visualchemist

Okay, that title sounds a little more dramatic than it needs to be. Well sadly, and happily, I just found out that my husband is going to temporarily be relocated to the Seattle area for a few months. That means I get to tag along, but it also means having to part with my presses for a few months. But not only do I have to part with my presses, I also have to say goodbye to my semester-long letterpress class that I have been taking with Rachelle Chuang, of the International Print Museum. Boohoo. Just when we were getting to know each other. =( I like her!

For my last session, I was joined by one of my old college instructors, Wendy Emery, who also happens to be a permanent fixture at the Print Museum. I was actually late to my last session because Wendy and I went to check out my next acquisition… a Challenge Advance 19″ guilloine table-top antique paper cutter! Woohoo! I’ll share more about that later… perhaps when I return from my trip.

I thought I’d share (part of) a class project. Disclaimer: It’s been years since I last carved into linoleum AND my prints weren’t coming out as solid as I would’ve liked. Maybe it’s an old piece of warped linoleum? Eh, better luck next time.

*And for those of you paying attention, yes, the “T” in that first shot would totally have shifted. I snapped the photo before the lock up was ready to go!

Just finished printing up the final bits and pieces for the Anda wedding. This print run included their program, table numbers, thank you card, response envelopes, and giveaway envelopes. I was very happy with how these turned out.

ser⋅en⋅dip⋅i⋅ty 1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. 2. good fortune; luck 3. the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not looked for

Serendipity is the only word to describe how this awesome Golding Pearl Model No. 11 (7×11) fell onto my lap. For weeks, I had been casually browsing floor model presses on the internet, in hopes of finding the perfect Chandler & Price OS 8×12. Not one to buy, but more one to admire and aspire to have, one of these days. I didn’t really have the room, nor the immediate means to move one of those massively heavy machines, so I though I was going to wait.

On a random weekend that my own little family and I were down in San Diego, visiting our two families, my husband and mother-in-law both decided to do a little Spring cleaning and toss out some old books. Without hesitation, I offered to take their books to my childhood public library where I frequently donate books for others to enjoy. On my way to the library, I had a sudden urge to stop at an antique store along the way. I had asked the owner, Jim, if he had any wood type laying around. Little did I know, this random stop would change everything.

Jim, unfortunately, did not have any wooden type for me. Instead, he mentioned that the gal several shops down, Jan, had a press for sale. A press? Oh yeah? I thought, Hmmm… I’ll have to check this one out. To my luck, Jan was in her shop. Remember, I had my heart set on a 8×12 C&P. It turned out Jan had a Golding Pearl and had purchased the contents of Christiansen Press some 25+ years back and the equipment had been stored in her brother’s garage ever since.

It hadn’t dawned on me, until this moment, that the Pearl was actually just right for my needs. Small footprint, old style spokes, relatively light weight frame, slightly taller than the C&P, and had a variable speed motor and foot treadle capabilities. I won’t bore you with any more details that only I would care about… The most awesome part of this story (for me anyway) is that this press and this equipment was all stored just down the street from my elementary school. Amazing! It had been sitting there waiting for the one day I would finally come to take it home.

Saying her brother’s garage was full of stuff was an understatement. Not knowing what the day had in store, I brought along my husband, dad and uncle for some extra muscle. Together with Jan and her husband, we began to empty out the contents of that garage. I should have taken photos when we first arrived. It was definitely gnarly in there. Like rescuing a trapped miner, eventually, the Pearl’s leg started showing through halfway deep into the contents of this garage.

She may look all old and rusty now, but just you wait. Don’t judge a press by its 25 year old peeling paint and rusty stains. With a little bit of love and a lot of elbow grease, “Lucy Pearl” will shine again.

Luckily this equipment only needed to be moved about 5 miles down the street. Eventually all this stuff will migrate into my design studio/open community letterpress shop. That’s the ultimate goal, anyway. What a day!

One thing I’ve learned throughout my adventures with letterpress is that I am in great company. It seems everyone that I cross paths with is helping to shape my foundation in this awesome craft, right before my very eyes. It’s amazing how tight this community is and how helpful everyone is at giving advice or pointing you in the right direction. Without getting all mushy, in honor of those that have helped me along the way, I decided it was time I give back to the letterpress community as my way of saying Thank You. On the first Saturday of this month (and hopefully many more), I joined the International Print Museum’s Leather Apron Guild.

Rachelle Chuang, the museum’s Book Arts Institute Director, (that’s her in red) put out a call for volunteers to be part of the Letterpress Printing Team, to print keepsakes to send out to donors, schools, etc. For the Thank You card project, I got to poke through and explore the museum’s collection of wood type. Once my design was all set up and I got the thumbs up from museum director, Mark Barbour, I was off to work with Rich Tautenhahn, the local windmill expert.

Rich worked with myself and Marjorie, (a docent and letterpress printer), helping us print each of our cards. Rich gave me a quick lesson on how to operate a Heidelberg Windmill, similar to the press seen in the movie Seven Pounds (with Will Smith). In fact, he was the expert on the movie set and he also taught Rosario Dawson how to confidently grab, push and twist the clutch arm of “the Beast.” I admit that my attempt at running a windmill was a bit uncoordinated, so I may have to try it a few more times to get it right. It was a pretty darn cool day.

I had some card stock laying around, and being the recycler that I am, I decided to put a few sheets to good use. My original intent was to create a simple 2-color “Hi” card composed of the standard alphabet using just my vintage SignPress, MasterP. After printing up the initial cyan layer, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see what would happen if Lt. Price printed up the second color.

Actually, composing the first layer flat on the press bed was easy. Registration for the second, though, was not so easy. My trusty Pilot came to my rescue and printed up a nice bright bold yellow “HI.” Looks lime green on press, doesn’t it?

I would have liked these note cards even more if the stock was textured. These cards can now enjoy their new life as a “Hi” card, brightening up someone’s day.