The symptoms of Stanley Cup Fever are fairly easy to spot. However, they are often quite varied and can range from irritability triggered by questionable calls to euphoria triggered by questionable calls. The degree of irritability or euphoria is often exacerbated by the time left on the clock when the infraction occurs. Other symptoms can include hoarseness (from screaming at the top of your lungs), dry mouth (easily treatable), presentation of facial hair (especially in men), and the irrational need to let everyone around you know which team you support. Various treatments are out there, but one of the most effective for Buffalonians is wearing blue, gold and white. Artvoice talked with silk screen artist Scott Swiezy, whose “Let’s Go Buffalo” T-shirts are popping up all over the city. You may have seen them in several shops around Elmwood Village and Allentown. Here’s how they’re made...

Artvoice: Please, introduce yourself...

Scott Sweezy: Hey, Buffalonians, I’m Scott Swiezy, one of your local boys here. Got a screen print operation making these “Let’s Go Buffalo” rally shirts...gettin’ everyone fired up...you may have seen ‘em around town.

AV: Is this a new design?

Scott Sweezy: We started last year and we came up with this design. We figured that it was really appealing to everyone around. There wasn’t a person that comes from Buffalo but wouldn’t understand a “Let’s Go Buffalo” concept. After gettin’ trounced here and there, and gettin’ tossed all around and gettin’ beat left and right, we keep gettin’ back up. And now’s one of those times to rally up “Let’s Go Buffalo” style.

AV: How are these made? Can you give us a brief description of the process?

SS: The process works like this. You’ve gotta have a design. Then you take the design and work with it on your favorite illustration program. Then you need to make a transparency.

AV: How is that done?

SS: Put it on a light board which has UV light on it. Expose the screen...which is this nice green...that’s an emulsion that holds the design. Then, you take it and you wash it out after having it in the UV light, and you’ve got the design that you’re working with.

AV: Can you use more than one color?

SS: For this design we have three colors. So we have the yellow, which is a screen unto itself, we have the black outline, and we have the nice, thick, bright white. When you put ‘em all together, after a bunch of circles and passes, you wind up with this, which is the final product.