Original Artwork by Eric Rewitzer
I grew up in the 1970's in suburban Detroit. At 3:30pm on Saturdays, I would turn on the television and tune to Channel 50 in order to be entertained by the Creature Feature. I would wait in anticipation for the announcement of the afternoon's film, and would be beyond excited to see anything from the Godzilla genre begin to play. Long before I knew the symbolism of these creatures, I would be captivated by the sheer spectacle of it all. They truly captured my imagination.
As an adult, now living in California, I began to build an art practice around the carved line. Taking sheets of linoleum, or blocks of wood, I would carve a relief into the surface, ink it up, and run it through a press. The results were intriguing - there is something extraordinary about a carved line. My subject matter for these prints began to evolve, and finally my creative impulses pushed me back to my childhood memories, where these creatures still lived. So I grabbed a 3 foot by 3 foot sheet of linoleum, and began to draw. Monsters from my memories began to wreak havoc in San Francisco, where I now lived, with a nod to Frank Miller, who could fill a frame with black ink like nobody else.
The black and white images are the original iteration of the prints. The color images are created by assembling cut paper on the surface of the inked plate before printing, creating a one-of-a-kind result.
Godzilla
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
Available - Edition of 25
Godzilla takes down the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.
King Gidorah
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
Available - Edition of 25
King Gidorah rises from Twin Peaks, taking down Sutro Tower.
Gamera
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
Available - Edition of 25
Gamera enters throught the Golden Gate, and the famous span does not stand a chance.
Mothra
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
Available - Edition of 25
Mothra flies over San Francisco's Japan Town, with the twins and bystanders looking on. Mothra was always benevolent, so it is spreading its magic dust across the southern edge of the City.
Shin Godzilla
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
Available - Edition of 25
A bizarrely re-imagined version of Godzilla, taking down the Salesforce tower as the onlookers from Pier 14 take photos with their phones. In this incarnation, Godzilla represents bureaucracy more than a nuclear threat.
Pink Gidorah
July 2022
• Private Collection - Los Angeles
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
I took my Gidorah linocut and assembled cut papers on the surface of the inked plate. I printed the colored paper with archival inks on my Epson, and used a Xyron to apply the adhesive. The papers are assembled face down, with the adhesive side up. I cut the papers to highlight elements carved in the plate. Once the papers completely cover the surface of the plate, I lay a sheet of Rives BFK paper on the assembly, and run it through my press. The result is one of a kind.
Pink Godzilla
July 2022
• Private Collection - San Francisco
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
I took my Godzilla linocut and assembled cut papers on the surface of the inked plate. I printed the colored paper with archival inks on my Epson, and used a Xyron to apply the adhesive. The papers are assembled face down, with the adhesive side up. I cut the papers to highlight elements carved in the plate. Once the papers completely cover the surface of the plate, I lay a sheet of Rives BFK paper on the assembly, and run it through my press. The result is one of a kind.
Lipstick Godzilla
August 2022
• Private Collection - San Francisco
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
I took my Godzilla linocut and assembled cut papers on the surface of the inked plate. I printed the colored paper with archival inks on my Epson, and used a Xyron to apply the adhesive. The papers are assembled face down, with the adhesive side up. I cut the papers to highlight elements carved in the plate. Once the papers completely cover the surface of the plate, I lay a sheet of Rives BFK paper on the assembly, and run it through my press. The result is one of a kind.
Pink Godzilla II
December 2022
• Private Collection - Las Vegas, NV
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
I took my Godzilla linocut and assembled cut papers on the surface of the inked plate. I printed the colored paper with archival inks on my Epson, and used a Xyron to apply the adhesive. The papers are assembled face down, with the adhesive side up. I cut the papers to highlight elements carved in the plate. Once the papers completely cover the surface of the plate, I lay a sheet of Rives BFK paper on the assembly, and run it through my press. The result is one of a kind.
Shin Godzilla
December 2022
• Private Collection - Los Angeles
36" x 36" Linocut
Printed on 42" x 42" Rives BFK Paper
I took my Shin Godzilla linocut and assembled cut papers on the surface of the inked plate. I printed the colored paper with archival inks on my Epson, and used a Xyron to apply the adhesive. The papers are assembled face down, with the adhesive side up. I cut the papers to highlight elements carved in the plate. Once the papers completely cover the surface of the plate, I lay a sheet of Rives BFK paper on the assembly, and run it through my press. The result is one of a kind.