bookish lady

The 2010 Letterpress Calendar to benefit Pyramid Atlantic is on sale, and there are only a few left!  Get one now here.

It was super snowy today, but as I kept claiming, it just added to the romance of the Holiday Shop-N-Stroll!  Here’s Patty and Yarrow and I all bundled up in our booth.

Hope to see you tomorrow in Manhattan for the BUST Holiday Craftacular!  I’m headed there at the crack of dawn.

Francisco Campos-Lopez of CityDance produced the following mini documentary about my book, your body will know.

The book is part of Moving Parts, a collaboration between CityDance Ensemble and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.  I was one of 10 artists asked to produce an edition of 50 miniature artist books inspired by CityDance’s last season.  Limited edition boxes containing 10 different books will be sold to benefit both organizations.  The box will be unveiled next week at Hillyer Art Space!  Learn more about Moving Parts on the web here (including how to purchase) and here. Watch other documentaries about the project here.

My first post about Moving Parts a year ago can be read here, and I posted the details of next Friday’s event here.   Hope you can stop by and see this gorgeous collaboration!

I’ve expanded my class offerings at Pyramid Atlantic for Winter 2010.  Check ‘em out or register here!

Letterpress for Graphic Designers
Saturday, Jan 16 from 10am-4pm plus one 4-hour individual appointment completed by March 5
Graphic designers: Learn how to use photopolymer technology to print your own designs with letterpress!  A one-day small group session covers the basics of designing for photopolymer and operating a Vandercook press.  Then enjoy individualized attention as you print with a photopolymer plate of your own design during a one-on-one session. Requirement: firm grounding in Adobe Illustrator.
Tuition: $310 plus the cost of a polymer plate

Letterpressed Wedding Invitations (New class!)
Two Saturdays, Jan 9 and 23, from 10am-4pm, plus one 4-hour individual appointment completed by March 5
Thinking of making your own invitations or save-the-date cards for a wedding or commitment ceremony?  During two group sessions, work with a graphic designer and a printer to develop your design, get feedback on presentation and paper, prepare your design for production, and learn how to print photopolymer plates on a Vandercook press.  Finally, enjoy individualized attention as you print your invitations during a one-on-one session.  Elaborate designs may require extra sessions (not included).
Tuition: $410 per individual or $460 per couple, plus the cost of a polymer plate and your own paper

Co-Teacher:
Graphic Designer Nancy Bratton holds a BFA in Communication Arts and Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2004, Nancy started her own firm, which continues to produce invitations, books, posters, logos, brochures, and exhibits for cultural institutions, publishers, and non-profit organizations. Her delicate design style and thoughtful typography is well-suited to letterpress design.

Make Your Own Valentines (New class!)
Two Thursdays, Feb 4 and 11, 6pm-9pm
Curious about papermaking and letterpress printing?  Try both as you produce unique love notes for Valentine’s Day!  During the first session you’ll pull sheets of handmade paper, and during the second, you’ll use metal type to print your own message on them. Then give to friends, family, or a special someone!
Tuition: $120

Co-Teacher:
Beth Parthum is the associate papermaker at Pyramid Atlantic.  She came to the organization as a volunteer, and became a member of the artistic staff in 2008.

Intro to Letterpress (New Smaller Class Size!)
Saturday, Feb 20, 10-4pm
A small group workshop for beginners who want an introduction to traditional printing. The workshop will cover how to set metal type, how to use a Vandercook press, how to troubleshoot to get good prints, how to clean up and maintain the presses, and some information about how to use digital technology in combination with letterpress. Each participant will print a few lines of text of their own choosing on postcard to poster-sized paper.
Tuition: $130

Intro to the Tabletop Press (New class!)
Two Thursdays, Feb 24 and Mar 5, 6pm-9pm
Have you ever fantasized about having a small letterpress in your home? Try out this small group workshop for beginners who want to try printing on a tabletop platen press. The class will cover how to set metal type, use a Chandler & Price Pilot tabletop platen press, troubleshoot, and clean up and maintain the press. Each participant will print a few lines of text of their own choosing on business card to postcard-sized paper.
Tuition: $130

The BUST Holiday Craftacular is one of my favorite shows to do!

Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 10am-8pm

Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, NYC

It’s an all day shopping and music extravaganza featuring the nation’s hottest DIY talent. Over 200 crafty vendors, DJ’s, tasty treats, and much more. Listen to the best tunes as you browse handmade wares, from jewelry and essential holiday accessories to home décor and cards. Goodie bags for the first 500 attendees, amazing raffle prizes and more! Admission: $2

About a year ago I was invited to participate in a large-scale collaborative project between Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and CityDance Ensemble, our area’s most fascinating modern (and sometimes ballet) dance company.  10 visual artists (including me) were asked to attend CityDance performances and get to know their performers and their work, and then produce an edition of artist books inspired by their season.  Each of us spent a year gathering inspiration and producing 5o miniature books by hand.  The finished product is 50 handmade boxes containing 10 different artist books based on the themes of the company’s work.

I can’t say enough about how special it’s been to work with CityDance.  While I love watching and participating in dance in general, I never thought of myself as the kind of person who would reserve season tickets for a dance company.  But I don’t know if I’ve ever been as inspired by anything else as much as these performances.  They were funny, fresh, thought-provoking, and indescribably moving.  I can’t wait to see what their current season brings.

My own book is called your body will know, and was inspired by Creative Director Paul Gordon Emerson’s piece “Falling.”  The book addresses the ways that we locate emotions in parts of our bodies.

Please join me at the Moving Parts Launch Party!

Friday, December 11, 2009 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court NW
Washington, DC 20008

(Hillyer’s a little hard to find–go to their website and look at a map before going!)

Join me at Handmade Mart’s Holiday Shop-N-Stroll this Saturday in Silver Spring, MD!

It’s going to be an all-out holiday shopping extravaganza outdoors in Downtown Silver Spring near the Borders Books and the fountain.  Don’t miss it!  I’ll be set up with Patty of Bookwyrms Art and Yarrow of Meno Knits.

Saturday December 5, 2009
10 am to 3 pm

See you there!

I have a few letterpress pieces in a show opening this Friday at The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Farm Center.  This great little gallery near 17th and U St NW in Washington, DC is run by my pal Brooke.  The show opens December 4 (6pm-8pm) and runs through December 24.

Internationally recognized print artist and founder of Pyramid Atlantic Helen Frederick has hand-selected more than thirty of the area’s most accomplished print artists to present their unique works at affordable prices- just in time for the holiday season!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about art collecting and about how people begin collecting art.  Almost all of the art I own is some form of printmaking, and I think it’s a great way to start collecting–many prints are small and affordable.  If you’ve been looking for a piece of art for your home or to give as a gift, start local at this show!

I organized a limited edition letterpressed calendar as a fundraiser for Pyramid Atlantic, and they’re for sale now in my shop! 15 of Pyramid’s letterpress crew designed and printed letterpress pages for the calendar and each month looks great!  It was an adventure getting this done in 3 months.

Here’s Melanie’s (aka February’s) take on the project.

And here are some pictures of the finished product and the calendar folks:

Here’s one of the projects that kept me busy in the summer and fall:

I printed the book “What Matters” for Judy Byron.  Check out the opening tomorrow at Nevin Kelly!

From the Nevin Kelly blog:

Local artists Sondra N. Arkin and Judy Byron have teamed up to create a collaborative work of art and they need your help to complete it. The work is to be included as the artists’ contribution to the Nevin Kelly Gallery  exhibition entitled What’s Important Now?, which is set to run from November 19 through December 12.

Arkin and Byron are asking the public to answer the question “what’s important to you?” (in 10 words or less) by logging onto www.important2you.com. People can answer as many times as they want, subject only to the 10-word limit per response. Follow the project on Facebook and on Twitter @important2you. The final product will be revealed at the opening reception for the exhibition, which will take place at the gallery on November 19 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. More info about the show to come soon.