Last night, I went to an artist talk given by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., a Louisiana-born, Detroit-based letterpress printer. Kennedy wasn’t always a visual artist: he majored in math in college, and worked at IBM and AT&T for years before discovering printing. He describes himself as a “humble Negro printer,” a phrase that touches on both his emphatic categorization of himself as a printer (not, he will be quick to say, an artist, as he believes the term carries elitist implications) and the themes of race and social activism which pervade his prints.
His works are layered, colloquial, engrossing. They employ aphorisms and proverbs, ranging from, “She who plants a garden plants happiness,” to “I’m as southern as pepper jelly” and “Coffee makes you black.” Kennedy was a dynamic and enthusiastic speaker, sharing his opinions on the art world, money, political art and career satisfaction.
Photo courtesy of Kennedy Prints!
The part of his talk that most struck me, though, was his description of his expectations for himself and his artwork. Kennedy recommended that everyone set themselves low expectations, so that those expectations can readily be met. He explained his expectation as a print-maker is that he will put ink on paper. Simple, achievable goals. This formula appealed to me greatly, as someone who is creatively inclined but not given to huge bursts of dramatic creative output. The rejection of tropes of artistic genius or erratic, divine inspiration in favor of methodical creative practice felt empowering and inclusive.
