Laurel, MS

Sean Star Wars lives in Laurel, MS with his wife and five young children.  Sean earned his  MFA in Printmaking from Louisiana State University. In addition to making woodcuts for over twenty-five years, Sean has been an Adjunct Professor, a janitor and a used car salesman. Sean currently works full-time as a printmaker  and he makes about a dozen visiting artist appearances a year at many of the nations’ leading art programs.  Sean is a proud member of the legendary Outlaw Printmakers and his work is in numerous public and private collections.   Star Wars’ work can be seen on book covers, album covers, magazines, television programs, films and commercials.  He is currently embarking on his most challenging project ever, a woodcut a week “FOR LIFE”.  Sean drinks more Mountain Dew than anyone who has ever lived and he can beat you at Ms. Pacman.

Artist Statement

I choose the format of the large scale color woodcut because it best suits my energy charged, caffeine induced, aggressive approach to image making.

Charles Bukowski, Ms Pacman, Phillip Guston and Neil Blender are among my influences. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I could accomplish my goals as an artist without enslaving myself to the meticulous obsessions of “traditional” printmaking. I don’t slow down to make perfect drawings or to finesse my color registration. I hammer out the carvings and blast out the prints, and move on to the next print, the next day. My primary concern is to create a strong visual infused with a sense of satirical humor, in other words I like to tell funny stories using funny pictures.

 

Images of Work

Techniques

Relief Printing

Favorite Products

I really enjoy working with the Speedball Professional Relief inks. They give me the high saturation color I demand in my multi block color woodcuts. As a fulltime artist working in my own studio, I also appreciate the economic value of the inks . I’m also pretty messy when I work and I really appreciate how easy it is to clean up at the end of the day, soap and water works just fine and doesn’t leave me feeling soaked in harsh solvents! I don’t just use them in my studio , either I use them when I give workshops all over the country as well .I want everybody , anywhere I go to see how easy and effective Speedball inks can be for color printmaking!!!