Gift Ideas

I shamelessly encourage you to visit my Etsy site. Enjoy!

September Manifesto

Because I didn't have to, I spent the weekend working in my studio. Since January I have been working on a series of self portraits in an effort to give myself a vehicle for experimentation beyond my daily work. I began by taking photos of myself and then making paintings using water colors. In the beginning the paintings were small now they are bigger. I have never been adept with water color but I did it anyway. Each piece has resulted in a satisfying surprise. Needless to say the creative process or the process of making something is mysterious. You never know how things will turn out and often this uncertainty stops me from making anything and based on the number of self help books on the subject I am not the only one. I am still trying to keep connected to my morning pages and the self portrait series has given me some clearly defined parameters in which to make visual work. I bought a bunch of wood mounted Linonelum blocks a few months ago with a mind to create some lino-cuts but the mood never quite struck me until a few days ago. The pieces above are some of the results. I intend to add 2 more layers to the piece which will involve some type. I am not sure how I feel about the cartoon-ish nature of the drawing but I do like the authentically thoughtful facial expression. The main thing about these pieces is to not question them too heavily. I am trying to accept first that they are valid because of their mere existence and I will think more deeply about them once I have a lot of them to consider.

Early riser

Slipping out to my office under cover of darkness while the house is asleep. I have one little letterpress job I need to print this morning for Christmas. I can hear the rain on the skylight in the vestibule which means when it gets light finally I will be installing the coop door in the rain. Oh well that's what rain gear is for. I hope the chickens enjoy their new security. I want a coffee but the sound the steamer makes would ruin this beautiful heavy silence.

Quickie

I have 9 minutes to make a blog post. I have to get back to printing my annual pre-christmas job. It's been going well thanks to the miracle of polymer plates and friendly technical help from my friends at Bison. It was my birthday yesterday which didn't stop me from working. I love my work, let's face it and I feel good when I get things done so that is a gift. I had a nice day, a couple of friends came over and we ate and drank, two more things that are good to do. Mark put up the Christmas lights and suddenly I feel really good about the holidays, a strange sensation as it is not always the way. So I am buzzing with love from my family and friends, enjoying my work and the sun is even shining, not too shabby. Have a good week, I know I will.

Putting out Fires

I have a lot of work at the moment and feel like I am in a full scale juggling competition, the goal being to keep everything aloft and fluid. The items being juggled include my work load, daily exercise, domestic chores, and my responsibilities as a mom. Yesterday this included playing badminton for half an hour and taking a walk with Pearl and a friend. Not so bad.

In my dream life my letterpress caught fire. I saw the smoke and immediately turned it off the press, I stuck my head in underneath the feeder board and could see the source of the flame was the little open oil reservoir. The flame licked up against the timpin and I thought about all the flammable things within it's reach. I raced out of the studio running full speed across the yard to the house where I keep my fire extinguisher, I tried to call ahead to Mark but I could not speak. I grabbed the extinguisher and turned back to the studio imagining how I would spray the white fire smothering chemical onto the press so as not to harm it. I woke up, chest heaving from the dream running.

The message of the dream; I can put out the fire. So bring it on.

Lo and behold

14942 INSPECTED BY HL KELLER

After a little scrubbing with steel wool and simple green I was able to find the name of the person who inspected the press. Have sent off said information and will now wait, hands folded neatly in my lap. Well maybe I will engage in a little graphic design in the meantime.

The Story of My Press

The press from it's original owners manual.

I found this site the other day while searching for information on the year my press was born. I had learned that each Vandercook press bears a serial number which indicates the year it rolled out of the factory. While on this same site I also noticed a Census section. This intrigued me, so I clicked over and filled out the appropriate form and sent it. Later that day I received an email from the sites webmaster asking a few more questions about the press, whether it was a recent acquisition and directing me to another mark that would let me know who gave the final press inspection before it left Vanderson's so many years ago. Read more...

A must visit site

http://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/

Going softly into that good night

I am rolling slowly down a hill into the deep trough of winter. It's not terrible, it's just dark and things are moving slowly, rolling the final steepest part of this descent before hope returns on the Solstice. One year on the Solstice I felt the earth's gravitational force change as the days gained more strength against the weakening night. That is what happens, the night gains strength up until December 20, lengthening her reach, ending later, starting earlier, casting the pall of winter. Then bang, night loses hold and day starts to win. A classic struggle between good and evil. I have always thought of the winter solstice as the first day of summer. I am an optimist to be sure. That first day where we know the sun will be returned to us and we will wear thin dresses and our cocktail glasses will sweat and we will go without socks for months and months. Today I put away 7 pairs of wool socks. I might have cried but I am numb, a form of mental hibernation has set in. 4 days to go. I'll double up on the vitamin D and give up trying not to fall asleep before 8 and in 4 short days this cycle will end and another one will begin and I will be well rested and ready. Cheers to the Solstice!

No Problem

It was my birthday on Saturday. It was a sunny day and I listened to the Beatles, Good Day Sunshine, it was nice. A friend called to extend to me some birthday wishes and we talked for a bit and then she asked about my feelings around my birthday. I told her I felt okay, and I do. I have never been a person who needed a lot of recognition around my birthday. Certainly I like a little and I seem to get it. This year was no exception. There was some build up, some plans for fun and a meal, some anticipation around gifts. I had been working a bit feverishly up until my birthday and I had to take care of some details on my birthday and then I had just had to work like a demon the next day. That was okay. There was one strange little thing that happened though. A few days before my birthday I got thinking about my mother and started to feel pretty sad. I miss her a lot and somehow the whole birthday thing feels a bit lonely without a call from her. There is nothing to do about it. I had a little weep away from everyone who might hear me and went on with my day. Pearl baked me a cake and neighbors came over for drinks and I made a nice dinner for us.

Of course it is a strange business getting older. You gain things and lose things as time marches on pulling us along with it. I did what I could to stay young. I started school early so I was younger than my classmates, I dated older men so that I was always younger by contrast but these days things seem to be evening out. Mark is only a year older than me and for the first time in my life most of my friends are about my age. I have some younger people in my life too and I enjoy being able to offer words of advice based on longer experience. I don't hate my body, in fact I think I look pretty good for my age. I am comfortable with where I am in my life and who I am as a 46 year old woman. So to answer that question again, I have no trouble with my birthday, with the mechanics of it at any rate. I am looking forward to the future but I do miss the past a little as well.

Rise and Shine

Took some time yesterday and printed 40 of these cards. The Rooster image is one I cut myself, using a lino block, I printed it and scanned it and then had a smaller metal plate made. I still marvel at the fact I can make something by hand, transfer it to my computer, send it to a place in far away East Texas and print it again when it comes back. Magic. I also use polymer plates but find they don't hold up over time. The edges curl and they lose their sticky quality. This is the same rooster I have stuffed in my living room. I also have a print of him for sale on my website and at Etsy. Will post the cards for sale there too. Stay tuned.

Letterpress Job

250 of 2 names, 2c Business Cards, printed 3 up on 83 pieces of Newsboard

In between trips to the Fair, meetings in town, a little graphic design and being a mom I printed a letterpress job I have had in the works for a few months. Circumstances beyond my control delayed the whole thing. This economic slow down is hard on everyone especially my small paper supplier in Los Angeles. I have been buying paper from the same guy since 1985 when I first discovered letterpress printing at The Otis College of Art and Design, then the Otis/Parsons College of Design (A Division of the New School for Social Research. Try saying that after a few beers). The paper store is over on 7th, a block and half from the old location of Otis at Grand and Wilshire Blvd. It's a dusty one man shop specializing in printers papers. Business is slow and in order to keep it all going the owner has to gang up his orders to meet the delivery minimums. I guess I could buy paper elsewhere but nostalgia forces me to get it from this guy. When I call him up I can imagine the store, the quality of the air, the angle of the sun in the sky, the deserted street out front, the lake at MacArthur Park so nearby. So I put up with the 4 week delivery time and the half orders in lieu of full orders. The above/below pictured cards are the result of a few weeks of design, a couple hours of production and thanks to the spiffiness of the polymer plate 1 hour of printing. It was at least 80°F in the studio on Thursday afternoon when I was printing. It seems that if it's hot I am compelled to either bake or letterpress print. It was like this in LA too when I used to print in my friend Rebecca Chamlee's garage. It was eternally hot. I am quite pleased with the results on this job. I liked the design even though it was highly influenced by the client. Birds are not really in my visual vocabulary, chickens yes, birds no. I find them a bit over used by the young. I redrew the sample he sent and added the power lines because I knew they would look nice pressed into the news board under the logo. I actually took out a bit of the packing on the press because I was hitting the plate too hard and the fine knocked out type was filling in a bit. The newsboard is thick and can take a heavy hit but in some cases just a light kiss of pressure is more appropriate. Sadly my rollers are not what they could be and the impression is a bit uneven from top to bottom. My set screws are stripped I fear, the ones that hold the rubber rollers at the exact height. Anyway...blah blah blah. One day I will point Mark in the direction of the old girl and get him to detail her within an inch of her life. For now I am happy to print and live with the results which are probably finer than I let on. I love my press, I love the process of printing, I love dinking around with it, cranking the timpin back and forth, walking miles side to side. It reminds me of art school, of hot Los Angeles days when I was young and learning how to awaken what was asleep inside me.

This Week In Design

Meant to post this poster last week but I was preoccupied with designing the matching newspaper insert and various other things. (Basically I am really grateful to have lots of work at the moment.) This piece was inspired by the Hatch Show Print exhibit and Sustainable Connections' Michelle Grandy. I saw the show a little bit ago in Seattle, all that "Live in Person" stuff really got to me. I had the big lino cut sun in my arsenal of images and added to it a bit. For some reason the original cut did not have a perfect circle at the center, what was I thinking. I was happy to get out my ancient compass, draw the circle and re-cut the little dahling. I like cutting lino blocks, it enables me to be super obsessive which I kind of dig. I go at it so hard sometimes it makes my hands ache. The concept for the poster was Michelle's idea, the Ring the Bell game one might find on a Fair midway. I have been a long time fan of anything remotely circus inspired. I always love Michelle's ideas, she has good eye and we work well together. I devised the copy to fit the concept. Devised the copy, I hesitate to say wrote. I often write a little headline for these pieces based on the direction I get, it all comes together seemingly out of the ether. I proofed the elements on the press and then scanned them. Am pretty pleased with the results.

Shameless Self Promotion

This is a little example of the first in series of promotional cards I am designing and letterpress printing bearing quotes about marketing. With the economy contracting I thought it might be useful to remind potential clients about the importance of marketing their businesses. This subject hits very close to home here at DoubleMRanch. Two years ago I had more work than I knew what to do with and I became complacent about marketing. I had stopped promoting my company and the prospect of doing it became a bit overwhelming. When you are busy it is the last thing you have time for, running a small busy business there are lots of other more pressing tasks to take care, like doing the work for example. In the spirit of shameless self promotion I went back and looked at how I used to promote myself. I was reminded how much fun it was to do. I would come up with some little idea, print it on my letterpress and send it out to my list. Pieces ranged wildly, looking back it was a bit like the thrill I get from blogging.

…Work! The above piece, printed on a folded piece of vellum felt like a singles ad. I think I also included a nude painting stolen from a "Learn To Paint" pamphlet with the provocative line "would you like to see my portfolio". I was never above using sex to sell myself.

This little postcard ode to spring was a simple poem that came to me driving around the county one sunny spring day. I was never sure if people connected my design work to these pieces or if they just thought I was a nice quirky girl with a letterpress and time on my hands.

Just an O-Card a month is all I ask. It suggests I was praying for a mere morsel we called an O-Card back in the day which paid about $425. An O-Card was the official package name for a cassette single. Good lord, I am so old.

This last one was a better direction. It was the cover of a little folder that contained actual reproductions of my work and earned me the classification of rustic minimalist design, a wave I rode for some time.

Nowadays I am selling my services in earnest. Design for Marketing is what it's all about. It's what I do best. So watch for a little series of these cards to come. I am back baby!

2009 So far

So it's a new year and I am putting it out there re the projects I hope to complete this year. This is some nice pink wool I picked up at NW Handspun Yarns in Bellingham. I plan to make a hooded jacket for Pearl's newest cousin in her birthfamily. I had never knit anything for a small person and I am looking forward to it going quickly. I am doubling the wool up to make it extra thick. It seems like I rarely knit anything with the wool that was intended for the pattern. I also want to knit a blanket for Pearl's new sister who will arrive in May via her birthmom. I'd also like to make a few more of the little hats I am currently wearing (I know you can't see but trust me, it's orange and the wool came from SpinCycle).

Next on the list are a series of small quilts. I make no promises about this one as it is a true journey of exploration. I plan to create a small piece (8-12" sq) every two weeks containing the capital letter R (Clarendon to start with but that could change and there may be words worked in, we'll just see what strikes me). I came across this book, The Uncommon Quilter and it just thrilled me. So off I go on that tangent.

I have decided to stop vending at the market in Bellingham which I am hoping will give me some more free time to write. I have my moms story I need to finish as well as a few others.

Stay tuned.

It was the Shoes

Well Happy New Year to all. Day 1 of 2009 was a bit of a washout but Day 2 is at least 50% better.

I am happy to report I am emerging from my cold/flu thing. I realized this morning that for the past couple of weeks I have been either scuffling around in slippers or snow boots with little foot padding and no arch support. It all has me feeling a bit schlumpy. From spending the last week on the couch and in bed, my body feels weak and stiff. Fortunately today I was able to identify this problem and I also had the presence of mind to do something about it.

In mid December I bought myself some new running shoes (thanks dad!). Because the weather has been so incompatible with my normal fair-weather walks I had not removed them from their box. It's the shoes I thought. I was planning on kicking off the year with a little letterpress printing to celebrate the realization that I was going to live through my head cold. I have the shoes on and I am trying to stand taller and work out some of the kinks, stretching my arms and legs as I pull prints off the press.

Even though it snowed again today and I am feeling really sick of the white stuff, it was also sunny for a few minutes. The sun streaming in my office windows combined with these neon runners leaves me feeling pretty peppy and okay with the world.

Hot Off the Press

Pearl is getting over a cold at the moment so this afternoon I lit the fire and got the house nice and cozy. We ate a whole bunch of smoked salmon and she settled herself and Iggy into the couch under a quilt. She had a can of ginger ale, straw, remote, and a bowl of apple slices. My general approach to Pearl when she is sick is to keep her still and feed her. It generally works out, she has been much healthier this last year.

So while she was relaxing in the house I shot out to the office to work on this print. I have been building up the layers of color. I think I have at least 2 more to add. I want to add some more type to it, a question mark, dollar sign and the beautiful number 7. These are the candidates I am interviewing for this piece. Stay tuned.

Am going to sell them at UCU for $75, unframed.

What got done this week

This is the cover of a 16 page insert for the Bellingham Herald advertising the upcoming Buy Local Week. I started on it Tuesday by designing the cover which was approved with little revision. I designed the rest of it on Thursday and Friday morning. It's gone to the printer now. I did do a little on work on the insert Wednesday but the press was calling me. The UCU show is coming up in 2 weeks and I am cracking the whip. I printed and glued and collated for about 4 hours in the middle of the day. I enjoy the process of producing these multiples, the trick is making time to do it, clients work most often comes first, then of course there are all the other obstacles to work. Bathing, dressing, chopping wood, speaking with the hens, it all takes up time. Today feels good. I worked efficiently on this piece and I like how it came out.


This is a lino cut I made for Jamie Bichler of Laughing Raven Designs, she makes jewelry with words stamped into various metals. I carved this the weekend Becky visited us. I parked myself at the dining room table, ate slow cooker ham and carved away. You have to go easy with it, it's very tough on the hands. I took a lot of snack breaks.

So Buy Local now and then, okay then.

Why I Vend

As the weekend approaches, specifically Saturday when I often vend at the Bellingham Farmers Market I have to pause and remind myself why I do it. I work alone and have done so since 1994 when I quit my job at A&M Records in Los Angeles. I get a little kooky spending all that time on my own and I decided a few years ago that I should get involved with the Market. First I was on the board and donated my time as a designer. That turned into a paying gig and after a few years I decided I wanted to try my hand at vending. It's like playing store but with real money and credit cards. Many Saturdays between April and October I show up at 8:30am with my car laden with things I have concocted in my studio to sell. The real highlight though beyond selling things I have made is the connection I feel to the Market community. I don't attend church, I don't really volunteer, I live a limited existence going between my house and Mark's house and Pearl's school.

The market is open for 5 hours between 10am and 3pm and it is non stop chit chat with customers, vendors and of course friends. I have been bringing Pearl with me too, not every week but some. I get great pleasure in watching her world expand via the Market community as well. The monetary gains may be dubious but the wealth of connection is palpable.

See you saturday.

_

Not Exactly Working but feeling Inspired

What a weekend. Saturday was the first day of the farmers market and it went quite well. Sold some stuff and also connected with loads of cheerful market types who all seemed thrilled to be there. And the best part, it didn't rain, not one drop. Maybe there is a god after all.

Just toodling around the web today, getting an Etsy page set up for the heck of it. My own online store is getting built and should be up and running soon. Will be excellent to have that new sales venue.

One of my favorite market vendors Libby from Moth and Squirrel was the reason I got over to Etsy and I also found this amazing link to Whip

Here's to all the creative people out there making things not only because they want to but because they have to. With every piece our souls are free-er.

Sunday I worked hard all day at Marks dining room table, never went outdoors once. Luckily for Mark I did find time to shower.

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