the calligraphic and the organic coexist on the same wall space, and all of it under the precise printing skills of Karen Fiorito.

Karen Fiorito at Urban Sanctuary Gallery in Boyle Heights

"Pretty Revolutionary" - a print by Karen Fiorito

Buddha Cat Show at Urban Sanctuary

2010-07-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Urban Sanctuary presents the work of Buddha Cat Press. Buddha Cat Press is a socially conscious print publishing company located in Downtown, Los Angeles. "Buddha Cat" is an exhibition of prints curated from the archives of Buddha Cat Press.

“Buddha Cat” includes hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind prints which employ multiple processes, such as diffusion dot dither, metallics, glitter and CMYK.

Buddha Cat Press has published and been contracted by such artists as Robbie Conal, Dave Kinsey, Shepard Fairey, Mear One, 3D, Chaz, Kofie, Winston Smith and El Mac. All of these collaborations will be shown, including the work of Master Printer Artist (AKA Print Goddess) Karen (the Fury) Fiorito.

The opening reception will feature live printing and food and refreshments.

Workshops will be given on the 17th, 24th and 31st for stencil making. A closing reception will follow the last workshop on the 31st. All workshops are $30 and include a free t-shirt!

Urban Sanctuary is a gallery and retail location in the emerging area of Boyle Heights. Urban Sanctuary is located at 2026 E. 1st, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Opening Reception: July 16th, 2010

5 pm- 9 pm, food and wine!
Live printing and stenciling!

Stenciling Workshops:
July 17th and 24th 1 pm- 5 pm
July 31st, 12 pm- 3 pm

Closing Reception:
July 31st, 3 pm- 5 pm

For more information please got to buddhacatpress.com, www.urbansanctuaryla.com
or follow us on twitter: twitter.com/buddhacatpress and twitter.com/urbsancla

Buddha Dog by Karen Fiorito

2010-06-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hot of the Press!

5 Color Serigraph with Hand Applied Gold Leaf

Edition Size: 30 (15 with Gold Leaf and 15 with Gold Metallic Ink)

Signed and Numbered.

On Stonehenge Paper. (22" x 30")

$65.00

Gum Bichromate Workshop

2010-04-27T21:17:00.001-07:00

May 1, 2010

This workshop covers the essentials of the time-honored gum-bichromate process. You will leave the workshop with a small edition of your own two -color gum-bichromate prints. Master printer Karen Fiorito will guide you through the entire process - from the creation of individual plates from the digital image you provide through the care and handling of the final prints. She will also describe some best practices for the process and make suggestions for individual images which may require special treatment and help you make your own set of fabulous gum-bichromate prints. Please note - you will need to e-mail a scanned image that you'd like to use within three days of the workshop start date. You may also submit a hard copy for scanning for an extra ($10) fee.

Topics covered in the workshop are:
making separations (screens) from a digital file or flat artwork
registration of screens
color strategies for separations and the creative process
choice of inks - other alternatives to ink
choice of paper/ alternate material selections for substrates
historical practices and creative options
image enhancement/modification (bleaching, brushing, masking and other advanced practices)
analysis and follow through/troubleshooting session where warranted
care and handling of final prints

Edward Steichen's "The Pond, Moonlight" - the most expensive photographic print ever to sell at auction - it's a gum bichromate!
Space in the workshop will be limited to 10 (ten) participants..Each participant will go home with their own edition of silkscreen prints. The workshop fee is $275 or $240 for members.There is an additional lab fee of $45 to cover the cost of fine art papers and inks for this workshop. . The workshop takes five hours and includes a lunch with a non-alcoholic drink of your choosing. The fee also includes handbook summarizing topics included in the workshop. Individual instruction is also available upon inquiry.
Please contact C4 Gallery for details and purchasing workshops:
http://www.c4gallery.com/workshops/printmaking/gum-bichromate-workshop.html

Serigraphy (silkscreen printing) Boot Camp

2010-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Silkscreen. You've worn the t-shirts, seen silkscreen printing everywhere from historical propaganda posters to lettering on the walls of museums. Ever been tempted to tackle the process yourself but weren't quite sure how to get a toehold? Master screen printer Karen Fiorito takes you through all the steps. Using imagery that you supply via a digital image you e-mail to us, you will be guided through the process of making a small edition of two-color silkscreen prints! You will take home an edition of approximately 10 prints of your own making in the Andy Warhol style, as pictured above. Please note - you will need to e-mail a scanned portrait that you'd like to emulate one week before the workshop starts. You may also submit a hard copy for scanning for an extra ($10) fee.
Space in the workshop will be limited to 10 (ten) participants..Each participant will go home with their own edition of silkscreen prints. The workshop fee is $275 or $240 for members.There is an additional lab fee of $45 to cover the cost of fine art papers and inks for this workshop. Participants with credentials or student IDs from recognized educational institutions will receive 15% off, as will members. The workshop takes five hours and includes a lunch with a non-alcoholic drink of your choosing. The fee also includes handbook summarizing topics included in the workshop. Individual instruction is also available upon inquiry. All workshops must be paid for (or else a deposit left) before 72 hours (three days) from the start of a workshop or else a penalty fee of $50 will apply. Payment may be made online in advance (see below) at a discounted rate. Payments taken by telephone, fax or in person will not reflect this discount. Groups also welcome by prior arrangement.. Individual instruction is also available upon inquiry

Please contact C4 Gallery for more details:
http://www.c4gallery.com/workshops/printmaking/silkscreen-workshop.html

El Mac, Persephone

2010-03-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Buddha Cat Press would like to announce a limited pre-release of Persephone, a limited edition print by El Mac!

This beauty, titled Persephone, is a five color serigraph on Arches Cover Black. Although this is a companion piece to the Song of Songs Print, we chose a finer quality paper which has a richer, more velvety feel. We also used PermaPrint inks to give it a thick enamel look.

The first 20 prints of this edition are going on pre-sale March 26, 2010 at midnight until April 9, 2010 at $250 each.

Get yours early! After pre-sales or the first 20 sell out, the price will go up to $300 with the last 10 being sold at $350.. Still a great deal! This print was hand-pulled (no press!) by Master Printer Karen Fiorito with the assistance of Kevin Fernandez.

Here are all of the details:

Persephone

30" x 42"

Arches Cover Black

4 Deckled edges

Edition size: 50

Signed and numbered by the artist

Limited one per customer!

Going on Pre-sale: March 26th through April 9th, 2010

Print Release: April 9, 2010

Pre-sale price (first 20 only): $250

Price after April 9th or after edition number 20-40: $300

Edition numbers 40-50: $350

Here is an artist statement by the Mac:

"This print is based on my painting of the greek goddess Persephone,
the Queen of the Underworld. Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and
Demeter, forced to live in the Underworld with Hades for a third of
every year, representing the change of seasons, fertility, and
harvest. She has been portrayed in art thousands of times throughout
the centuries due to the enduring and universal nature of her myth,
and probably partly because she allows artists a great opportunity to
depict a beautiful "damsel in distress". This is just my humble take
on it, and I tried to make it as beautiful as possible. She is bathed
in Pomegranate red light, resigned to her fate, and aware of her own
beauty. This beauty brings spring and summer,life and growth, while
also bringing eventual winter, death, and decay.

The original piece took about a month to complete and was painted using fluid acrylic
paint and brush on a 3x4 foot wood panel. The print was made in the same manner

that the original was painted, in layers of solid color with light going over dark."

WE ARE ALMOST SOLD OUT!

EMAIL KAREN@BUDDHACATPRESS.COM for more info.

Thank you!

Here are some photos of the process:

Cheers!

El Mac/ Retna Collaboration Print!

2010-02-15T11:48:00.000-08:00

A detail from the mural, The Conductor, created in December in Miami.

Four color serigraph with one gold metallic, one silver metallic and one pearlescent white on grey Stonehenge archival rag paper.

Edition of 50 prints signed and numbered by the artist.

First ever collaborative print from The Mac and Retna

Printed by Karen Fiorito at Buddhacat Press.

Please email karen@buddhacatpress.com with any questions or for further details.

Inkerone (Travis P.) Print is here! Finally!

2009-11-13T06:33:00.001-08:00

We are proud to announce the release of Inkerone's (Travis P.) new print!
"Flight of Death"
Duotone screen print on recycled paper (Environment).
Edition of 100, 17.5" x 20"
Signed an numbered by the artist.
$40.00 plus shipping and handling.

Buddha Cat Press

Affordable Art Fair, Los Angeles

LACMA Print Fair: Edition 2

Robert Pollard Prints on Sale!

Re: Augustine Kofie & Theo Jemison – Afrika Bambaataa

Serigraphy Workshops at Buddha Cat Press

New Print by Karen Fiorito

New Gum Bichromate Workshops

Gee Vaucher Print Release!

New Gee Vaucher Print Coming Soon!

Second Peter Kuper Print from BCP!

Pepsi Refresh Project

Peter Kuper Prints at Buddha Cat Press

Evolution/ Revolution: the Interconnectedness of All Beings

Monet Clark's Thanka Prayer Blessing Incantation Medicine Spells

A Three-Week Screen Printing Workshop

Stencil workshops

"Hope" Raises Money for Hollywood Arts

Buddha Cat on the Huffington Post!

Screenprinting Survey Spans the Streets to the Sublime:

Buddha Cat Show at Urban Sanctuary

Buddha Dog by Karen Fiorito

Gum Bichromate Workshop

May 1, 2010

Serigraphy (silkscreen printing) Boot Camp

Please contact C4 Gallery for more details:http://www.c4gallery.com/workshops/printmaking/silkscreen-workshop.html

El Mac, Persephone

El Mac/ Retna Collaboration Print!

Inkerone (Travis P.) Print is here! Finally!

Please contact C4 Gallery for more details:
http://www.c4gallery.com/workshops/printmaking/silkscreen-workshop.html