Category: art

Hatch Show Print

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I’ve never written about arguably the most well-known and respected letterpress studio in the U.S. until now because, well, almost everyone else has. But last night I watched Jim Sherraden of Hatch Show Print present the shop’s work and history and I’m so inspired I can’t resist.

Hatch is the longest running letterpress studio in the U.S., operating continuously for well over a century. Jim has been instrumental in not only keeping the shop running through the hard times (also known as the ’80s) but preserving its historical accuracy. He doesn’t allow any new wood fonts into the shop, believing the Hatch brothers (founders, originally from Wisconsin!) carefully curated the collection to work well together; and by only allowing new artwork that’s been hand carved—no digitally-created photo-polymer cuts.

Hatch does, as you can see, regularly employ the magnificent collection of historical printing plates, adhering to a theory they call “Preservation by Production”—or the belief that vintage wood cuts and fonts fare better with regular use. I would rather see these artists create beautiful work than gaze at plates behind glass any day. They have a cut of nearly every famous artist that ever played Nashville, as well as some of the earliest printing plates in the states—and they’re still printing all of it. I’m thinking of planning a trip to Tennessee just to visit Hatch!

Light

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

The days are getting longer. Every day this week, I’ve gotten up with the sun and every morning I’ve sent a little thank you out into the universe for letting me wake with such joy. It’s funny how each year, just at the point when you think you just can’t stand the dark and the cold any longer, winter releases its grip and almost overnight it’s spring. I’m so thankful we had a short and mild winter, I’m not sure I could have held out much longer this year.

I’ve been working on a series of prints to celebrate. It’s a small reminder to myself to take a moment to be grateful, to enjoy what nature has to offer, to see the beauty in everything around me. Wake up five minutes early tomorrow morning, before you’re rushing to get ready, while your world is still quiet. Really look at your surroundings, take them in and be grateful for them. The world is a beautiful place.

New Embroidery

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Sorry guys, I’m officially out of clever puns for posts about embroidery at the moment. But I have been stitching furiously!

I think my stitcher’s block earlier this month stemmed from not having an image of the final product in my head before I began. So lately I’ve been creating free form designs—no drawing on the fabric before hand, no tracing a sketch. I’ve been experimenting with new stitches and techniques, all the while just adding whatever I feel like in the moment. I love the way they’ve turned out, expect more of these in the future! Of course, these are all available here.

Joel Robison

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

As an art director, I spend entire days looking at photos. For an average monthly issue, we shoot thousands and I sort through every single one. Needless to say, it takes more than a nice smile or a sunny day to make me pause on a shot. But when I stumbled across Joel Robison‘s imaginative work, I did just that.

My definition of art has always had to do with purpose and intention, so the fact that these are so well conceptualized, planned and executed speaks to me. Check out the selections I’ve included here, visit his shop for more and read what he has to say for himself below!

Tell us about your work—why do you create what you do?
I create the work that I do because I feel that it best allows me to express my feelings, wants, dreams and ideas. Photography for me has grown into an opportunity to share how I see the world with the world around me.

When did you start taking pictures?
I started taking conceptual images about 3 years ago and I’ve learned everything pretty much on my own, through trial and error and just by experimenting. I do put a lot of pre-planning into my images and I’d say that majority of my photos have had at least an hours worth of planning or setup just to get everything the way I want it.

Post-production really depends on each image, my time frame usually ranges between an hour to three hours and I usually end up with something that is quite different than how it looked in camera :)

Where do you work? What type of environment stimulates your creativity?
Well, I have a “regular” job as an Educational Assistant working with students with various learning needs in a high school. I’m most inspired by nature and being outside in the forest or mountains really helps me to think and be creative, when I’m stuck indoors or in a big city for too long I start to feel like my creativity is depleting.

How has your work evolved?
My work has definitely changed and evolved in the past few years, I think in the past I didn’t do many images that depicted sadness or intense emotions, I’m comfortable doing so now. I’m more willing to try new things and keep developing my skill set now rather than depend on what I already know.

What is your greatest challenge?
Having patience when things don’t go my way. I get into a groove around photography and editing and when that gets broken or when I have to adjust it’s not always easy for me.

What inspires you?
The world that doesn’t actually exist inspires me. I love to create images of the impossible but make them look possible.

Tell us about your etsy business.
I started using Etsy a few years ago to sell mostly just little paintings and such and then I opened up my print shop last June after some requests to start selling prints. There’s always a learning curve and my first few prints didn’t ship so well so I had to re-ship them at my cost, I think now I’ve got it under control although I need to list items more frequently!

What advice do you have for new etsians?
Network and create treasuries, browse and favourite and see everything that there is on the website!

Where else can readers find your work?
my flickr www.flickr.com/photos/joel_r/
my facebook www.facebook.com/joelrobisonphotography
my blog joelrobisonphoto.wordpress.com

Old New Again

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 3 Comments

It’s no secret I have a slight fascination with typography. My collection is constantly being added to and a steady stream of new work from Old New Again is doing nothing to help curb its growth. I first fell in love with the ampersand above: a well-design letterform—YES!—painted and distressed wood—YES!—oh, and proprietors Liz & Rick are from Wisconsin—YAY!

Liz took a moment to share a little bit about the pieces they make, the lifestyle they live and what it’s like to have an etsy business as your livelihood. Enjoy!

Tell us about your work—why do you create what you do?
I’ve always loved wood and that sort of old primitive look, but wanted something “fresher”… so I came up with our style. Rick lost his job a few years ago, so it all just sorta worked out beautifully! Now it is our only source of income, and we are so blessed!

How did you learn your craft? Tell us about your process—start to finish.
I grew up in an art family. My dad has been a full-time artist since I was a child. My uncle taught college art. My brothers are both artists. So I can’t really say when it started, because I never remember it starting. It was there from the start.

Where do you work? What type of environment stimulates your creativity?
We have a workshop that’s about 7 miles away, in the country. While it’s lovely to work there in the summer, it is very cold in the winter (it’s heated, but it’s a big place so it isn’t the warmest). And in the winter there’s no natural light (in the summer we open the huge overhead door).

I do all of my computer work and shipping in our basement. Some day I would love to have a great big shop with lots of light year-round, where Rick can do his “dirty” work (cutting, sanding, staining and varnishing) and I could have a separate area to do my work.

How has your work evolved?
I try to watch trends and see what I can tweak. My biggest challenge is finding time to do new items. We are so busy that I don’t get as much time as I’d like to do new things.

What inspires you?
Everything! I love color and texture. I am constantly thinking in these terms. When I go to the pet store and see an amazing little hamster with the most beautiful brown and white fur… I think WOW I LOVE THAT BROWN!

What’s your favorite piece or use and why?
I adore our long skinny 6 hook shelves! We have them all over, as our house is pretty small and we have two children (Molly is 17… not a child anymore and Samantha is 9). I am all about functional pieces that look great and help me keep things organized.


Tell us about your start on etsy and any beginner mistakes.
I found etsy from an amazing artist, Jenn (www.noodleandlou.etsy.com). We got to know each other on ebay when we were selling our ACEOs. Beginner mistakes: hmmm…. that’s hard to say, because all the mistakes are just sort of stepping stones. Sounds cliche, but it’s so true.

What advice do you have for new etsians?
My advice would be to focus more and not try to try too many different things at once. My second bit of advice would be to initially spend 90% of your time on getting your pictures right and making sure they fit in well in treasuries.

Where can readers find your work?
We are exclusively on etsy! ♥