Art

Crinkleism

Teresa Castaneda unfolds a unique art form.

A large painting of orange and green squiggles and curves hangs on a wall in Teresa Castaneda's living room, but not just for decoration. "It's like my television," said the painting's artist, inventor of an artistic style called Crinkleism. "Instead of sitting in front of a TV, I'll sit in front of this and try to figure out what needs improvement." Several of her other works lean against the walls, and greeting cards that feature her work (these can be purchased at the Tattered Cover) are stacked on a table by the door. Yes, you have entered the realm of a Crinkleism artist--and painter and jewelry maker and photographer and aspiring violinist.

Castaneda was introduced to art by her father, who painted oil and finger paintings, at an early age. "I think he wanted to teach us what he knew about art," she says. "I always did well whenever he asked me perspective questions when I was a little kid and I just kept going with it."

Castaneda discovered Crinkleism by accident in 1996. She was cleaning up from painting and noticed that she had left a piece of paper soaking in water. She took a paper towel that had been used to wipe off some paintbrushes, applied it to the wet paper, and pulled the paper off creating an imprint of the paint from the paper towel. Thus, Crinkleism was born.

Castaneda perfected the style over the next three years, and the current process is slightly more complex than the original. First, Castaneda sketches and paints an image onto material using lithography ink (thinned a bit so it transfers from the material to the paper easier) and outlines the image with a black crayon. She then crinkles the material up while it's still wet, so that the paint from some areas of the material is transferred to other areas. Finally, she flattens the material and imprints the image on cotton rag paper via an etching press. The entire process takes about 15 hours per piece, a lot of which is drying time. The result is a one-of-a-kind monoprint. It's as if you're looking at the image through a veil of steam that casts colorful shadows on certain areas of your vision. Castaneda explains the process as being at its own mercy--you don't know exactly what it's going to look like until you un-crinkle the material.

The process yields three different versions of the original. The image is first pressed onto black paper, then crinkled and pressed onto white paper, then crinkled a second time and applied to another piece of white paper. It's like seeing the same image in three alternate dimensions. A layer of wet paper can also be applied to the second print and pulled off to make a reverse image and a fourth perspective of the same view.

So how did the name Crinkleism come to be? Castaneda explains: "I was on the phone with a gallery who was putting on a show and they asked, 'What do we call this? ' I said that they're monoprints, and they said, 'No, what do you call the style? ' And it (Crinkleism) just came out. It's one of those names that you either hate or love."

While the crinkle effect adds an abstract element to Castaneda's work, the sketches themselves are done in a figurative style and are snapshots of everyday life--a man praying in church, a cat looking up a stove where two fish are frying in a pan, three kids riding on a bicycle. Her decision to keep the sketches somewhat realistic is a trait she inherited from her father. "He was more of a realistic painter, so we don't see eye to eye at all on any of the stuff I do," she said. His first impression of Crinkleism wasn't good. "He said (of the crinkling process), 'Knock it off! You're obliterating the image. ' But I think that both of my parents are proud of me for my work and the fact that I am strong willed enough to just keep doing it."

Not only has Castaneda invented a style, but she's also created something with a lot of potential. Crinkleism monoprints sell for $600 apiece. Teresa also sold over 9,000 of her greeting cards on a recent trip to New York. She's in the midst of writing a book on Crinkleism and plans to teach a Crinkleism workshop at Meininger's Art and Supply that will be broadcast on the Internet via web cam. Additionally, she has 10 gallery representatives here in Colorado, as well as several out of state. "A lot of artists struggle to find their style and something different and to grow," Castaneda says. "I like to find something, then perfect it, then go on to something else. It's kind of funny because Crinkleism in a way has trapped me into not growing because it's become popular and it's showing everywhere, so I can't move on."

Not everybody understands Crinkleism. "Museums and shows have called me and said, "You can put your piece in our museum if you re-name it to a painting," says Castaneda. Some have even suggested retouching the monoprints. "And I tell them it's not a painting--it's a monoprint. So I don't enter it there because they want me to change how it looks." A family member also once saw a piece and commented to Castaneda, "Don't worry, you'll be a good painter some day." Some people just don't appreciate art.

You can see some of Castaneda's work and find more information on Crinkleism at www.paintbru.sh(not to be confused with www.paintbrush.com).

--Geoff Weisenberger

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