Art Saved Boys Life, Man Releases Butterflies in Bank.

BankRI in Providence, Rhode Island is hosting a large collection of original, experimental butterfly rust prints by artist Kenn Speiser in two locations this summer.

July 31, 2004 -- Kenn Speiser hated gym class, so much so, he would do anything to avoid it. Instead of wearing the requisite white socks and sneakers, Speiser discovered that the ticket out of gym was wearing black socks and black shoes. Each time he arrived to class incorrectly shod, he was sent off to detention. After one too many detentions, the school labeled him a "troubled kid," and placed him in art class with all the other nonconformists. Speiser says, "Art saved my life."

The series of prints on exhibit, titled "A Rabble of Sports," is based on rare aberrations of butterflies called - "Sports" - that do not fit any known classification. The prints are not meant to describe butterflies, but to showcase the individual one-of-a-kind rarity in a series of rarities through the process called Monoprinting, a technique that produces, as its name implies, one-of-a-kind images.

To achieve these individual effects, Speiser constructs the original printing plates from Homasote (a cardboard-like building material). He nails steel wire to the Homasote in the shape of a butterfly, then sprays the shape with water and lets it rust. When the wire and nails have developed a rich coating of rust, Speiser places wet paper on the plate, clamping it down. After a period of time, he removes the paper to reveal the finished print. The rusted image has transferred from the metal to the paper. Rust (Iron Oxide) has long been known for its chemical stability and light fastness.

Speiser is unusual as an artist because he is more interested "in how he can make an image" than he is in the image itself. He has a love affair with materials that must exasperate his wife of fourteen years, Providence photographer Constance Brown. His restless, rapid-fire intelligence is always searching for new and better methods to achieve whatever goal he has set for himself.

Today Providence artist Speiser fuses functional materials into astounding artworks. Vases are constructed from rubber garden hose; paintings from IRS tax forms and exotic prints from rusted wire and nails. Speiser explores traditional forms of art with untraditional materials. And each time he sets a problem for himself, "he starts from ground zero."

The BankRI Galleries present:
Monoprints by Kenn Speiser,
BankRI - 137 Pitman Street, Providence, RI, August 5 through September 2
BankRI - Turks Head Place, Providence, RI September 6 through October 5
Hours are: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
BankRI, 401-456-5000.

For additional information and jpeg images of these prints, please contact:
Paula Martiesian, 401-521,7634

The BankRI Galleries are curated by Paula Martiesian. Paula Martiesian is a Providence-based artist and arts advocate.

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