Brent Bond is proprietor of Santo Press,
located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a Master Printer with an MFA from ASU. His
work, and that of other artists who have been invited to have their work
published by Santo Press, is on exhibit through February 23, 2014 at Mesa
Contemporary Arts Museum on the Mesa Arts Center Campus.
What
is fine art printing? Bond explains, “Fine art printing is distinguished from
commercial printing in its use of archival materials, limited size of print
run, and artists' approaches to the print medium as a vehicle to visually
communicate ideas as opposed to using printing as a reproductive tool.”
Some of
the pieces in the exhibit resulted from artist collaboration, and/or appropriation.
The Perception of Captivity uses illustrations from 1838 by John Gould,
and is woodcut in a very limited series of ten by Brent Bond.
Letterpress specifically refers to the
process of relief printing text, and can be done by hand setting individual
letters in lead or wood type, or by digitally setting type and relief printing
from a photopolymer plate. Santo Press work is done on a beautiful, vintage Vandercook
Universal I press fully restored by Bond, and affectionately named Victoria.
The press has a custom two-tone paint job with added accent color, and a chrome
plated handle.
How does the
interactive zeotrope work?
In
the center of the exhibit room at the museum is an interactive piece called a
zeotrope. “The modern form of this device was invented in 1834 by the
British mathematician William Honer, but its earliest form is credited to the
Chinese creative discoverer Ting Huan in 180 AD. It works due to the
phenomena of "Persistence of Memory," and produces the illusion of
motion from a rapid succession of static pictures.”
What is the most
important thing you want people to know about your work?
“The
prints are available for purchase as they are all editioned works. They can be
purchased at my Scottsdale studio, or by placing an order online. We ship
internationally. All profits from Santo Press sales go to a medical savings
account to cover the long term medical expenses for my son, Nico, who is three
years old this week, and had his first bone marrow transplant a year ago.
He is doing great, but only one of his two medical problems has been
solved, so he may be looking at a second bone marrow transplant. If you are
unable to experience the exhibit in person (recommended), you may view the
prints online at www.santopress.com.”
Mesa
Contemporary Arts Museum is at 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, and is open Tuesday
through Sunday, with no charge for admission. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with extended hours to 8 p.m. on
Thursday, and Sunday hours of noon to 5 p.m.
