Heidi Dikeman
Brown (from Crayola® Series)
2009
Brown (from Crayola® Series)
2009
Xerox Lithograph on Paper
We are honored to feature the prints of Heidi Dikeman in the shop during the month of August. Join us for the Downtown Art Walk on Friday, August 7 from 6 to 10 pm to meet the artist and enjoy her work. Heidi lived in Bellingham for 14 years and her talents in graphic design and branding are well-known around town. A year ago, she moved to Maine and has since been exploring printmaking and other visual arts. We'll be featuring her Crayola® Series in the shop, in which she undertakes a complex study of the colors from a box of crayons circa 1949. Here's what she says about this series:
"Coming to art through graphic design, I came to graphic design through art as well. This Crayola® Series combines my two worlds through the color study of Crayola® Crayons No. 48 circa 1949. I took the 48 colors, matched them with the Pantone® Process Color Library, took the CMYK (cyan/magenta/yellow/black) process build into Photoshop,® and then decreased the DPI (dots per inch) for print. The color formula was then printed as separations in the typical structured pattern. This color dot layering is what makes up most color printed materials. These “separations” are then printed similarly to offset printing but instead with the paper lithography technique. Same color build, same affect, but with a magnified dot pattern and the human touch - less perfect.
Why Crayola®? My previous art has often been more nostalgically based. This box of 48 crayons was found in my grandmother’s attic in Maine, the state I now call home after living in Bellingham, Washington for 14 years. This box of crayons has helped me produce a more abstract collection of work. Though of course who isn’t “taken back” immediately upon smelling a crayon to those rainy afternoons trying to stay within the lines of their favorite coloring book? Nostalgia seems unavoidable in this case. My interest also lies in the history of Crayola® Crayons and how their colors, and especially the color names, follow social trends. In 1962 flesh was changed to peach as Crayola® recognized that there was a variety of skin colors amongst their clientele. Fluorescent colors were introduced in 1972 and so on."
Why Crayola®? My previous art has often been more nostalgically based. This box of 48 crayons was found in my grandmother’s attic in Maine, the state I now call home after living in Bellingham, Washington for 14 years. This box of crayons has helped me produce a more abstract collection of work. Though of course who isn’t “taken back” immediately upon smelling a crayon to those rainy afternoons trying to stay within the lines of their favorite coloring book? Nostalgia seems unavoidable in this case. My interest also lies in the history of Crayola® Crayons and how their colors, and especially the color names, follow social trends. In 1962 flesh was changed to peach as Crayola® recognized that there was a variety of skin colors amongst their clientele. Fluorescent colors were introduced in 1972 and so on."
We hope to see you out and about during Downtown Art Walk. Thank you for supporting local businesses!
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