Guenther Dobrauz, organized Röchaholics II, a great gathering of some of the world’s best Rock Poster artists and photographers. Guy Burwell, Lindsey Kuhn, Ron Donovan, Malleus, Chris Hopewell, Blackyard, Michael Hacker, Fabien Von Unweth and I took residence at the Rosenmatt Villa (pictured above) to throw down some rock visuals and have a great opening. I was met at the Zurich train station by Lindsey and Guenther who took me directly to meet the other artists; we were shown around the premises of Heinrich Mantel AG, maker of the finest anodized aluminum in Europe, and large format, highest quality, silkscreen printer. Here’s some shots of us in the Mantel’s amazingly appointed print studio. It was explained how our editions of anodized aluminum would be digitally printed by this devise below – ink would be layered over and over in a very time-consuming process where the image is scribed 7 times – over and over – to drive the image deeply into the carefully prepared aluminum substrate. In exact, precise alignment each print in the edition is entirely scribed over and over to add richness and detail.

Then the aluminum, with the image deeply imbedded into it, is heated in a finely controlled process to bond it into the metal and seal it over with an anodized layer of bonded oxygen molecules. You can see the gang here in front of the heating chamber.

Then Guenther and the whole crew at Mantel made us a warm, hospitable fondu at the print studio. Good to taste fondu and smell the familiar smells of the print shop all at the same time. Really outstanding, so good!

Back to the Rosenmatt to set up. Here’s Lindsey Kuhn, Chris & Jo Hopewell, and Mr. Mantel on the pitch.

And no Hooligans – that goes for you!

There are great shots from the actual Röckaholics II show here – One final pair of shots – dawn in Zurich – as I took a few hours to walk around and ponder. Listening to something very good on my headphones, I was surprised to watch a woman exit from the front door of her house near a bridge demurely wearing a beach towel, slip nude at dawn into the freezing river that rushes out of the lake right in the heart of beautiful old Zurich, and swim with the swans flanking her on either side. It was about the most graceful thing I ever saw.

Firehouse will be heading to Switzerland for a week long tour from October 2 until October 8, 2010. Ron Donovan and I will arrive for the Rockaholics show in Wadenswil/Zurich. We will join artists Lindsey Kuhn, Malleus, Guy Burwell, Chris Hopewell, Justin Kramerer, Blackyard, Michael Hacker, and photographer Fabian von Unwerth for the event.

Ron, Lindsey and I will then tour Switzerland together visiting Luzern with artist Mart Infanger, Bern, and Geneva. The tour ends in Frankfurt, Germany with a show with Ron and Lindsey appearing. Meanwhile, I’ll be flying home to attend The Rock Poster Society’s Hall of Flowers show in Golden Gate Park, home in San Francisco.

Rockaholics II – Saturday, October 2, 2010 – Villa Rosenmatt, Gessenerweg 5, Wadenswil/Zurich, Switzerland • Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, Malleus, Guy Burwell, Chris Hopewell, Justin Kramerer, Blackyard, Michael Hacker, and photographer Fabian von Unwerth.

“American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art” by director Merle Becker, will be debuted to the Swiss audience at Rockaholics II.

For Rockaholics II master printer Albert Mantel will produce beautiful and strictly limited anodized aluminum prints of many of the artists attending. I will be exclusively releasing 5 anodized aluminum images from my archive at the Rockaholics II event in Zurich, in editions of 5 each, signed and numbered. Here are the five images to be released as anodized aluminum:

Voice Magazine will debut a special edition of it’s publication devoted entirely to rock art – what a treat for attendees of Rockaholics II!

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Rock Poster Bazar – Monday, October 4, 2010 – Metzgerhalle, 1 Baselstrasse, Luzern, Switzerland – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, and Mart Infanger. Starts at 5 pm.

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Rock Poster Bazar – Tuesday, October 5, 2010 – Cafe Rossli, Under the Bridge at the Reithalle, Bern, Switzerland – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, with Concert by Shellac at the Reithalle upstairs. Starts at 5 pm.

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Flashback – Wednesday through Friday, October 6-7-8, 2010 – La Station Orbitale, Bat G, SIP de Plainpalais 10 Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers, Geneva, Switzerland – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn. Opening October 7, 5 pm until late.

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I’ll be home October 9, 2010, from 10 am to 6pm for TRPS Festival of Rock Posters.

TRPS – Festival of Rock Posters – Saturday, October 9, 2010 – Hall of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. 10 am until 6 pm.

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Ron and Lindsey will be appearing in Frankfurt, Germany. My work will be appearing but I will be home for TRPS.

Rock Poster Art Show – Saturday & Sunday, October 9-10, 2010 – Gallery We Are 3, Stephanstrasse 1, Frankfurt, Germany – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn. Opening October 9, 7 pm until late.

Chris Hopewell sent me his design for the Jacknife Firehouse art show – “Spring Forward” – coming this Thursday, March 11, 2010 at Artrock Gallery, 893 Folsom Street in San Francisco. It’s a Jack of Diamonds printed with trademark Firehouse metallic green and is cut to a playing card shape.

“Spring Forward”

Jacknife / Firehouse art show

Artrock Gallery 893 Folsom Street in San Francisco

March 11, 2010

Edition of 75

4 colors on archival cream paper

approx. 22″ x 33″

Signed & numbered

Available Thursday 3/11/2010 at Artrock Gallery

Spring Forward

Poster Show Featuring British Poster Artists

from Jacknife Poster Collective of Bristol

with Firehouse of San Francisco

Ron Donovan and Chuck Sperry of the Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company met Chris Hopewell from Bristol, England at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas in 2005. In 2007, while conducting a silkscreen print demonstration at Flatstock poster convention, Chuck and Ron spoke at length to Chris about getting started with his own print studio. Inspired by the demonstration, Chris Hopewell went home to the United Kingdom and opened a silkscreen print studio with partners and called it Jacknife.

By the time Firehouse toured the United Kingdom in 2008, Mr. Hopewell and the Jacknife print collective would have dozens and dozens of cool rock posters under their belt. Since 2007, Jacknife has been spreading art of rock to Great Britain – most notably by producing posters in the open air at the Glastonbury Music Festival.

Jacknife posters have a bold style informed by a punk aesthetic. Using surprising imagery, Jacknife pares their posters down to a clear, direct statement. They design and print their unambiguous, rebellious posters with a hands-on silkscreen process that informs their art.

Come and celebrate our San Francisco joint show as we get ready to go together to SXSW in Texas and later to the Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK.

Opening:

Thursday, March 11, 2010

7 pm

Artrock Gallery

893 Folsom Street in San Francisco

The show will last for two days – Thursday and Friday – March 11 & 12, 2010.