Founded in 2010 by Carlos Hernandez and Patrick Masterson, Burning Bones Press in Houston has been a staple in the Texas art scene since its beginning. From providing resources for artists to organizing public events, Burning Bones fosters a welcoming community for printmakers working at all levels.
As director, Hernandez oversees the operations of the organization including managing the studio space, organizing workshops, and working collaboratively with other artists.
In addition to his role at Burning Bones, he maintains his own artistic practice, with work in numerous collections including the Library of Congress. He has been a visiting artist at the historic Hatch Show Print in Nashville and will have work featured at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Haley Gallery later this fall.
Hernandez recently shared about some of his recent projects as well as what has been going on at Burning Bones.
Carlos Hernandez
Caleb Bell (CB): Before we dive into all things Burning Bones Press, I wanted to find out a little bit more about you and some of your current projects. As a printmaker, you personally tend to lean into the screen printing process. What about it makes it so appealing?
Carlos Hernandez (CH): I love the immediacy of screen printing. Like all printmaking techniques, there is a process to get the end result. I love that sometimes mistakes are made but that may add to the imagery. The mixing of inks, the preparation of the screen, thinking about how the imagery is going to come together layer by layer — I find it all very interesting.
CB: I also know that you are currently working on an installation for Meow Wolf Houston, which is going to open later this fall. Is there any information you can provide about your piece?
CH: In addition to screen printing, I also love to work on collages. The collages that I create are sourced from my screenprints. A lot of times I’ll have older prints that are taking up space in my flat files. A while back, I started cutting up these pieces. There’s something about cutting up your art that is freeing.
I was cutting up the pieces and before I knew it, I had a pile of eyeballs here, a pile of heads there, a pile of letters here, and I started to piece all of these together. So out of the ashes, I created these new collage works. That’s a hint of what you might see at Meow Wolf, but 20 feet tall.
A view of Burning Bones Press
CB: Regarding Burning Bones, you, along with Patrick Masterson, founded the organization in 2010. What was your biggest motivation for initially opening the space?
CH: I really wanted to open up a community print shop, which I felt was really lacking in Texas and in Houston in general. I knew there was a community of printmakers in our neck of the woods. I also knew that sometimes you want to continue your education in printmaking, but you need a place to do it all. So Patrick Masterson and I got together to open up this print studio, Burning Bones Press, where you could become a member and continue your printmaking practice alongside the camaraderie of other printmakers.
CB: Since opening, it has evolved and grown. Before we get into the more programmatic side of things, I’d like to hear some about the editioning and collaborative printmaking. Having worked collaboratively with a number of artists, can you share about a particular edition that stands out to you?
CH: Although we are not an editioning house, there are a few artists we worked with collaboratively through edition work. Projects that come to mind are Albert Paley, with a series of monoprints, and Texas artist James Surls, who we recently did work for – it was a pleasure meeting him. Another project that stands out is working with Trenton Doyle Hancock. I love how he works and his use of color. We’ve also worked with Tom Huck, who is one of the greatest printmakers around and chooses Burning Bones Press to do some of his editioning. One of his triptych prints recently became part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and was exhibited for a period of time. His work was also recently acquired by the MFAH. We learn a lot from these artists.
CB: Memberships for artists are available which allow access and use of the studio and equipment. If someone is interested in joining, how does one go about doing that?
CH: Interested printmakers have to contact me through our website, and there is a curation process. Artists have to have some experience in printmaking. If they do not, we encourage them to take our workshops so that they can reach a point where they can become a member and use our equipment. One of our longtime members, Carlos Pozo, who is a screenprint artist in town, didn’t know anything about screen printing but knew that he wanted to learn it and make art. He was an architect and was looking for something artistic outside of architecture. I taught him how to hold a squeegee and screenprint. He has developed his technique to where now he teaches screen printing workshops at Burning Bones Press. I think that’s a success story.
Inside Burning Bones Press
CB: From a more public-facing standpoint, workshops for the community are periodically presented. How often do you host them and what types of techniques are covered?
CH: We usually try to have at least one workshop a month. They range from linocut, screen printing, and etching, to monoprint or collagraph.
CB: Burning Bones has also been instrumental in presenting several different annual printmaking events across Texas. In Houston, It Came from the Bayou is held each spring. Where did the idea for that event come from and how has it grown since its inception?
CH: I had been to other printmaking events, and I wanted to do one in Houston. These types of events were called printslinger events and were a little more underground but with really amazing printmakers. I always wanted to do one in Houston.
The first one I did in 2012 was on Main Street by the Continental Club. My buddy Tomas Escalante from Sig’s Lagoon turned us on to an empty storefront where we held the first event. Since 2014, we have held our event at Saint Arnold Brewery in the Beer Hall. This event was a way to have printmakers come to Houston and sell their prints, but also educate the public on printmaking in general. Before It Came from the Bayou, there really wasn’t a printmaking festival like this in Houston.
CB: Coming up on September 6, UFOS Over Lubbock, which is organized by you and Burning Bones, will take place as part of the First Friday Art Trail at Charles Adams Studio Project. What can visitors expect?
CH: I’m originally from Lubbock and had wanted to do something similar to It Came from the Bayou there. In addition to what you would expect at Bayou, we’ve also added alternative or outsider artists to the event. First Friday in Lubbock, especially at CASP, is insane. Literally thousands of people come out to this event. It’s a very fun event. It’s out in what I call “West Texas weird.” This is our sixth year, and it continues to be a huge draw on the Trail.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
