natalie wright....wallpaper artist!

I decided to take this course because I have always had a dysfunctional relationship with the “idea” of “manufacturing” my designs. Coming from a “fine arts” perspective, having someone else make my work seemed against the grain of my work. If I didn’t physically make it, then how is it mine? I also struggle with the fact that I am adding more stuff to the world. Do we really need MORE clever hand made pillows? More paintings? More silkscreened wallpaper? I think that this course (and maybe now this blog?), a microcosm of the dialogue of our generation, is my way to work through these concerns and doubts and insecurities, so that together we make things better and make informed decisions along the way. I don’t believe that “guilt” is going to change the world. I don’t think it’s always about “going without”, but a matter of simply changing the way we do things. In Paul Hawken’s book “Blessed Unrest”, he says “Evolution is not about design or will; it is the outcome of constant endeavors made by organisms that want to survive and better themselves.” He says, “Evolution is optimisim in action.” I do believe that is the key, to be optimistic and actively creating a better world.

My love for art and an obsession with repeating patterns landed me at RISD where I am about to graduate from the textiles dept. with a thesis of hand silkscreened wallpaper designs. I also have a design being printed by Flavor Paper for their spring collection. My work naturally lends itself to the manufacturing process, whether it is just myself making all the prints for my thesis work, or Flavor Paper printing my designs in their New Orleans studio. One thing that I realized though, especially during the conversations we’ve had in this class, is that as human beings, we are engulfed in a global manufacturing culture. If someone says they don’t “manufacture” or make “multiples” of their work, no doubt that the tools they use are a part of that global market, there is simply no way around it. The clothing we wear, the food we eat, the cars we drive, the bikes we ride, the appliances In our homes, the computers we communicate with, the pigments and brushes we paint with, the music we listen to; we are living in a manufactured world. The following is a list of all the tools and products I use to make my “hand made” wallpaper:

Rolls of 100% cotton, acid free, archival printmaking paper

Bristol paper for initial drawings

Ink and pen nubs

Pencils and Pens

Charcoal

Eraser

Acrylic paint

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Gesso

Cutting blade

Ruler

Scissors

Masking tape

Adhesive Putty

Paint brushes

Plastic containters (from deli food and other food containers)

Plastic spray bottle

Water

Electricity

Water based screen-printing inks

Silkscreen

Squeegee

Ulano QTX Photo Emulsion
(ulano tech data)

Ulano Stencil Remover Paste

“degreaser” or “mr clean”
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Newsprint

Brushes for removing “stencil”

Power-washer and utility sink

Light Table and Timer

Yellow light for light sensitive screen

“Trough” for coating screen with emulsion

Digital Printer

Acetate

Computer (mac) with Adobe Photoshop and Internet

Digital Camera

Copy Paper

*not including food, housing, loan money, blood, sweat and tears…