CPC Small Print Show: Cynthia King

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Born in Jamaica, Queens (New York City), Cynthia King grew up in upstate New York and now resides in Chicago. Cynthia has studied at Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow, Saugatuck, MI; University of Chicago; and State University of New York, Buffalo. A former systems analyst, she specializes in lithography and Xerox transfer printmaking and combines a variety of techniques -- cutouts, stencils, and chine-collé, with drypoint or etching. Her current robot series is based on Darkdevil County, a computer adventure game, for which she has done extensive hand animation and background drawing as well as computer programming.

Cynthia King. Security Robot,
Darkdevil County Series. 2008.
Xerox transfer, 7" x 10".

Cynthia King. Darkdevil Hospital #1,
Darkdevil County Series. 2008.
Xerox transfer, 8" x 8".

"I've had a blog, http://www.freshpaint.blogspot.com, for nearly 5 years. It started out as a personal art blog, but I got caught up in the Barack Obama senate campaign and blogged about politics very heavily during his primary and election. I'm also active in the computer games community at Adventure Games Studio, and am developing the Darkdevil County game. My previous paid job was as a systems analyst, so I am combining all of my interests in creating the game. I'm very much into robots right now, which is reflected in my prints."

Cynthia King. Robot #13,
Darkdevil County Series. 2008.
Xerox transfer, 6" x 4".

Cynthia often shows her work at Spudnik Press and at the print shop at the Evanston Art Center in the basement of the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, where she is the studio monitor and runs the open studio on Fridays.

Her recent exhibitions include: Upcoming exhibition, Morpho Gallery, December, 2008; Beyond Boundaries, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, postcards and traveling show; NSAL Printworks, 2008; School of the Art Institute Ox-Bow Benefit, 2008; Evanston Art Center 1st Winter Print Show, 2008; The Man Show, Mars Gallery,Chicago, 2007; Peace Tower, Chicago Cultural Center, 2007; Spudnik Press, Chicago, 2007; Luckystar Studio, Chicago, 2007; School of the Art Institute Ox-Bow Winter Benefit Auction, 2007; Green Lantern, Mineral Point, MI, 2006; Past – Tense, 6th Annual Postcard Exchange Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2006; Morpho Gallery, Chicago, 2006; Sacred Art, Chicago, 2006; Friends of the Wilmette Public Library 25th Juried Art Show, 2006; John Galt Gallery, Chicago, 2006; Evanston Art Center Spring Benefit Art Auction, 2006; Human Pixel Project, 3 Columns, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 2006.

For more information on Cynthia and her art, go to http://www.freshpaint.blogspot.com and http://twitter.com/freshpaint.