Tan & Loose Press is a print shop in Chicago run by Clay Hickson.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I am the Owner/Operator of Tan & Loose Press. We are a small print shop specializing in Riso printed artist editions.
What kinds of things are influencing your work right now? Furniture, Ceramics, Memphis Milano, Push Pin Studios, Nudes, Fruit, Takenobu Igarashi, Riso, Shadows, Highlights… just the same old stuff.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? I’m starting to curate the next series of print series from Tan & Loose Press. The series is called Tan Lines 2 and it will feature Riso prints by 10 artists/illustrators from all over the world.
How long have you lived in Chicago and what brought you there? I’ve lived in Chicago on and off for the last 8 years. I came here for school and ended up staying because it’s an amazing city.
Describe your current studio or workspace. Tan & Loose operates out of a tiny office in an old funeral home in Pilsen. It’s full of beautiful, bright stained glass windows and dark wood. I keep a team of carpenters (housemates) on call to build new and innovative storage systems in order to cram as much stuff into my tiny space.
What were you like in high school? I was really into graffiti and hacky sack…
If you were a drink what drink would you be? Earl Grey
Tell us about your work process and how it develops. The process of finding people to work with Tan & Loose is fairly simple. I generally look for artists who’s work I think fits with the Tan & Loose aesthetic and then ask them if we can publish a zine or edition of prints for them. For the most part, the responses have been surprisingly positive.
What do you want a viewer to walk away with after experiencing your work? Just a general feeling of optimism.
Can you share one of the best or worst reactions you have gotten as a result of your work? Someone once wrote that it was like “Saved By The Bell meets a Matisse collage meets a Lichtenstein painting meets Greco-Roman sculpture”. That was pretty flattering.
