Sean Higgins
Cleveland’s Rock n’ Roll Artist

In the world of Cleveland art and artisans, Sean Higgins is a rock star. In 2006, he partnered with his Kent State college friend, Nicholas Rezabek [pictured, with moose], to form the two-man design and illustration firm that is The Bubble Process. Rezabek had followed a job to New York City and Higgins had since made his home in Cleveland. The newly formed dynamic and divided duo would have to work via the power of the Internet. “The Bubble Process was built on this premise,” says Higgins, “devour good food, cherish good music, revere good design and treasure illustration.”

Good music is an especially important part of the mission statement as The Bubble Process specializes in unique screen-printed posters for musicians, concert venues and more than a few rock stars. From the Dave Matthews Band to The House of Blues, their client list is impressive. Best of all, Higgins and Rezabek offer their limited edition, screen printed works of art for purchase on their website, and at the coolest shop in the 216, Room Service Cleveland. In addition to his work with The Bubble Process Sean is also a graphic artist with Cleveland Public Theatre and a brand manager for Phoenix Coffee. Julie Cajigas of CoolCleveland caught up with Parma’s own Sean Higgins to learn more about his exciting posters and his experiences as rock n roll’s artist.

CoolCleveland: The Bubble Process is an interesting name, where did it come from?
Sean Higgins: It has something to do with a place we lived – a building nicknamed "the bubble."

What is unique about the posters and designs at The Bubble Process?
SH: Everything we print is limited edition of about 50-100 prints. Depending on the job and the musician or client, we’ve made as few as 20 posters and as many as 300. No matter how popular they are, once they’ve sold out we never create more – it keeps things interesting. Also, each of our posters is hand screen-printed instead of offset, which adds a special artistic quality. I do all of The Bubble Process’ screen-printing at our Cleveland location.

Who is the perfect recipient for a Bubble Process poster this holiday season?
SH: It’s all over the map, honestly. Our posters appeal to music fans and people who enjoy art. Once, one of the musician’s mothers even bought one of our posters, which was very cool. The great thing is that our posters are limited edition pieces of art that you can hang on your wall for a much smaller investment than most major art purchases. For about $20 plus the cost of a framing, you can give a unique piece of art.

Wow, Dave Matthews was a client? What did you do for them, and what’s the coolest musician experience you’ve had?
SH: We were commissioned! The Dave Matthews Band contacted us directly and commissioned us to design a series of baby clothes. I think the coolest experience is when an artist seeks us out like that. They’ve seen something we’ve done and liked it enough to find and commission us. This summer, for example, we did a fun poster for Fleet of Foxes, and nine months ago we did a poster for the House of Blues for the BB King concert. My father loves to listen to BB King and it was incredibly cool to be able to tell my dad that I did a poster for him.

Where can Cool Clevelanders find your posters?
SH: Our posters are sold by the lovely Danielle Deboe at Room Service Cleveland (http://www.RoomServiceCleveland.com) in the Detroit Shoreway/Gordon Square Arts District on Cleveland’s Near West Side. Room Service carries 10-20 of our latest creations along with a number of other great artist’s projects. Cool Clevelanders can also find our posters at this year’s Bazaar Bizarre (http://www.BazaarBizarre.org/cleveland.html) on Sat 12/12 and Sun 12/13 at the 78th Street Studios.

What’s it like working with a partner in NYC, and what made you stay in Cleveland?
SH: I stayed in Cleveland because I got a job here, and he went to NYC because he got a job there. I’m here for the long haul though, because I love Cleveland. Nick and I work on the Internet mostly; we’re on instant messenger a lot. It all starts out on a piece of paper scanned in and compiled digitally. We play off one another a lot; working together is something that really inspires me.

What’s up-and-coming for the Bubble Process?
SH: In January we’re going to do a Carlos Baerga print for an art show in California that asks artists to depict their fondest sports memory growing up. For both Nick and myself it was Carlos Baerga batting on both sides of the plate for the Cleveland Indians. We will also be adding test prints to our site for purchase in the future.

Test prints?
SH: Test prints are part of the process in screen-printing. In screen-printing, the artist puts down the ink layer after layer and often does a few test runs before printing on the final, high-quality paper. As I layer the ink on top of the ink on the test sheets, interesting patterns begin to merge. Once I see something emerging I’ll stop using it as a test paper and put it to the side. Occasionally, up to nine layers of posters end up on these test prints, creating an interesting layering effect. We’re going to add these interesting works of “art in process” to our website soon.

Do you have any Cleveland recommendations? What’s cool in Cleveland?
SH: I work as the graphic designer for Cleveland Public Theatre and I must admit I’m partial to it. It’s an amazing organization. I’ve also been loving the East Side lately, especially well-kept secrets like the Barking Spider Tavern. I love the way that the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood is growing, and I love independent coffee shops like Phoenix Coffee and Gypsy Bean.

So Sean, what’s your favorite “art” spot in Cleveland, and do YOU think the Free Stamp is Art?
SH: Well, the Cleveland Museum of Art… I’ve been there a lot since it’s reopened. I just love it and I think it’s amazing – I don’t know that there’s anything that can touch it. I also like the Pop Shop on Madison Ave. in Lakewood. It’s a very cool smaller gallery that features skateboard-style art. (chuckles) Yes, I actually like the Free Stamp. I saw a documentary on it recently and I thought it was fascinating. The artist, Claes Oldenburg, is actually a very well known artist.

Find out more about Sean Higgins and The Bubble Process, and take a look at their cool posters for purchase at http://www.TheBubbleProcess.com. Room Service Cleveland is located at 6505 Detroit Avenue in Cleveland and is currently hosting the “Made in the 216 Holiday Show” open Thur & Fri from 4 – 9 p.m. and Sat & Sun from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., through Thu 12/24. For more info visit http://www.RoomServiceCleveland.com. The Bazaar Bizzare (http://www.BazaarBizarre.org/cleveland.html) is Sat 12/12 and Sun 12/13 at the 78th Street Studios at 1300 West 78th Street.

Julie Cajigas is a Cleveland girl who grew up on the East & West Side and now lives near Akron – she’s got the whole town covered! Cajigas holds degrees in Communication & Music from Cleveland State University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Communication at CSU. She is a professional freelance writer who occasionally writes in her blog in between gigs at http://www.inspiredfreelancer.com. Cajigas is also an avid musician and can be seen performing with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and as a violinist in the Allison Bencar band, http://www.myspace.com/allisonbencar.