The Man in the Iron Mask by Katie Wagner

Classic Literature

Each Creative Action Network poster is hand-printed and handled to make sure that only the highest quality is offered and sent out. The sturdy matte paper and premium inks create a vibrant, museum-quality image that looks great both framed and unframed. Posters are printed in Los Angeles, CA on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper heavyweight stock, with a wide color gamut and Epson UltraChrome HDR ink-jet technology. The framed poster arrives wrapped in a protective yet lightweight black frame and includes a shatter-resistant acrylite front protector that won't break during shipping. International orders may be subject to customs duties & taxes. 

Proceeds Support:
The Digital Public Library of America amplifies the value of libraries as Americans’ most trusted sources of shared knowledge. They do this by proactively collaborating with partners in the field to accelerate innovative tools and ideas that empower and equip libraries to broaden digital access to information. Recovering The Classics is a crowdsourced collection of original book covers for some of the greatest works in the public domain, where anyone can contribute.

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Artist Statement

People always scoff and “eep!” at the sight of a city rat, but they have always been inspiring to me. City rats know the ins and the outs; the cracks and crevices of alleyways. They’re scrappers, collectors, and observers. While walking through a sea of suits and briefcases, passing luxury Chicago hotels I always find myself in alleyways picking up wooden panels to repurpose for my next work of art. It is through these not so elegant situations where I find my inspiration. Through my work I challenge viewers to accept a different kind of beauty by accentuating detail in bumps, wrinkles, slime, sludge, rust, cracks, globs, tears, holes, rips, and just about any texture I can throw into exaggeration. As a student I was always told not to use too much black in my work and to refrain from thick, heavy outlines. Lets just say I have always challenged the rules I have been given when it comes to art, and my work has come to embody the two things I was told to never do. I am a scrapper, a collector, and an observer. — Katie Wagner