Art Hop November 2021 Stop 3: David Raznick, PsyanoForest Cyanotype Studio, Keith Pitts, Jennifer Alice

David Raznick

To promote art to everyone, so that they can enjoy the excitement of creating artwork.

PsyanoForest Cyanotype Studio

PsyanoForest Cyanotype Studio crafts small-batch textile goods printed with the antique photographic process Cyanotype, both on a wearable scale and large-scale. The imagery that comprises the fabric patterns are from many sources, often pulled from reimagined medical illustrations (both human and animal), pressed flowers/foliage, found objects, and photographs the artist has taken in the wilds of Michigan (including spider webs!). While most of the products are the signature blue proprietary to the cyanotype process, the artist also creates digital reproductions of the cyanotype prints and alters the colorings to then create yardage of colorful charmeuse silks with beautifully mirrored patterns.

PsyanoForest aims to be as ethically responsible as possible, and thus sources printing fabrics from small business artisans. Additionally, the cyanotype process is environmentally friendly and non-toxic. We provide all of our customers with instructions on how to care for their cyanotype-printed goods; the washing method also has a low environmental impact.

The products that we produce include (but is not limited to): shawls, long silk craves, silk bandanas, cotton bandanas, four-layer masks, wraps, silk-cotton voile bandanas and long scarves, tapestries on salvaged textiles, and notecards.
https://www.facebook.com/psyanoforest

https://www.instagram.com/psyanoforest

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PsyanoForest

https://www.ameliavolwilerstanley.com

Keith Pitts

Experimentation and Rhizomatic thinking are dynamic energies within Keith’s life and work guiding him towards becoming rather than being.  The thought of finding one methodology and continually repeating said method of making has never been of interest to Keith.

The concept of Becoming is at the center of his art practice and the perspective through which he tries to view the world.  His practice is not centered around a hierarchal system that places the highest value in the finished product, which ultimately dictates the process necessary to achieve an expected and desired outcome.  Keith’s practice strives to be the opposite of this system.  His practice operates rhizomatically.   He is continuously looking to forge connections between his known ideas and the unknown thoughts he has yet to discover.  Approaching his practice in a rhizomatic nature requires looking to numerous areas for inspiration, including post-structural philosophy, Zen thought, art history, science, technical theatre experience, the banal of everyday life, language, perceived potentiality, the object, and mark-making.   These varied resources allow him to make connections and continually forge unexpected paths.

The routine of labor is an additional aspect of Keith’s practice.  He regularly develops ideas through working, rather than hours of contemplation and thought experiments, in conjunction with conceptual investigation and research.  He enjoys getting his hands dirty and letting the ideas lead him.  This system of thinking through working doesn’t always yield what might be judged as aesthetically or conceptually successful. Still, he endeavors to cultivate an attitude of operation beyond the classifications of good and bad.  If Keith works under the belief that audiences must judge every work as aesthetically or conceptually successful, He limits the possibilities that exist.  When he works beyond these concepts of good and bad, he works from a place that is less mired by expectations and external opinions… the work comes from a more authentic place. The intersectionality between this place of authenticity, work, and rhizomatic thinking forms the foundation of Keith’s art practice.

https://www.facebook.com/EEWhite42

https://www.instagram.com/eewhiteart42

Jennifer Alice

Jennifer Alice is a Kalamazoo-based artist that has been working in multiple mediums since 2002.
Inspired by the bright colors of pop culture and the stark shadows of campfire ghost stories, Jennifer focuses on incorporating playfulness into darker timelines. Working with the flow of ink and color allows Jennifer to react to the world at large – without a filter.

https://www.instagram.com/wildjamart

https://www.jenniferalice.com