08 Aug RISO Artist of the Month Jayes Caitlin
Meet RISO’s August Artist of the Month
What is your name and the name of your organization/location?
Jayes Caitlin with RISO Studio Arts. We are a West Coast RISO distributor with showrooms in Portland OR and Los Angeles CA.
How long have you been in the art industry?
20 years as a working artist, 13 of them as a printmaker, and 9 years as an educator.
How long have you been using RISO duplicators and the method of RISOGRAPHY?
I’ve been printing with RISO for 7 years. My studio inherited an old GR with two drums from an artist friend who bought it from a cassette label. It had history and we mostly just played around on it. I met the team that would go on to form RISO Studio Arts that same year, and now we are distributors and educational liaisons for art and printmaking departments in schools all over. I use RISO daily in business, for workshops, and in my own art practice.
What are some of your favorite colors to use with a duplicator?
Flo Orange, Sunflower, Mint. Black is one of my favorite colors. Very interested in printing with Orchid and Light Lime. We are always adding to our color library. Bright colors are the first thing people gravitate towards in my work and with Risograph prints in general.
Why RISOGRAPHY?
Risography lends itself to experimentation very well. It activates the playful side of art making by letting the artist actively make changes and decisions during printing. Since it is a layering process where the artist is changing out the colors manually, printing each color 1 layer at a time, the design’s colors, placements, and size can all be played with while printing!
I work with a lot of collaged elements. Most of my work starts by gluing together bits of colored paper, cut up drawings or old prints, and arranging and rearranging elements into abstract compositions. I love to take this process to the Risograph scanner bed and just see what happens. RISO inks are naturally transparent and it’s great to see my shapes create new colors and forms through printing overlays. It really loosens me up.
Working in editions in general, and especially Risograph prints, is an inexpensive way to make multiples and sell my work at the most accessible price point.
What would you tell people who are just finding out about RISO Duplicators and the art form of RISOGRAPHY?
When I teach risograph workshops my students instantly fall in love with RISO for the intensity of the colors, how easy it is to use, and how fast it is to produce a print compared to other forms of printmaking. They have a great time trading prints at the end of class and go on to use RISO for bigger more elaborate projects.
Upcoming Events:
It’s going to be a busy fall for us at Riso Studio Arts. We’re opening up our two showrooms right now, that will open back to back this late summer and fall. Riso Studio Arts LA Showroom is set open August 23rd, 2024 so to anyone in Southern California, we look forward to having you in! We’ll be opening the Portland OR location a little closer to fall.
We’ll also be exhibiting at RAZ Fest at Gallery Nucleus in LA, Fall Cue in Sacramento, the annual Printers Fair at the International Printing Museum, and the first ever Off Register, Art Book and Print Fair in Santa Barbara. Last but not least I’ve got a 2 person show coming up at Albina Press in Portland this October.
Website Links:
@jayescaitlin