Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Cakes & Ale Press, 2003

Hannah, Jonny. Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Cakes & Ale Press, 2003. Early original signed colour screenprint by Jonny Hannah, measuring 38 × 56 cm, issued in a limited edition of only 50 impressions, this example number 31/50, signed by the artist in pencil and carrying the Cakes & Ale Press identification in the right-hand margin. Printed in a highly effective restricted palette of warm red and pale blue-grey, the composition combines an oversized cowboy boot, a freely arranged lower-case alphabet, star-decorated western-style lettering and a sharply dressed hat-wearing figure, with the title “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” running vertically down the right-hand side and the lower section incorporating Hannah’s characteristically humorous injunction “Why not take this here proper writing and make your own smartalecky words.” The title strongly recalls The Byrds’ influential 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, a landmark of country rock associated with the group’s collaboration with Gram Parsons, although Hannah’s image is not a reproduction of the album sleeve; instead, he draws upon the broader visual world of country music, Americana and rodeo graphics. The alphabet is equally important, transforming an educational motif into a playful exercise in hand lettering and making typography itself one of the central subjects of the image. Dating from 2003, the print is a particularly appealing early example of Hannah’s independent printmaking, already combining the music, humour, vernacular graphics and handmade lettering that became hallmarks of his work. Very good to excellent condition overall, with strong colour, only minor natural handling and paper irregularity, and the pencil signature and edition number 31/50 remaining clear.…