Steam Train Letterpress Print. Flee, all is discovered!

I have been printing a lovely steam train print block.

It was originally a book illustration, from 'South Eastern & Chatham Railway' by O. S. Nock.
I printed the image (which is an electro copper half tone block) on my old proofing press. And I like the rather grainy quality it gave me.

I added the text, using 12 point Times lead letters. I tried lots of different phrases, but this is the one that seemed best!

It felt really good to give this fine old block a new, if rather eccentric use.

The mounted print is in my Etsy shop, and I hope it flees to a new steam-loving home!
http://etsy.me/1XaryAa

Letterpress, cakes & books at The Hours in Brecon

There's a great bookshop in Brecon called The Hours. It's an old building, crowded full with books, and at the back a cafe - a perfect combination. I have been letterpress printing for them.

I was asked to letterpress print some labels for the cakes! Unexpectedly precise printing for me, but rather fun, choosing a font, and some ornament. Dark brown was requested, very stylish!

I have used a lovely font called Bologna, which has one of the cutest ampersands ever.

And then cakes are labelled! I love the shining cake domes.

I was rather pleased with them, and the cakes are truly delicious.

Thanks to Nicky and Leigh of The Hours. If you're in Brecon, go and buy a book and then drink tea, eat cake, and start to read - what better way to spend a rainy Welsh summer's day! Here's a link to The Hours facebook page.
http://on.fb.me/1HIJAhQ

Letterpress printing. Fritz Eichenberg. Reflecting on the past.

A wonderful letterpress printing plate, all the way from Germany. Fantastic detail, and such a world of emotion expressed in that face.

The seller didn't have detailed information about it, but thought it might be from the work of a wonderful illustrator called Fritz Eichenberg. I will do research, but if it IS Eichenberg's work, I am even more inspired.Fritz Eichenberg was a German-American illustrator and arts educator who worked primarily in wood engraving. His best-known works were concerned with religion, social justice and nonviolence. I know this much from wikipedia - I will learn more! The block is a stereotype - created for making an illustration, perhaps for a book or magazine.

I have printed him a few times, but recently for an exhibition of ACEO art, where the artwork has to be 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. This means that he is not fully visible, just looking into the picture from the mount, and with a letterpress printed phrase, as if he was thinking.

I hadn't realised he was a monk until I printed him, and now he reminds me of a Cadfael figure reflecting on a long and varied life from the peace of his monastic cell.

He doesn't look sad, so much as reflective.

Such a fine image, it is a privilege to print.

I thought I would celebrate my return to the blog with this uncharacteristically wistful and reflective series of images!

The exhibition is at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir, and then on tour during the summer. Here's the link for gallery.  

  https://www.facebook.com/workersgallery?fref=ts

h.Art 2014 exhibition opening. Sales! Hoorah!

Hereford Arts Week! Hoorah! And the opening of the Print Shed Exhibition in Madley.

  The photo below shows my little corner of poetry and print, and the 'celebrate' print sold twice (I did have two), as did the 'this way' print, several packets of poetry AND some greeting cards.

  I completely forgot to take any photos of the event as I was trying unsuccessfully to look nonchalant about my sales. Absolutely thrilled.
I spent the afternoon helping Jill to finish hanging and making the exhibition ready, so now I know how to hang an exhibition AND make brushetta simultaneously - always good to gather new skills.

Printing shed. Letterpress printing. Summer garden.

It has been absolutely lovely, in this hot weather, to have both doors of my printing shed open. The garden becomes part of it.

The sun shining onto the metal of the proofing press, which is on the floor. I have been experimenting printing with two colours. Very daring.

Enjoying finding quotes and phrases that I like.
Here is a bit of Descartes, I think therefore I am, making full use of the big fancy A and M.

My tray of the ever reliable and beautiful Caslon font by my side. I use this most of all for the big prints. It has upper and lower case letters, and there is something so reliable and utterly right about Caslon. Don't know why - it just is.

And here is the washing line with all three pieces hanging up to dry. Pirate map lore, Descartes, and Game of Thrones. I think that just about covers it!

Happy Summer. x

Letterpress printing. Tour de France.

I have been celebrating the Tour de France in my printing shed! I decided to make a print for each of the three main jerseys worn by the leaders of the race, and turn them into cards. Here is the maillot vert, the green jersey, worn by the fastest sprinter.

Poor Mark Cavendish is out of the race, having fallen at the finish line on the first day. I was hoping for him to be wearing this jersey at the end of the race in Paris in three weeks time.

But the card looks nice, stitched with green thread of course.

The best climber wears the King of the Mountains jersey. It's rather exciting, white with red dots.

I have used some huge full stops, and stitched the print onto the card with red thread.

And the race leader wears the maillot jaune, the yellow jersey.

The big wooden letters look fabulous, and I really like the bright yellow, not a colour I usually use. 

The maillot jaune is listed on my Etsy shop, and the others will follow. Vive le Tour!

http://etsy.me/1q7RpXm

Are you being pursued by a bear?

Exit, pursued by a bear is one of the most famous stage directions in theatre history, from Shakespeare's Winter's Tale, Act II scene iii.

I wonder how it was done in the Elizabethan theatre. I have decided to celebrate it with letterpress and knitting.

I am rather proud of my mohair bear, with eyes and a nose - a nose most unusual for my knitting, but it had to be done.

And poor Antigonus, looking a little dejected, with mad crazy orange hair, and a motley body.
It's printed with a lovely big wooden font, with stylish buttons to loop the puppets into place.

I sometimes feel like there's a bear chasing after me with a list of thingsI have to do, brandishing deadlines and expectations and frantic stuff. Hmm. But I suppose if it's a mohair bear with no teeth then that's ok.
Exit pursued is in my Etsy shop, and is coming with me to the Dinefwr Festival this weekend. http://etsy.me/1yhxTxu

A Guilty Pleasure. Game of Thrones.

Well I do have one or two guilty pleasures, and one of them is Game of Thrones! I'm not really a fantasy fan, but this is just wonderful. I can't begin to describe how much fun it is to watch this detailed, over the top, colourful and outrageously plotted series.

So of course, I have started to arrange wooden letters in my printing shed, and here is the first result.

Rather stylish, I feel! The letters printed so nicely,

showing their history,

and displayed against the wooden type in the shed.

I have put the cards into my Etsy shop. I wonder if any G.O.T fans will find it there?
etsy.me/1y9B9ej  Winter is Coming!

Getting Shakespeare ready for an outing to Dinefwr

Back into the printing shed, and preparing for the Dinefwr Literature Festival on 20th to 22nd June.  Today I am getting some Shakespeare cards together.

I really like the come-on-get-on-with-make-your-mind-up tone of this quote, when you leave off the final to be!

The cards are laser prints of the letterpress original, machine stitched onto a white card. I have given up trying to get adhesive to behave, so I have reverted to the sewing machine. This old wooden font gives a lovely print.

I have used a big wooden O for the Muse of fire quote. I really like it!

It's also been used for an O brave new world print, still hanging up to dry. And then the fluttering pennants of words draping down for the inspiring once more unto.

That middle E is really showing us its history, I love it.

And then, from As You Like It, all the world's a stage, using four different types of letter.

A couple more to go, and then moving on to Dylan Thomas.

And after that, preparing my own poetry, although I hardly dare admit it, in such exalted company!
The cards are in my Etsy shop, with a few more images, if you'd like to look.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/quarto17

poems, pictures, and kitchen table publishing

I have been preparing my letterpress haiku pictures for display at the Big Skill craft fair in Hay on Wye next weekend.You can see the pictures close up in a previous post, Printing, Pegasus and Poetry.

The poems are letterpress printed onto pages of old books. I hadn't really thought how to present them, but luckily my friend Jill was able to help. She's an artist and also a picture framer, and we had a very happy afternoon choosing mountboard of different colours, which she then cut for me. And she told me the how to do it and the what to buy.

Cellophane, sellotape, and a ruler are very important. And I am rather pleased with the results. The butterflies look wonderful.

And the Pegasus pictures so dramatic. I am very glad I painted the kitchen blue earlier this year - everything looks so good in front of it.

I do wonder if we will ever be able to eat in the kitchen again though.

 Jill has a wonderful print studio in Madley, with the most fabulous old printing press, which I am going to introduce to my trays of wooden letters after the craft fair. Here's a link to her website, www.theprintshed.net

And here's a poster for the fair. I'm really looking forward to it. And if the weather is like this weekend!