Another fifth block update: Dave Mason's class came in and co-set a co-written poem which bears a wee resemblance to "Nevermore" in its text. Each student took home a copy.
Graphic Design Class
So! Goodness it's been awhile. Apologies to anyone out there who's been in desperate need of a Press update. Over fifth block Colin helped to teach a graphic design class with the Art department. Students designed letters of the alphabet, learned how to do some basic printing, and a couple made posters. Lovely odd posters. A couple even went up around campus. Here are a few examples:
Several students decided to print in silver ink which is indeed sparkly but a little difficult to see from certain angles. The text reads: Vivid Broken Words/in cahoots with death metal/a comic quartet/rife with the last remaining/crackhouse anthems not uttered. Yup. (The yup is mine).
Text reads: Life insurance is/shark repellent, possibly--/THE REST IS DETAILS./Get answers from REAL people,/APPLE'S ipad will fall short.
More images to come once I get my hands on a decent camera.
David Quammen
On December 7th esteemed author David Quammen came by the press to sign copies of "The Same River Twice", a book Colin had printed in honor of his visit. David has an enviable job and regaled us with stories of his adventures researching articles for National Geographic and trekking through the desert.
The book was printed in an edition of 60, the type is Dante, and the papers are Gutenberg Laid and Fabriano. Colin had a great deal of fun creating the wildly textured background for the cover.
A copy of the book (the insect on the front is a stonefly featured in the printed chapter)
The title page with the author's signature below
The absolutely fabulous poster created to advertise David's lecture
A copy of the pamphlet created to celebrate and emphasize dear old Darwin
Bookbinding Class
Had a wonderful Class on Japanese Stab-Side binding given by veteran bookbinder and college staff member Pamela Leutz.We will continue to offer these types pf community-oriented classes so stay tuned.
New Calling Card
New Calling Card. Ahoy Patterns.
The type is an old french tuscan (brass!), Modern, and Copperplate Gothic #4.
Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum 1st Annual Wayzgoose
A couple of weekends ago I had the privilege of attending Hamilton's 1st annual wayzgoose in lovely Two Rivers Wisconsin. There were about 70 of us in attendance and the place was bright, friendly and cheerful in a way I haven't found it on previous visits. Suffice to say that it was a total type dork-fest of the best kind. Talks included type designers Richard Kegler of P22, Mathew Carter, and Juliet Shen.
Great presentations - Richard Zauft proofing Matthew Carter's new only-in-wood "Van Lanan" type, Jim Moran, the Director of the Museum on Poster Woodblocks in the Museum's collection, Paul Brown on treasures from the museum and history of decorated type, and Norb Brylski, a long time employee of Hamilton, on cutting wood type.
Richard Zauft pulls the first proof of Van Lanen (nee Carter Latin) wood type
Jim Moran shows off a freaky clown woodblock
Norb Brylski expertly operates the Pantograph router
There were plenty of other things going on including a screening of the documentary about the Museum called Typeface. And some nerdery with Chris Fritton about modern methods of making woodtype. Chris is using the "Holly-Wood" approach that might prove to be ultimately more cost effective and reproducable than my own approach of cutting end grain hardwood. Plenty more to come on that subject.
It was such a pleasure to meet fellow enthusiasts, in particular those that are making wood type their lives. Bill Moran, Artistic Director of the museum, Nick Sherman, a graduate of MassArt and wood type blogger, David Shields, professor of Design at Austin where the Rob Roy Kelley American Wood Type Collection is housed, and Paul Brown, Professor of design at Indiana University who gave me some great leads in my continuing research on Wm. H Page. It was also great to get to see my friend Greg Corrigan, former director of the museum.
Amish Pecan Pie
The weather was gorgeous in Wisconsin for the weekend, I even went for a swim in lake Michigan, bought an amazing pecan pie from some nice Amish folks at the farmers market, and explored a bit of the countryside before heading back to catch a plane in Milwaukee. Looking forward to next year, and to the continued growth of and enthusiasm for the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum.
Auxillary Bathroom parting shot
The Making of a Poster
Emma Mitchell has been working on a poster to advertise visiting writer Bonnie Nadzam. The following is a bit of a photo essay documenting poster printing (significantly lacking a few stages such as a preliminary sketch, setting the type, and printing the image. Whoops) with Emma!
Carving the organic filigree design she created for the poster
The second print. Emma originally went for a grass green text but had to abandon it (sigh) because the text overlapped with the filigree and wasn't readable. Thus a switch to deep midnight blue. The look of mild bewilderment is no doubt caused by my taking her picture. For those of you who are interested, this is what a locked up press looks like when the type is inked and you're ready to roll!
Mixing colors is a bit of an art. The ink is extremely concentrated so the ratios are very important. In the end you often try a number of mixes before you find a hue that's juuust right.
Jody looks on while Emma Prints. Nobody No-how No-way is allowed to print without the presence of a monitor. We really hate it when people get fingers or sleeves or braids caught in the press and there ain't no-one around to give them a hand. Plus, despite the fact that a vandercook weighs a couple thousand pounds and looks like a beast, you gotta baby it a little.
The finished product!
The Palace Print Shop and Bindery
During the second block break Colin went on a bit of a road trip down to New Mexico and visited Tom Leech at the Press of the Palace of the Governors. "Situated in rooms adjoining the nearly 400-year-old courtyard of the Palace of the Governors is the Print Shop and Bindery, known as the Palace Print Shop, or, more formally, as the Press of the Palace of the Governors. A living Museum of New Mexico exhibit dedicated to the history of the state's printing traditions, the Print Shop offers some 70,000 yearly visitors an opportunity to relive the lively environment of 19thcentury publishing." Extensive historical information is available on their website.
Tom Leech, printer
Tom's assistant James
Kay Ryan Poet Laureate of the US of A!
We've been hosting some North-American literary royalty! Earlier this week(specifically Tuesday), Kay Ryan came to campus and gave a reading. In honor of her visit Colin and Jaimie created a beautiful broadside of her as yet unpublished poem "Cloud". The piece is quietly elegant, printed in a pale green, grey, and black. Those color descriptions don't do it justice, let's try again: deep sea-foam, mist, and ebony. Printed in an edition of seventy they are available for purchase at the price of $15 and an additional $5 for shipping. A previously unpublished piece by the poet laureate of the united states letterpress printed on a broadside measuring 19 1/2" x 12 7/8" and (if you get to us early), signed by the author? This is a steal! Contact Colin if you want one.
Colin Frazer
The Press at Colorado College
14 E Cache la Poudre St
Colorado Springs, Co 80903
719.389.6376
colin.frazer@coloradocollege.edu
Close up
Signed Copy
The Full Broadside
A lesson in printing: It will always take more time than you think and you will become obsessed with making it PERFECT. The above is a sampling of all the test sheets we went through to produce "Cloud".
