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Edutainment > How Come?
Tom Kristensen, born 1962, is a young artist from Australia who works in the tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking. On this page, he writes about his latest print: "How Come?".
Here is the original text written by Tom Kristensen. Text and images are copyright protected and may not be used or distributed for other than private use without the prior consignment of the author/artist.
How Come?
This print was made for a print exchange between 25 artists on the topic of Iraq. I have combined a comic strip from The Bungle Family drawn by Harry Tuthill with a Texaco logo. The strip dates from WWII when petrol was rationed, an early example of anxiety over the supply of fuel.
Petrol, or gasoline, is distilled from crude oil deposits formed from prehistoric life that settled onto the ocean floor under choking anoxic conditions. Buried under pressure and over time the oil was cooked and then percolated into porous strata where it formed large liquid reserves. By drilling a hole into the earth the oil can now be tapped. Mineral oil was first refined as a substitute for the oil that was taken from the blubber of whales and used to power candles and lamps. The petroleum fraction of distillation was initially used as a treatment for lice and a stain remover. During the second half of the 19th century this petrol was found to be a suitable fuel for the developing internal combustion engine. By the start of the 20th century the era of the automobile had begun and the demand for petrol began to rise exponentially. The economic importance of oil would dominate the century.
The Texas Oil Company was founded in 1897 and was well placed to exploit the great oil fields of East Texas discovered in 1930. Despite the rain of black gold each oil strike had only a limited life. American oil companies turned their profits towards global exploration to secure future supplies. The world's largest oil reserves were found in the Middle East, and by 1936 The Texas Oil Company had a large interest in the region.
Zapata
Another oil company from Texas to seek business in the Arabian Gulf was Zapata, founded in 1954 by partners including George HW Bush. This oilman from Texas would go on to be elected the 41st President of the United States. His son George W Bush would be elected the 43rd President with help from another son, Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida. The Bush family dynasty have grown from a having keen interest in oil to advancing the cause of democracy in the Middle East.
Tom Kristensen
June 2007
Video Presentation of Tom Kristensen
We produced a video with a short presentation of Tom Kristensen. Please click on the image or on the link to go to the video page.
More about Tom Kristensen
The artist was first discovered by Eric van den Ing, co-author of a classic ukiyo-e book "Beauty and Violence" and owner of Saru Gallery. After Eric van den Ing had placed Tom's woodblock prints on his online gallery, a few days later a collector had bought the whole set. Mr. van den Ing seems to have a "magic hand" for new artists. He was the first to introduce Paul Binnie in 2000 to a larger online community of friends of Japanese prints.
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