Reinventing The Wheel

Hi All!
I thought I'd take a break and share some of what I've been up to. Well over a year ago, I mentioned here (click) wanting to slow down and take some time to get back to the process of printing. In truth, I was seeking the time to go back to the simple process of being a beginner. To try something new, and to be okay with whatever the outcome. I spent my spare time with some beloved wood type, some paper, and the press. No computer and no deadlines—you get the idea. In the last year, my new medium of choice has been sign painting. I am very familiar with lettering and typography, but the craft of sign painting adds a whole new dimension to this. In short, it is a humbling, delightful experience for me. It has sharpened my designer-eye and given me an entirely new appreciation for letterforms. The above picture is an example of the before and after. I was able to take my hand-painted-version, and translate it into a plate for letterpress. I really like the casual brush letters when they're pressed into the paper.

While I'm hardly ready to hang up my sign-painting shingle, I feel like I have turned a corner in my lettering practice.

Here is another example of some casual lettering and script that I tried. I have had that cut of The Fonz for years, and well, apparently if you build it, they WILL come! I was thrilled to be able to create a piece for Henry Winkler last Spring. He was reading from his new book at Rakestraw Books, (click) and I knew exactly what piece of art I would use!

Here's a snap from my sketchbook. A perfect mantra for my new year as a beginner. Kindness with myself, kindness with others. When I used to teach bookbinding, I would tell my students, "Be nice to yourselves—your head will learn this much faster than your hands will." I have to tell myself this daily.

Here it is in the letterpress-realm. I love the red ink!














Since I'm getting so cozy with this new beginner-state, I thought I'd try something else, as well. It's been years since I did any painting with acrylics, but in the last few months, that has changed. In the image above, I was able to take a few small paintings that I did, and translate them into the letterpress realm. I added some simple hand-lettering, and I really like the outcome. Its fresh new take on a wedding invitation makes me really happy. For more of what I've been up to, please have a look at my website here (click). I've been updating pictures and hope you like it! xo Victoria

Baby It's Cold...

I know "weather talk" is about as boring as it gets, but for us Cream Puffs in the Bay Area, it is COLD out this morning! But alas, it's the perfect segue to talk about an upcoming Art Show that is happening next Friday:

As an irregular writer, if you have found me here chances are you've found me on Instagram (click). This is definitely my favorite outlet for social networking—it's a platform for people to take and share pictures of things that interest them, work they're doing, or really—just about anything. You can follow people (much like twitter) and with time, one might gather a group of really inspiring strangers.

Such is the case with fellow letterpress printer and sign painter Colt Bowden (click). I have been admiring his Colstagram for awhile, and have been wanting to purchase his 'zine, "How to Paint Signs and Influence People" (click). I first learned about him and his work through a fellow student at a sign painting class I took this Fall at New Bohemia Signs. Find him, follow him, adore him. He seems like such a nice guy.

Also curated by sign painter Ken Davis (click)—he is clearly a very talented guy to boot. I met Ken briefly at pal Nat's Bloom Screen Printing Shop, and I have been a fan ever since.

Lastly, The Pre-Vinylite Society (click) is a feast for the eyes and a great way to soothe your over-computed soul.

See you at the show! xo Victoria

Falling For Autumn

Hello All!
I hope this finds you all well, and that you're enjoying my very favorite time of the year—Fall!
Having grown up in the Sacramento Valley, the heat wreaked havoc right to my very core. Endless dry, hot (!) Summer days would finally give way to a slight crispness in the air before the leaves started to change color. Ahhh... I could breathe again and this was my cue that Autumn had arrived.
While I was always jealous of you East Coasters's vivid color shows, the effect of cooler days was enough and is still that way for me now.

This Summer came and went. It was a busy time for me at the Press, and it always feels so fleeting. Deadlines come fast and furious and I've moved on to the next project before being able to sit with what I'd just finished. Truly not complaining—but I do like the contemplative space that shorter days/longer nights seem to give me.

One of the things I'm most excited about this Summer, was that I finally took some time to focus on more lettering work. Mine, specifically. If you ever saw my handwriting, you would know why I became a printer: it's terrible. But I really, really love letterforms. I get them and between my work as a bookbinder and designer/printer, I have been staring at them for decades. To give myself the time/space to sit down and try to create them has been amazing. To start it off, I took a class at the Makeshift Society from my dear friend, Maybelle Imasa Stukuls. She is a very accomplished calligrapher who is now pursuing her new adventures as a teacher. It was really great to sit and just write. The scratchy-scratch of the pointed-pen on paper is really one of the greatest things ever.

Another class I finally took was a weekend workshop at the renowned New Bohemia Sign Company. Oh how I love these people. Anyone who knows or follows me knows that I love hand-painted signs. I love the craft and the tradition, and the folks here Do. It. Right! It was such a whirlwind weekend and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have taken this. I'm practicing and have great respect for them for keeping this tradition alive.

This is really the bulk of where I've been. Printing, Sign Painting, a little Calligraphy, and we'll see where it all lands. In my perfect world, I will start combining all of these facets. And more perfectly, people will start seeking me out to do all of these things.

While I'm at the tail-end of my catch-up post, I wanted to post a close-up picture of a collaboration I did with the Fabulous Leigh Wells, and the Incredible Karen Templer. Just look at that tactile-yumminess! Karen runs a business called Fringe Supply Co. If you are a knitting-enthusiast, you must seek her out. With our latest project, she combined Leigh's illustrations with her design, adding my letterpress printing to produce a small edition of really great prints. They are now live and for sale on her website, so please click here. 

Thanks for checking in, and I hope to be back here soon. xo Victoria