Power and Light Press

On Saturday, I went to an open house to celebrate the new CC Stern Type Foundry in Portland.

This is so exciting – a small and dedicated group of printers and type enthusiasts has inherited the Monotype foundry equipment once belonging to Chris Stern, of Stern & Faye Printers in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.  Together, they are busting ass to repair and restore the equipment back to working order, in hopes of creating a working museum to teach folks about the industry and art of type casting.

This is a great group of people, and they’re working so hard – please check out what they’re up to!

Volunteers and donations are always welcome, and you can also back their Kickstarter fundraiser here: http://kck.st/edabub

Only two days remain!

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hand-set wood type on recycled paper

Just finished printing a trio of posters for Avery Anthology‘s 25 Cities project.  The theme is… cities!

Specifically, the 25 biggest cities in the country.  Did you know that Charlotte, NC is among them?  And, actually, according to some data I’ve seen, Vegas isn’t in the top 25.

Regardless, Avery Anthology just finished a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund their next publication – way to go, guys!

These posters will be given as rewards to some of their backers.  They will also be available for sale to everyone else through the Avery website and through my Etsy shop.

Go check out this publication – they do beautiful work.

she's a beaut

So happy to report that I am the proud new owner of a 1982 Chevy step van.

Huzzah!

Canadian Maritimes, what is UP?!

This is by no means complete.

But I’ve spent the past two weeks with my face buried in maps, trying to figure out a route for Moveable Type.  These points mark places that I’ve booked, places I’m in the process of booking, and places I just really really want to visit.

See something missing?  Let me know!  I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting people and places to visit.

because I'm a lady...

I’ve been doing some hibernating these past few weeks, trying to get up to speed on all manner of computer-based work.  Necessary stuff, but sometimes I like to remind myself of how it feels and looks when I really work with my hands…

a woman's place is in the press room

Parsons. Niiiiiiiice.

Man, oh man, things keeps getting better and better over here at Moveable Type HQ…

I am delighted to announce that Moveable Type will also be partnering with the Dale Guild Type Foundry!!!  This is a tremendous honor – the foundry will be providing Moveable Type with a nice collection of gorgeous newly-cast type.  It will also allow me to work an essential component into the project: what is happening now?  To be able to show people that type is still being cast today is a really important piece of the puzzle.

The Dale Guild is picking up where the American Type Founders, Co. (ATF) left off when they closed their doors in 1993.  For 100 years prior, ATF had been the leading type foundry in the country, but economic hardships and general mismanagement allowed this giant to fall into a sad decline throughout the middle of the 20th century.  Fortunately for us, a man named Theo Rehak came onto the scene in the mid 1970s and worked hard to learn the varied and often isolated skills involved in type casting, and has managed to keep this craft alive.  He was able to purchase much of the original ATF casting equipment, and it is on these same machines that this new type is being made.

Many thanks to Dan Morris of The Arm Letterpress in Brooklyn for orchestrating this partnership.  I am so grateful and happy to be able to put this beautiful type to good use and help spread the word about Dale Guild – thanks, guys!

more Parsons

It’s a snowy night in Wisconsin, my last night here before heading off to new adventures.  It’s been a pretty amazing few weeks here at Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum… a really productive and inspiring time.  I’ll post some photos of what I’ve been working on soon.

But first, I’m thrilled to announce that Hamilton will be a sponsor of Moveable Type!  This is such an extraordinary honor for me – not only will this sponsorship provide some much needed equipment and supplies, but it’s also a huge vote of confidence for the project.  In turn, I’ll be able to help promote the Museum throughout my travels and spread the good word about wood type.  Thank you, Hamilton!  I am so excited to continue my relationship with you!

Here are some images of a crazy clown that Jim Moran has been printing.  These blocks are from the Globe Collection, which is slowly being uncovered from the deepest, darkest recesses of the Museum.

what's he pointing at?

Visit the museum!  Seriously – it’s really not that far away.  In the meantime, you can find out more about Hamilton here: http://www.woodtype.org/ and  facebook

Also, I’ve gotten some great feedback about the massive Prince/Prints poster that I helped work on the other day… a sweet VIDEO of the making is in the works, so stay tuned!

What do you do when you’re hanging out in a place that stockpiles rooms full of massive old type?       You print it, of course.

Here, the fruits of our day’s labor:

inking up the biggest I I've ever seen. Aye.

inking the 4

Bill Moran and Rory Sparks pose with the form

and voila! A 20-foot tall poster, printed in an edition of 3.

It's easy to do. Thanks to interns Kirk and Bethany for these sweet bags.

So, I’m here at Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.  I’m here for three weeks, which is amazing.  Three weeks is plenty of time to fall in love with the place.  Three minutes is all it takes, really.

Hamilton Factory, Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Hamilton was founded in 1880 as a manufacturer of wood type.  By the turn of the century, they had grown to be the largest provider of wood type in the country, supplying type for newspapers, political rallies, circuses, and advertising of all kinds.  As industries changed over the course of the 20th century, Hamilton shifted its focus from type to cabinetry to washing machines.  Each of these transformations has occurred in this same factory building in Two Rivers.  These days, the building is home to the Museum as well as Thermo Fisher Hamilton, which makes laboratory cabinets and furniture.

one of two rivers in Two Rivers, WI

I have taken over 200 photos in the past ten days, and I’m not about to post them all here.  But here’s a sampling of what I’ve been up to.  Much more to come!

this way to the press room!

typesetting a specimen sheet for Van Lanen Latin, named for Jim Van Lanen, founder of the museum

A very large 2. I did not print this, but I love it as if it were my own.

Shannon, in front of shelves of useful things

After leaving Austin and heading north on I-35, I stopped in Dallas and paid a visit to Oil & Cotton, a beautiful community arts studio.  The storefront space opened this past September, and is run by Shannon Driscoll and Kayli House Cusick.  Together, along with other visiting artists, they teach workshops and provide a space for the exchange of ideas and creativity to members of their community.

I was really inspired by their mission statement, and look forward to setting up a workshop when I visit Dallas with the print mobile.

interior of their beautiful space

In their words:

Our motivating philosophy is to make do with what you got. We place a high value on the resourcefulness within ourselves and are dedicated to doing things the old-fashioned way. Whether it is through the reuse or repurposing of materials, like turning fallen walnuts into archival ink, or by accepting the possibilities of what can be created by hand, we honor the pioneering spirit of our elders and the character of our community.

Oil and cotton are natural resources of Dallas, Texas, and also the foundation of the most basic art materials. Oil is a binder in paint and inks. The binder imparts adhesion, binds the pigments together. Cotton is used to produce textiles such as canvas and paper. We believe the arts, like most natural resources, are essential for our survival and quality of life, and we are proud to be a part of our local arts community.