Bailey Danz
Spaceman
Reduction Linocut
2019.1.1
Yesterday was the anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon and today is the anniversary of when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong collected samples and left commemorative objects on the lunar surface. Because of these anniversaries, I thought it would be fitting to show this print from our collection, titled Spaceman, which is by Bailey Danz. I think this print is a joy to look at, but it is also intriguing to me because of the places in the spaceman’s suit reflecting or even being overtaken by the space background. I talked to Bailey about this piece, and they told me they were just getting used to block printing when they created it. They also said that the texture of the navy-blue ink on the last layer was “a happy accident” –one that seems to have added a lovely surprise element to the depth of the space background!
Bailey is a current student at UWM who does a lot of printmaking, but who also works in a variety of other media and forms. We have a few prints by Bailey in the collection, but in addition to printmaking, they also create artist books and zines, illustrations, and fiber art. You can learn more about Bailey’s work at their website, baileydanz.com, or over @baileydanzart
Visual Description: An astronaut floats in the navy-blue void of space covered in stars. A bright yellow cord, connecting the astronaut to his unseen spaceship or a space station, winds around the astronaut and comes into view from the right side.