Dennis Curry, wildlife artist

"While much of the art of the past has dealt with the glories and follies of humankind, I feel a need to portray nature for its own sake with the hope of promoting value and respect for our unique planet and the varied forms of life with which we share it". - Dennis Curry

The art of Dennis Curry is largely focused on the wildlife and environments of East Africa. First traveling to the area in 1982 to study big cats, he became captivated by the beautiful landscape and rich diversity of animals. The primal power of this land has since brought him back many times.

During his service with the US army in Vietnam in 1966, Dennis was affiliated with the combat artist program. This was a program to document the combat experience from an artist's perspective; it taught him the power of the rendered image.

Returning to civilian life in 1967, Dennis went back to school to study art, and became caught up in the renaissance of original printmaking. Over the next 10 years, he produced over 40 editions, mostly in the traditional intaglio mediums of etching and engraving.

In 1980 he was attracted to the contemporary medium of Mylar lithography by it's unprecedented facility for working with color. This form of lithography is so named because the drawing for the individual plates is done on a drafting film with the trade name Mylar, rather than directly on the plate or stone, as in the more traditional forms of original lithography. In all original graphics, the printing press is used to create images, rather than for reproduction, as it is more commonly used in commercial printing.

In 1984, Dennis founded the Blue Berry Press, not only to create his own art, but also to work with other artists interested in creating with this exciting medium. One of the few artist-owned facilities of its kind in the world, Blue Berry Press has allowed Dennis Curry to develop a rare mastery of this relatively new medium. Joined with the fine draftsmanship that is one of the hallmarks of his work, Dennis' graphics are widely collected nationally and internationally.

The Blue Berry Press

The Blue Berry Press in Cambria California is a 30" Harris single-color offset press that has been adapted for use by artists in creating original Mylar lithographs. This medium takes its name from the drafting Mylar used by the artist for the initial drawings. Drawing on Mylar rather than directly on the plate greatly simplifies the process. Gone are the worries of plate deterioration during the run, and the problems of plate preparation traditionally plaguing original lithography.

The Blue Berry Press team

With Mylar lithography, the artist prepares the drawings in his own studio. Corrections may be applied either to the plate or to the drawing, at any time throughout the proofing process. Combined with the rapid rate of printing by the Harris press, these advantages add up to a highly desireable medium for artists interested in creating original graphics.