My name is Carl, and after collecting screenprints for some time (mostly gig posters) and wishing I knew how to screenprint, I thought to myself ... maybe go and learn how? So I did. Thank you, MassArt.
Harsh Realm was kicked off in July 2024. For now, I'm calling it a hobby with things for sale, but maybe someday it will be a real, grown-up business. I share studio space with my partner in our hometown of Amesbury, Massachusetts. She's the better artist by far, and sometimes we collaborate - you'll see her credited here as Feed Dog Productions. Together, we like to experiment by pairing different mediums with screenprinting, including spray paint, cyanotypes, and other unpredictable materials.
Screenprinting is pure magic. With each edition, there's this brief, exhilarating moment between printing and revealing the image when I don't know if the print will have come out right. It's a bit like quantum physics? The print could be anything or nothing.
PROCESS
Everything here is made by hand through a pretty DIY process. I expose screens at my home and print them manually (aka "the hard way") at our studio. As a result, most print runs are limited to 5, 10, or 15 editions.
Screenprinting success is measured in millimeters. The medium has taught me to embrace minor imperfections even as I chase consistent precision in print after print after print. I've learned to laugh at the mistakes and love the chaos and challenge of getting it right. As another printer told me once, screenprinting just beats problem-solving into you.
But when it comes out just right? There's no better feeling.
WHY HARSH REALM?
The term "harsh realm" was coined by one-time Sub Pop employee Megan Jasper as part of a fake list of Grunge slang terms she shared with a gullible New York Times reporter in 1992. "Harsh realm" translated to "bummer," which is hilarious and made for a great name.
Anyway, thanks for swingin' on the flippity flop, ya lamestain!