The New Keep Calm Gallery

Lucas and Hayley have launched a completely new website for Keep Calm Gallery - and it is all bright and shiny! Along with a new print of mine (well, a old print that I am finally selling) they have some great new prints and a super-slick way to checkout - yea!

Typeface: The Movie

Kartemquin films is currently editing a documentary simply entitled "Typeface." It is a film about the history of Hamilton Wood Type - from it's beginnings, to when it became the leading manufacturer of wood type in America, to now, as a living museum and the applications of letterpress and wood type in the 21st century.

I have been lucky enough to visit the Hamilton in Two Rivers, Wisconsin and I have massively high hopes for this film!

Also, visit Hamilton's website as well as Nick Sherman's Flickr set of his residency in Two Rivers.

Linecaster Documentary

If you have ever seen a Linotype machine, I am sure that you were fascinated by such a complex and amazing machine. You also were probably curious to learn how the thing works, seeing all of the wheels and gears and levers.

Even if you have no idea what I am talking about, you should check out this great 1960 documentary on linecasting machines that was created in Italy. The narration is in English, and it is well worth your time!

Swiss Impressions

This week I have started as an artist-in-residence at the Écomusée Voltaire at L’Association pour le Patrimoine Industriel (API - The Association of Industrial Heritage) in Geneva, Switzerland. I will be letterpressing from their collection of type and images collected from all over Switzerland this summer.

This paragraph sums up API really well: "The Association for Industrial Heritage (API) - Écomusée Voltaire aims to promote and restore the printing techniques now abandoned, putting them at the service of artistic creation, publishing, research and technical of teaching. The Écomusée Voltaire is active at the regional level and contributes to international influence of the tradition of printing. To achieve its goals, the Écomusée Voltaire has a collection of machines and tools to practice a variety of printing processes."

I have posted some photos up on my Flickr of API and I will be adding to it as prints roll off my FAG Control 525 Proof Press.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

I am happy to announce my latest print available at Keep Calm Gallery -
"When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!" It is hand printed (as all my pieces are) using a 1950's Vandercook letterpress proof press and antique wood type. It is available in a limited edition of 85.

This will be my last new print for a while, as I will be away for the summer so snatch it up!

Zeichen Press

Zeichen Press (pronounced z-eye-shin) makes some nice and clever letterpressed materials. via swissmiss.

"Get Lost" & "Live With Art!"

I am excited to announce a new print, "Get Lost" is now available for purchase at Keep Calm. It is printed over vintage maps from the United Kingdom and in a limited edition of 220. Each map is different and unique!

To accompany the print, I have made a short little film showing the process of making "Get Lost." If you are unfamiliar with the process of letterpress printing, this will help you understand how my prints are made.


Also, for a limited time, if you purchase any of my prints from Keep Calm, you will receive "Live With Art!" for free! It's my way of saying "thanks" for spending your hard-earned money on my prints and it's a good phrase to live by as well!

You can also see a lower-quality version of my film on my YouTube page. And as always, more images can be seen on my Flickr.

Printer's Ornaments

View a very nice collection of printer's ornaments here and read more about it here.

Words Are Pictures

Craig Ward creates some really nice work - most of it typographically inspired and created.



Also, some nice work by Andrew Holder. Both link via the ever-nice It's Nice That.

How I See Things at This Moment.

Alan Kitching

How do I not know about Alan Kitching?! Seriously, how do I not know about Alan Kitching?!

Posters Available in Oregon!

Any of you living in or near Ashland, Oregon USA should stop in at the fabulous PRIZE Shoppe. While visiting, you can pick up one of my posters (Make Your Own Path & All You Need Is Love) in person and also find other wonderful vintage items to fill your home/apartment with joy and happiness!

File Under: Shameless Self-Promotion

Frank Chimero, a good friend and all-around creative artist, has interviewed me for his blog, By So and So. I share, in sometimes too many words, all about my schooling, curiosity, travels, and current work. Thanks Frank!

Also, as noted in an earlier post, I have three new prints that are now available for purchase today at Keep Calm! "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!" "All You Need Is Love" and "Less Is More" are all part of an ongoing series of phrases pressed to paper.

Three New Letterpressed Prints!

I want to announce three new letterpressed prints that I just finished!

First: "All You Need Is Love" - Perfect for your sweetheart or anyone that needs a reminder of what is most important. Metallic Silver ink on red.

Second: "Less Is More." - My homage to the Swiss Modernists. Simple, clean, and probably one of the most difficult posters I have ever printed. Metallic Silver on dark-grey.

Third: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!" - A phrase we should all follow! Brown ink on green.

All three prints will soon be available at Keep Calm. You can see more pictures on my Flickr page.

Poetic Letterpress

Although I don't fully understand all of what he is doing, Jeremy James Thompson creates some really interesting letterpress poetry. Via Monoscope.

Merry Christmas from the Wilsons!

The annual Wilson Christmas card is out! I wish you and yours the very best Christmas and New Year!

DJG + DJW = KC AIGA A4

The mash-up poster that DJGDesign/Danny Gibson and I gave birth to has been chosen to be in the Kansas City AIGA A4 Annual Show. Here's to more posters to come!

Two New Letterpressed Posters

I guess I have to toot my own horn on this one, but I have two new letterpressed posters for sale at Keep Calm!

One poster, "Make Your Own Path" is printed with deep-red ink on antique maps that I have collected over the years. Each print is different and unique! UPDATE: The "Make Your Own Path" prints have sold out in just two days! That must be some sort of record! Thanks to all who ordered so quickly!

The other poster, "Home Sweet Home" is printed with brown ink on nice French Kraft paper with a cute diamond border. You can see more photos of the new posters on my Flickr account.

Also, my "Good Morning Sunshine" poster has sold out at Keep-Calm! Thanks to all who purchased this print!

!WOOD TYPE!

Even if you are not an aficionado of type, you have got to love these posters from the 1860's!

New Posters Available Online!

My newest series of letterpressed posters is now available for purchase from the fine folks at Keep Calm! Each of the three new posters are lovingly hand-letterpressed by me, so each one is unique. Any of the posters (or even better, all of them) would make great Christmas presents, if I can say so myself!

You can see the posters behind-the-scenes on my Flickr. Enjoy!

New Letterpressed Poster Series!

I am happy to announce a new Letterpressed Poster Series that I have been feverishly working on the past few weeks.

I am printing a series of maxims/phrases/idioms that are of interest to me. No "big art concept" behind these prints, just fun phrases that are lovingly hand letterpressed for you!

They will soon go on sale at Keep Calm - so keep an eye out for that!

My New Business Cards

My last business cards had the wrong address, wrong email address, wrong website address, wrong phone number - really the only thing that was accurate was my name. So I finally have completed my new business cards and they have accurate information on them! You can find them as a set on my Flickr account.

Letterpressed portrait of Gutenberg

This portrait of Johannes Gutenberg was created using 50,688 8-point characters! Amazing!!!

I want one - but I can't read German!

Why I am forever in love with letterpress...

This is a nice five minute video produced about the Firefly Press. It pretty much shows all of the aspects of what I love about letterpress.