Screen Printing Shop10

I recently had the amazing opportunity of moving my screen printing workshop into a giant new space. Good friend and artistic endeavor cohort, Jason Roemer offered me the basement below Lodge Design in Irvington. Could not be more excited to have water supply and a drain inside away from the elements! When winter hit and I could no longer screen print at home because all of my spraying has to be outdoors, I was super bummed. The ability to expand and stretch out in this 3,000+ sq. ft. space got me so stoked that I went on the hunt to expand my shop supplies. I have always wanted a giant spring-loaded drying rack to speed up my process but never had the room. Hunting on craigslist, I found this 4′x6′, 50-shelf monstrosity in a shop down in Plainfield. When I went to make the purchase, the owner turned out to be one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. He had been a sign painter since the 60′s and has been hands-on drafting designs & fabricating signs ever since. It was like visiting a museum tailor-fit to everything I love. He showed my wife and I everything from old amber-lifts to concept drafts to the tools he used to craft his works of art. The line quality he could achieve with a long-hair brush and a steady hand 30 years ago is worlds better than what most designers can accomplish with vector lines today. He showed us his old gold-leafing brush that he would gather static electricity from the hairs on the back of his neck to pick up the flake and adhere it to the glue he had just hand-painted on a sign. As we made the rounds, he was talking to me about my process and explaining how he’s moving on to more automated processes as he gets older and he wants all his old equipment to go to someone who will appreciate it and use it to its full potential. During our tour, he continued to show me things he had listed on Craigslist and offering me insane deals. Invaluable. Priceless. Find-of-the-century kind of stuff. He has single-handedly helped me take a giant leap forward in my efforts to screen print! I owe him so much more than the thank-yous and free prints I brought over.

The most touching & inspiring piece he gave me as he was throwing in a TON of extras was his palette knife. A simple tool. You move ink with it, a process that can be done with a plastic spoon, but this knife meant something to him and it means the world to me. It had seen years of use and moved gallons of ink. It was like he passed me the torch. Carry it on. “You’ll need this.” he closed with. “We’ll be in touch.”

This beast of a drying rack took three guys and my wife to get off the back of a pickup. (*It about fell on top of one guy) Once we got it up in my garage, it wouldn’t move again. We had to disassemble it and transport it and reassemble it in the basement. Crazy, but so worth it.

Me and My amazing, beautiful & talented wife Ami Jo. I couldn't ask for a more committed and helpful assistant to join me in my endeavors.

Good friend and long-time cohort on our blog The Avant Garage, Nathan Shinkle, came over to help put the table back together and secure it to the wall. When you want something done precise and sturdy, he’s the man.

Epic blades battle

A perfect space on the other side of the printing area far from damagable prints, this is the perfect area for a washout room.

Peter Lockhart came over and helped stretch mesh over the first newman roller frame. Feeling pretty good about it!

First color pulled. So satisfying to get the table and frames up and running.

Ami Jo bruised her fingers using sewing pins to clean out the holes on this old vacuum table.

Temporary burn setup. Currently building a box.

First full-run gig poster in the new space is complete. Couldn’t be more proud of this one. 3-color on 20″x20″ 110lb Mohawk Loop Eco Cream. Prints for sale soon.