Staff Pick: Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow (2022).
Curlee Raven Holton on working with Faith Ringgold on her recent print Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow (2022).
I began working with Faith Ringgold in 1993 on our first edition, which we later completed in 1994. Since then, I have created over 40 editions with her. I am particularly proud of one edition, Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow (2022), which incorporates much of her blues and jazz inspiration. This diptych combines two separate pieces, which we created in two separate editions in 2004 and 2005.
For this new edition, we decided to experiment with combining etching and serigraph to create a dramatic, new Faith Ringgold piece. We created a small number of proofs of the edition some years ago, in 2003, and only recently had an opportunity to work with her dealer, Dorian Gray of ACA Galleries, to produce this new edition. The work has lots of rich black pigments, which come from the etching process. An etching is a design carved into a metal plate and run through a press to create an embossing on the paper and transfer the ink. We chose to use archival paper, a 100% rag paper, which is incredibly fibrous and absorbs ink. On top of the etching, we added the blue color through serigraph. Finally, we added the gold detailing, a signature aspect of Ringgold’s work.
Ringgold’s work is very dramatic and highly chromatic with a limited color palate, yet incredibly striking. This print is a prime example of Faith Ringgold’s art and her work with print. We are fortunate to have produced several editions with her, like Big Black (2010) and Born in the USA, a 2012 tribute to Barack Obama, among others. We have printed her works for individual collectors, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and placed her work in over 16 different museums.
We are incredibly proud of this piece. If you’re interested in learning more about it, please contact us at inquiry@ravenfinearteditions.com.
Price available upon request.