2020 residency artists
Kent Manske @ In Cahoots Residency
During my CSP residency I created an 8’ x 12’ print mural on a base of 32 sheets of hand-made paper. This project was conceived to be printed on a large format press which I do not have in my studio, thus the residency at In Cahoots was significant to its completion.
For ease of handling and press runs on the In Cahoots 40” x 70” etching press, mulberry paper was wheat pasted on the back of eight sets of four sheets each. These eight 4’ x 3’ sheets assemble to create the larger work. Next I printed large vividly colored flats on mulberry paper. Organic shapes were cut out of these flats, then layered below and between over 600 individual collage elements. Collage elements came from screen-based monoprints of invented organisms, which were residue from an earlier project. The prints were cut up and composed into new forms using chine collé techniques. I am currently screenprinting additional transparent membrane layers as the top layer of the mural in my studio at home.
My residency took place during the Covid 19 pandemic and social distance protocols were followed. It provided me opportunity to produce a new work and reflect on the pandemic, specifically the interconnectedness of things including living systems, the built environment and human relationships. The composition for Weave evolved by walking the print collage and arranging elements based on interconnected pathways and symbiotic relationships.
Weave: Walking the print mural from Kent Manske on Vimeo.
I express sincere appreciation for the generous opportunity I was provided by CSP with this residency. Macy Chadwick was a fabulous host. The In Cahoots Residency provides a professional environment to focus on making, to get delightfully lost in one’s head and engage with creative peers. Days began early in the studio with the countryside roosters crowing and ended late returning to comfortable accommodations. My only outings were bike rides to Hen House Brewery for supplies.
Photos: Kent Manske rolling large flats for the 8′ x 12′ print mural, Weave, at In Cahoots Residency 2020.
The composition for Weave was established by walking the print collage on the In Cahoots Residency floor. Photos by Macy Chadwick.
