Grandma Cyclops

We had the pleasure of releasing our first collaboration with the esteemed Mark Mothersbaugh, “Grandpa Cyclops,” all the way back in November of 2007. Ever since, we’ve been pestering Mark to come up with a grandma. She’s finally arrived.


Grandma is clearly of the same stock as her monocular companion—she’s got the same wispy hair, geographic skin, overlarge ears, and of course there’s the bit about only having one eye.


So in constructing this edition (and after excavating our three year old production notes from the bottom of a drawer) we set about trying to match everything about Grandpa. From the just-ever-so-slightly-sepia-ish ink to the grain and texture of the printing.


A few rounds of test plates, a few days of printing and a few more of drying and flattening, we were set to begin the staining process. The duo-tone stain we apply brings a warmth and an antiqued quality to the piece that’s truly lovely, but the process—dipping fresh, pristine, slaved-over prints into a pot of brown inky water—is also slightly terrifying.


Meanwhile, we toiled away at the resin frames. It was only fitting that we encase Grandma in the same intricate frame that Grandpa enjoys, so we broke out the old molds and set to pouring.



The sanding and antiquing processes are above all dusty, and need be done outside. So I don’t know why we always seem to be doing these resin frame projects during the winter.



And while we were braving the Denver winter to finish the frames, the prints took a round trip to sunny LA to be signed by the man himself.



And with that, all that was left was to put the various pieces—the prints, the frames, the powder-coated steel backs, and the jewel-like convex glass—together into the finished product we’re releasing today.



Enjoy!

The Print:

• Printed from an original Mark Mothersbaugh image
• Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
• Hand-printed intaglio in black ink
• Each print individually stained in gouache and ink
• Hand signed by Mark Mothersbaugh

The Frame:

• Hand-cast and antiqued resin frame
• High quality curved glass
• Custom laser cut solid steel back for free-standing or wall-mounted display

The Certificate of Authenticity:

• Custom designed, embossed and perforated
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition

• Released April, 2010
• Frame size is 10.5” x 7.25”
• Print size is 4.75” x 3.375”
• Edition of 50
• 10 printer’s proofs
• 10 artist’s proofs
• 1 Bon à tirer