Ballwin Artist Appearing in Weekend Bike-Art Expo

A man from Ballwin will be among 30 artists featured in "ARTCRANK: A Poster Party for Bike People" this weekend.

The event, which will take place at Atomic Cowboy in Tower Grove, begins Friday night and runs through Sunday, overlapping with the Missouri Professional Cycling Series' Tour De Grove scheduled this weekend.

Admission to the event is free, and will be focused on cycling-themed posters made by St. Louis area artists. This weekend's run of the series, which began in Minneapolis, will be the fourth to take place in St. Louis.

Among the artists there will be Blaine Deutsch, 38. Deutsch was born in Springfield, IL, and has spent time in the Chicago area, Iowa, Kansas City and Seattle before eventually settling in Ballwin, where he lives with his wife of 15 years, Laura, and daughters Kalyn, 11 and Jules, 7.

What do you do for a living and where?

Depends upon the day, I do some combination of the following: (Fine Artist / Illustrator) I maintain a working studio, continuously building my body of work. I make art in the traditional sense, for showing in galleries. As well, I am commissioned for commercial/editorial illustrations and hand drawn title sequences for documentary films.

I'm working on my Master of Arts at Webster University, pursuing a degree in Fine Arts and Media Theory

I'm a freelance producer for still photography and video shoots. The majority of my time here is spent producing shoots - pulling together every detail before and after a shoot so that in the end, everything on set looks easy.

How did you find out about Artcrank?

Through the internet, a handful of friends in Minneapolis and and extended family of cyclists and artists, I had heard mention of the show. As luck would have it, just as I was planning a move to St. Louis, I saw the first mention online by Charles, pondering the addition of a St. Louis show. I like to think I helped him make the decision, though I likely had nothing to do with it. I'm just happy to be here.

Why did you want to get involved?

Artcrank is the coming together of two of my favorite things: Art and bicycles. These two things come together with a certain gestalt. Conversation that starts with art and bicycles progresses towards commuting, sustainability, being better people and beer.

What are some other galleries you've shown in?

Bunches. Most recently and/or notably ...

          Print/Pull - Space

          Traditions in 2D - St. Louis Artist Guild

          National Print Biennial

          The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Permanent Collection)

How'd you get interested in art/prints?

I have a BFA in printmaking. I started college as a graphic design major. My first semester, I signed up for a printmaking class as a studio elective. About 6 weeks in, it had become very apparent that I was more suited to be at a press than in front of a drafting table (yes - this was before computers). I changed my major and went on to actually make a living with an art degree. Granted, I did spend the next 13 years working as an art director in a number of ad agencies, but I never stopped working in my studio. I have since left the agency world and never looked back.

Artcrank offered an nice opportunity to expand my studio skills. Though I had been pulling prints for years, I had focused on the Asian and European traditions, which do not include screen printing. Wanting to stay true to the spirit of "poster art", I taught myself to screen print. I have since incorporated this technique into other pieces outside of my Artcrank submissions.

Anything special about Artcrank?

Artcrank itself is special. It's a labor of love and great example of what happens when someone stops saying "wouldn't it be cool if…" and actually does it. Charles has done a great job of making sure each year is better than the last. My girls both look forward to the show each year, wondering what extras will be in store, and anxious to pick out a few new prints to hang at home.