About The Star Trumpled Banner

 

The Inspiration

Recently my two-year-old granddaughter gave me a collage she made in daycare.  Her task I imagined was to assemble red and white stripes and a star-covered blue patch into the American flag.  She exercised her artistic license.  The result was an abstract flag.












My granddaughter’s “flag” gave me the  idea of creating a print of a deconstructed American flag as a commentary on the current dismantling and assault on the social and political fabric of our country.  Instead of a red, white, and blue palette, I chose red, black, and blue.  I proceeded to separate and scatter the stars and stripes.

The elements of the flag are printed over images of protest signs.  They read from left to right, top to bottom:

		“Stop Ripping Families Apart”
		“Women are People”
		“Only Monsters Keep Children in Cages”
		“We Need Healthcare Not Wealthcare”
		“Climate Change Is Real”
		“Immigration Built This Nation”
		“Men of Quality Do Not Fear Equality”.
In this print, the original sign images were organized into a collage, converted to black-and-white then to half-tone, and printed with a red, black, and blue blend.

The print’s title, “The Star Trumpled Banner” requires no explanation.

As depressing and frustrating as current political affairs in this country are, I remain optimistic that we will find firm footing again some day --- soon.  Reflecting my hope, seven of the black stars scattered about the print form the star constellation, Little Dipper, the handle of which ends with the North Star.  In the days of the Underground Railroad, slaves seeking freedom were told to follow the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper) which pointed to the North Star and freedom.  My hope here is that the North Star in this print points to a new day for the country.

The Project

“The Star Trumpled Banner” is an 8 color print.  The prints were made on Stonehenge paper.  Images are 9¾” x 16½” on 15” x 22” sheets. Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Inks were used.  Adobe Photoshop was used for developing the screenprinting plates.  Eleven prints are included in the edition.  The project was completed in January 2019.

The Print Progression

The print progression showing the development of “The Star Trumpled Banner” can be seen in a series of four figures. 
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Plates 1- 8 (Final Print)

Plates 1- 3

Plates 1- 4

Plates 1- 2