Screens 'N' Spokes: Dirk Fowler

Dirk Fowler - Lubbock, TX
Dirk, the Letterpress wizard, is back with another dynamic, eye-catching design. Dirk has been designing posters on his antique letterpress for years now, and you can spot his unique style from a distance. Always using minimal elements to achieve a greater whole, Dirk has created a print that is sure to jump off the wall.

Screens 'N' Spokes Bike Team Update

We decided to keep you posted about our bike team progress through a series of emails written by our Philadelphia Site Coordinator, Bradley Harris. Please check out all the details (it's not too late to join us at the ride!) at the Screens 'N' Spokes official team page.

As of July 18, our ranks have swelled to twenty five riders, and our fundraising goal sits at $30,000. It seems like a pretty ambitious number, but in 2007, we raised over $31,000. Although of course we aim to beat that figure, we'll settle for matching it. So far as a team we are at 11% of the total.

Jess is leading the pack at $1,340, 27% of her $5,000 personal goal!

With the bike ride just over two months away, now is the time for each rider to go full throttle in their fundraising efforts. We are going to need everyone to pull together in order to reach our goal.

We'll keep you posted...in the meantime, check out the posters as they arrive, and save the date for SNS Opening night - Thursday, Sept. 4 at Mugshots and Friday, Sept. 12 at Chapterhouse and hopefully a Screens 'N' Spokes/MilkBoy party on Friday, Sept. 5!

Screens 'N' Spokes: Guy Burwell

Guy Burwell - Portland, OR
Guy has been one of my favorite artists for a while. I love his completely unique style, and he's created another one of his indelible characters for Screens 'N' Spokes. This young lady is ready to ride. In fact, the Bike MS:City to Shore brings riders of all shapes and sizes, and I wouldn't be surprised to see her on the road this year. These are printed on textured watercolor paper.

Screens 'N' Spokes: The Half and Half

The Half and Half - Columbia, SC
Speaking of the printing process, The Half and Half may be a young studio, but they are doing some amazing things with ink and squeegee. Their 2008 Screens 'N' Spokes print is an awesome collage printed using a CMYK process. I haven't picked through all the photos that make up the bike but this one definitely deserves a closer look.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Us & Them

Us & Them - Boone, NC
Sei Rey Ho brings together every element of the show with this year's print. A bike and heart are burned into an ink splattered screen. While Jess and I are just learning about screen printing, we love seeing how art is made, and this print represents the process so well.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Punchgut Studio

Punchgut Studio - Fargo, ND
The man behind Punchgut Studio is a crazy guy, and his art gives you a little peek into his head. You can see it in the eclectic bands he's worked with (from Of Montreal to the Drive-By Truckers to Modest Mouse), and you can especially get a sense in the myriad of styles he uses. Rarely does one Punchgut poster look like the next. Following the twists and turns of his Screens 'N' Spokes art print might make you go a little crazy too, in a good way of course. I can't wait to see this one in person as I've been told there is an additional metallic gold layer that isn't showing up in the photo.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Leia Bell

Leia Bell - Salt Lake City, UT
Leia Bell is woman wearing many hats at the moment. With her husband she runs Kilby Court, an all ages venue in SLC. She designs and prints beautiful posters for most of the shows there, and she recently opened up an art gallery, Signed & Numbered. Leia's printing style is uniquely her own, with thick and bold layers of color. In person her prints often have a real painterly quality. For this year's art print she's turned her gaze to the Bike MS:City to Shore itself, the ride that inspired this show.