Tomahawk Dallas 2012

Junko Mizuno is a self-taught artist who is recognized for her unique style of powerful and erotic female imagery. Growing up in Tokyo, Junko's work is based on '70s Japanese cute culture. Her art refuses to be categorized as she can get inspired by anything around her. Her sources of inspiration include fetish art, folk art, religious art, pin-up art, advertising art, vintage toys, greeting cards, comics, food, movies etc. In 1996, she self-produced a photocopy booklet called "MINA animal DX" which brought her to the attention of the publishing industry in Japan. Soon after, she debuted as a professional comic artist and illustrator. Currently residing in San Francisco, she is constantly working on new comics, paintings, illustrations and designs for products ranging from toys to clothing. Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas. Screen printing is also a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface. It is also known as silkscreen, seriography, and serigraph. The Cotton Candy Machine is a fine art archival print publisher and online gallery for select contemporary artists, founded by Tara McPherson and Sean Leonard in 2011. It serves as the official online print store for Tara McPherson, as well as doing special events and pop ups across the globe. All of our archival pigment prints are produced right here in our studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We print on the highest quality etching and watercolor papers made in France, Germany and the USA. Our serigraphs and UV prints are produced in collaboration with a variety of talented screen printers and print houses around the US as well. We began as a storefront gallery and art boutique from 2011 to 2016 in a former fire station in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. The Cotton Candy Machine held a variety of art exhibitions, workshops, and events by a plethora of contemporary artists, curated by Tara McPherson. It then transitioned into a thriving online store and print publisher in 2017, serving as Tara McPherson's official print shop, publishing archival fine art editions, selling limited edition art prints, posters, apparel, books, toys and more. All the while holding onto its roots