The unbound collection
In 2021, while we were still in a state of significant isolation and uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I wanted a way to reconnect with artists I like, respect, and missed seeing out in the world - this was the birth of the Unbound Collection.
The Unbound Collection is 12 hand pulled screen prints by Seattle-based artists ruminating on the city of Seattle and presented in a screen printed portfolio with archival interleaving between the prints. I designed the front and back covers and wrote the internal copy while all standalone prints are images from different artists. I spent some time coming up with a list of who I wanted to participate with a goal of selecting not only artists that I respect and wanted to work with but also a diverse group with different visual and conceptual approaches to their work. The theme itself and the physical characteristics of the collection would be what
tied the work together.
The cover image is inspired by the Pike Place Public Market sign -- a large, year round farmer's market in downtown Seattle filled with history and an endlessly diverse community of vendors that is beloved by tourists and locals alike. The forest green and earthy neutral colorway for the project was a decision to reflect the natural beauty of the region without crossing over into the common green/blue colorways used by many of the regions professional sports teams.
Each artist made a simple black and white drawing with the loose theme of “Seattle” and sent me a digital image of the drawing. I then processed all the files to be suitable for screen printing and printed them with the help of an assistant. We printed all the images 4 up on full sheets of French Speckletone paper and I tore them all own to individual sizes to give them the torn edge detail. The portfolio edition size was 12 and each artists got their own specialized Artist's Edition copy along with an edition of 20 of their own prints to sell or use how they wanted.