Test run

Here is what I printed for my test run of the platen press we have in the bookbinding studio. The text is the is the name of my school.

I think this wood type is actually Spanish, which makes it special. There were not a lot of forests to make wood type out of in Europe, which is why wood type is very much a new world thing, but in Spain, I guess a lot of wood type was burned for fuel during the civil war. (Conjecture or fact? I'm not sure). The stuff that survives is pretty worn down (some too much to pull a decent print from it). We actually have a tool in the shop for measuring how high a piece of type is, so that we can add pieces of backing to it if it's not type high.

The metal type is Ibarra Redonda.

Love Conquers All

Love of printing, that is.

Jon Drew let me work on this press to do a wedding invite job! One of the reasons the book arts community is so great is that experienced printers and binders are so generous with their time in teaching young people and other learners.

This 8x12 C&P was manufactured December of 1895.

{ speedy gonzales

Start to finish, an hour and 15 minutes.

I felt so speedy and on top of the world. Like when there is a tailwind and I am biking.

The biggest fan of your art ...

... will always be your mom. She put your art up on the fridge before you were famous. If you're lucky she still does.

These notecards were for my mom. The white on white is elegant, but the lower case initials at an angle keep the cards from feeling too formal for everyday notes.

Jackson Pollock's mother.
Start em young!

Ingredientes, lentitud & cariño

Wise words to cook by. This is a kitchen print ... a reminder to cook everything slowly, with good ingredients and, of course, love. I made it for my Spanish host mom, who told me this about cooking.

They are 5 x 7" and I printed them on some Hahnemuhle paper I found in my the stash under my bed. I damp packed the paper before printing.

The 'Ñ' is klutzy since I carved it myself; I'm so excited to be in Spain where they have REAL ones.

Is it a bird? A plane? A beehive? The cut from the studio at Leg Up is supposed to be stacking bowls.

Business cards for a flower shop

Photo credit: Satori

Paper is cream-colored Pescia, from the Wet Paint in St. Paul. The brown stock was salvaged from a friendly recycling bin.

Threaded with twine, these business cards double as enclosure cards for flower arrangements.

Love printing with a deckle.