Interview with Slow Loris Shirts
Posted by Colleen on April 12, 2008
Whats the skinny? Who are you, what do you do? What is your vision? What’s your schtick?
HiHello. My name is Jessica LYnch, and often go by Slow Loris when i draw. I live on a small island called Guemes in the San Juans where i run my screen printing company of 11 years, Slow Loris shirts with my business partner Arlo Rumpff. I have two dogs, Basil and Zora and a pig who’s name changes weekly.
My addicted vision is to draw and print everyday.
What are your mediums of expression? How do you currently express yourself?
My camera takes about 200 photos a month of things i want to draw. My favorite mark makers are ink pens, rubylith, ink for film, the white out pen, any kind of printmaking process, and the xerox machine. I was lucky to acquire an old xerox machine from my local screen print supplier for 50 bucks. i use it to enlarge drawings, shrink ‘em, add to, chop, mark up, combine, anything really. It’s my favorite tool as i do not use the computer for any type of designing or drawing at all. I have no clue how to use photoshop, etc. and i haven’t had the urge to learn yet. As soon as this process doesn’t work for me anymore, i’ll look in that direction, but for now, my scanner and it’s settings still baffle me. Besides the xerox machine, all my work is done by hand, and i use many of the original screen printing methods of making stencils (rubylith film) for burning my images onto screens.
What inspires you currently? What are past inspirations?
I’m incredibly inspired by scaffolding, i beams, ladders, fire escapes, architecture, bridges, billboards, signs, pipes, mostly the stuff that holds these things up, keeps them together, or explains how they work. The nuts and bolts of anything intrigues me. When i first started drawing and printing on shirts in ‘97, inspiration was anything that reminded me of my childhood. Ponche from “Chips”, Scott Baio, arcade machines, viewfinders, etcha sketches, video cameras, cassette tapes. Now i could care less about these things, but have been reprinting a lot of these older designs as they are popular images right now that sell. I hate reprinting old drawings, but have realized that you sometimes have to go backwards to go forwards. When i initially printed many of my very fist designs, i couldn’t pay people to take them. A hot pink line drawing of Scott Baio’s head printed on a black t-shirt wasn’t wanted by anyone. Now, 8 years later after it’s initial printing, i still get requests to reprint it.
Whats the most interesting thing about you or your business?
I would have to say that a lot of the designs we print are only printed 12 times or less. Often, before we print a large run, we decide to print up just a few to see if it will sell. Other times after i print a design, i hate it and it never sees the light of day except for the 4 or 5 test prints that make it onto the web site. My new business partner Arlo would love if i didn’t come up with new designs daily. Right now i have 3 on the back burner from yesterday all ready to be burned onto screens, but there is a good chance they’ll never be printed… by the time i get back to them i’ll probably hate them…but the rule of thumb that’s a constant around here is if i love it, it won’t sell. The more i dislike a new design, the better chance it flies out the door.
Describe your first introductions to your craft. When did you first hear about it?
How did you start your current journey? Whats your earliest memory of your artistry or other Intention?
In 1987 i at age 13, i took my very first screen printing class at Western Washington University. It was me and about 10 other adults. I drew a man in a suit with a large polka-dotted tie.
How did you learn your crafts? How DO you now?
I went to Ringling School of art and design in Sarasota Florida for my first two years of college, and then i transferred to California College of the Arts for two more years in Oakland California. I was a printmaking major, and mostly emphasized in Intaglio or “etching”. It wasn’t until my last year of school i got into screen printing. I keep learning just by doing, i’m constantly coming up with new ways to print, layer and make stencils out of necessity and curiosity. I LOVE LAYERS.
Where do you see yourself heading?
I’m hoping now that i’ve teamed up with Arlo, and he’s doing most of the production printing and business side of things, i will have more time to make art on paper again, start etching, combine letterpress and screen printing, and participate in more gallery shows. And i want to paint more. And i want to start playing the piano again. And learn to fix cars.
Tell me about your local community.
Guemes island is the home to 600 year round residents, and then sometime after April, the “summer home” people start to show up, bringing our small island population up to 3000 or so for a few months. I often compare living here to living in the tv show Northern Exposure. The scenery is similar, and so are the quirky people. We all know way too much about each other, wave when we pass in our cars, complain about tourists and the ferry line getting too long, and love to drink our cold refreshing beverages. We are known for expired tabs, “hoopty” cars, last second potlucks, bonfires, solar and wind electricity, tasty oysters, pink cocktails and our lack of police. We are a community of artists, musicians, hippies, professional drinkers, retired sailors,dog trainers, vietnam vets, teachers, boat builders, farmers, cooks and incredibly talented craftsman.
What are some of your values? And how do you try to fulfill them in your daily life or business or craft?
Listen, teach, share, sing loudly and be kind. Do what you love, and try not to be influenced by what people think…(that’s a hard one though!)
Give me two photos. What about them.
Well, first off, i will give you three instead of two, because i am a stickler for odd numbers.
this is my xerox machine, “The Love Machine”, (of love).
…some of our shirts displayed at a craft fair!
this is a photo of me cutting rubylith which is used to burn a screen with. everything i leave in the red color will be left “open mesh” and allow ink to pass through. The clear areas around will be burned solid from light exposure and will keep ink from going through the screen during printing. I hand cut what i want to remain red using an xacto knife and then peel off what i don’t want. It’s a meticulous process, but i love it, and gives my prints a hand made quality.
To Contact Slow Loris Shirts:
slowlorisshirts@gmail.com
Slow said
Thanks again, this looks great!
Picklemama said
How awesome, like groovy dudes. I happen to be one of the fortunate and know Jessica and Arlo like really for real. They are two of the most fabulous and talented people ever with Slow Loris Shirts being one of the most creative and original around. When you wear one of their shirts not only do you feel cool, you ARE cool.
xoxoxxo
Mama
Colleen said
Yikes! Came to my attention that the SlowShirts links weren’t working, they are now, for that I apologize