
Artist in Residence Randy Bolton
Randy Bolton was appointed Artist-in-Residence and Head of the Print Media Department in 2002. Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1956, Bolton received a B.F.A. from the University of North Texas in 1978 and an M.F.A. from the Ohio State University in 1982. Bolton has taught in many visiting artist positions across the country, including four years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. From 1989-2002 Bolton was a Professor of Art and Printmaking Area Coordinator at the University of Delaware, a position he maintained until his arrival at Cranbrook.
Bolton’s work has been widely exhibited in one-person, invitational, and juried shows since 1982. Recent one-person exhibitions include “Twice-Told Tales” at the Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan; "Things are Rarely What They Seem" and “Chase, Tumble, Slide” at Schmidt/Dean Gallery in Philadelphia; "Books of Nonsense" at Evergreen House in Baltimore, Maryland; and “Two Sides to Every Story” at Littlejohn Contemporary in New York. Recent group exhibitions include: “Better Than New: Randy Bolton and Randy Reiger” at Gray Matters Gallery in Dallas; “Golden Daze: Randy Bolton and John Schulz” at Street Level Gallery in Highwood, Illinois; "New Prints 2004/Spring" at the International Print Center in New York City; "The Outlaw Printmaking Show," Big Cat Gallery in New York City; "Popular, Pop & Post-Pop: Color Screenprints, 1930s to Now" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; "Look Out" at Revolution Gallery in Ferndale, Michigan; “Digital: Printmaking Now” at the Brooklyn Museum of Art; "Sculptural Prints" and “Digital Press: Artists Exploring New Technologies” at the Print Center in Philadelphia; and “Sight/Insight” at the New York Public Library. Bolton has completed artist residencies at the Evergreen House in Baltimore, the MacDowell Art Colony in New Hampshire, Yaddo in New York and the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. Bolton’s prints are in many corporate and museum collections including The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the New York Public Library. Bolton received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in 2000, an Art Matters Fellowship (New York City) in 1996, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1989.

Yours, Our Land, Mine
2004
3-panel digital print on canvas, tree stumps with carved and wood-burned
images
each panel is 102” x 102”
Bolton’s work is characterized by an exploration of images that seem familiar and comforting on first glance, but become strange and disturbing on further consideration. His prints borrow from and adapt the nostalgia-evolving illustrations of early children’s books and science texts. In their original contexts these pictures served as visual tools to help educate young minds about acceptable morals and beliefs. In his work, however, Bolton has reclaimed these illustrations with a more subversive intent. By altering and recombining fragments of these illustrations, new meanings are suggested in which an undercurrent of uncertainty or apprehension undermines the initial flash of familiarity and comfort. Images originally intended to reflect childhood security and innocence become ironic metaphors of a chaotic world that is threatened by forces beyond our true comprehension and control. Bolton’s work is about the power these illustrations have in shaping our view of the world as children, followed by the disillusionment that occurs when these images fail us as adults. Despite the seemingly amusing or flippant quality of the images he employs, there is an element of concern in Bolton’s work and a vague feeling that the valuable things in life are in jeopardy.
Selected Bibliography
- Sutlief, Shannon. “Fairly Dark Tales.” Dallas Observer, May 14, 2005.
- Green, Roger. “Banners Provide Differing Views of Life.” Mlive.com, January 4, 2005.
- Sousanis, Nick. “Randy Bolton, Twice-Told Tales.” The Detroiter, February 3, 2005.
- Walker, Barry. "New Prints Program: New Prints 2004/Spring Essay" (exhibition essay). New York: International Print Center New York, May 6 - June 12, 2004.
- Fallon, Roberta. “When It’s Public It’s Got to Be Big.” ArtBlog, December 28, 2004.
- Hagan, Susan. “Creatures From Another Dimension: Two Shows Make Prints Pop.” Philadelphia City Paper, October 16 -23, 2003.
- Fallon, Roberta. “Popular, Pop and Post-Pop.” Philadelphia Weekly, November 25, 2003.
- Hagan, Susan. “Good Neighbors.” Philadelphia City Paper, February 8-15, 2001.
- Sozanski, Edward J. “In The Pink – and Red.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 16, 2001.
- West, Judy. “Randy Bolton: Chase Tumble, Slide.” CitySearch, March 2000.
- Fallon, Roberta. “Rated PG-13: Randy Bolton’s Spooky Take on Children’s Literature Isn’t Exactly Kiddie Stuff.” Philadelphia Weekly, March 22, 2000.
- Korotkin, Joyce B. “Randy C. Bolton @ Littlejohn Contemporary.” NY Arts International Edition 5, no. 4 (April 2000).
- Hirsch, Faye. “Working Proof: Review of Prints, Photographs and Multiples.” Art On Paper 4, no. 5 (May-June 2000): 71.
- Fallon, Roberta. “Living in the One-Dimensional.” Philadelphia Weekly, September 29, 1999.
- Sozanski, Edward J. “Art, Galleries: Digital Printing That Measures Up as Art.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 1, 1999.
- Sozanski, Edward J. “Art, Galleries: Inkjet Puzzles.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 20, 1998.
- Brody, Jacqueline. “Prints and Photographs Published.” The Print Collector’s Newsletter XXVII, no. 1 (1996).
- Fortunato, Monique. “Artistic Social Commentary: New Exhibits at CEPA.” The Spectrum (Buffalo, NY), February 5, 1996.
- Tallman, Susan. The Contemporary Print from Pre-Pop to Postmodern. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996.
- Waddell, Roberta. Scene at a Place and Time: The 69th Annual Print Competition (exhibition catalog). Philadelphia: The Print Club, December 10, 1994-January 21, 1995.
- Larson, Carol. “Randy Bolton: Interview.” Contemporary Impressions: The Journal of the American Print Alliance 2, no.1 (Spring 1994):8-10.
- Mangravite, Andrew. “Not to be Missed: Art; The Print Club’s 69th Annual Competition.” Philadelphia Welcomat, December 21, 1994.
- Cope, Penelope. “Unsettling Images.” Delaware Today (March 1993): 12-13.
- Mangravite, Andrew. “Galleries; One Artist A Leapin’.” Philadelphia Welcomat, December 29, 1993.
- Cunningham, Eldon L., ed. Printmaking: A Primary Form of Expression. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1992.
- Rice, Robin. “From Nostalgia to Disgust.” Philadelphia City Paper, January 2, 1992.

Thin Ice
2004
2-panel digital print on canvas
each panel is 88” x 99”

Always Stay the Course
2004
digital print on canvas
138” x 168”

Not Tonight, Honey
2004
digital print on canvas
154” x 168”