Edition Announcement #57 -Ian Carpenter

Wednesday Edition: Ian Carpenter

Yesterday was a record-breaking day in 20x200's short history. Our Blind Spot benefit print, the first of two editions from Starn Twins, was gone in seven minutes! I had a feeling it'd be popular, but we didn't anticipate just how fast it would go. Lucky for the disappointed many, there's another edition from Mike + Doug in the works that we'll be announcing any day now; as usual, list subscribers will be the first to know.

For the moment, let's turn our attentions to the colorful Chamonix, an archival pigment print based a gouache on wood original by NYC painter Ian Carpenter. Ian's inspiration might be coming from the snowy mountains of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in Eastern France, but run through the technicolor filter of his imagination it becomes a valley town from another planet.

His own inspirations aside, the use of color and his playful juxtaposition of forms inspires in me an utterly random and enjoyable stream of consciousness, touching upon many of my favorite things, some far away, and some nearly forgotten: the Southwest, candy, a beloved acid-green jacket that I wore in high school (it was the 80s, shut up), looking down at cityscapes from airplanes and the decaying World's Fair structures out in Queens. These are just a few things which have presented themselves to me while looking at this painting.

What can I say? The mind works in mysterious ways. As a firm believer in the idea that there are no wrong answers, I like that Ian's approach and its results encourage my mind to wander.

Currently, I'm wanting to wander over to eBay to see whether I might be able to unearth an 80s vintage Kikit jacket, and, wouldn't you know it? I'm craving some candy. So, I'm going to take my leave and try to satisfy those urges, leaving you to your own wanderings.

Need more inspiration? Browsing our inventory will prime your imagination and keep things humming until I return tomorrow with the aforementioned photography edition. See you then!

Previous Newsletter : Blind Spot Edition - Doug and Mike Starn