Ladies of Letterpress at Pyramid Atlantic

Spent the weekend at the The Book (R)evolution, the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair, and had a blast. Instead of setting up a table for H&C Press, I decided to set up a Ladies of Letterpress table with Kseniya Thomas to promote LofL and our first LofL conference, to be held next August in Asheville, NC. We were asked by the planning committee to participate in the fair by giving letterpress demonstrations, so we set up a printing area and promptly dubbed it the "Letterpress Party Room". We set up our two Kelsey 5x8 presses, one set with type and the other with photopolymer plates, and let visitors print their own takeaway cards. It was fun to see their faces light up as many of them printed for the very first time! It was also great to see dear old friends and make a few new ones as well, and to see the fantastic bookworks being made by a group of talented and inspiring artists.

 

A fan of Fanaticon

Yesterday I exhibited/vended at Fanaticon, Asheville's first comic con, and really had a great time! I've gone to a few comic cons in the past few years, but this was my first time showing and selling my own work, so I was a little nervous at first but people there turned out to be super nice and friendly. I shared the table with partner-in-crime LuckyCreature, and we took turns watching the table and running around to see everything else there. We were lucky to have a good location, and we could even see the music acts out in the courtyard without leaving our table unattended. The turnout was wayyy more than I'd expected, and such an incredible mix of people - all ages, girls and guys, normal-ish to very weird. Definitely not the same crowd I've gotten used to seeing at other comic cons in the past few years! I'm inspired by other local artists I met there, reminded of how much I love making comics and zines, and definitely planning on being there again next year! Some of my favorites: Comic Envy, Rice Boy, Deaver Park Press, Hope Larson, and Wide Awake Press.

Human Book in Barcelona

My book "Secrets"  will be on display at the Human Book exhibit in Barcelona, Spain, during the Sant Jordi Festival on April 23, 2010! I've visited Barcelona once, many years ago, and fell in love with the beautiful city of wide promenades and fountains. I'm so glad to finally be there again, in spirit if not in person. My Spanish is a little rough, but I'm pretty sure all of the details are here:

   III Festival de libro de artista y de las pequeñas ediciones

 HUMAN BOOK 

el libro como necesidad humana de contar, de expresarse y de editar

23 de abril de 2010, Festividad de Sant Jordi

Barcelona, Plaza Sant Just (Barrio Gótico)

Plaza de Los Libros Imaginados

Invitación

Horas 12.00 del 23 de abril: apertura del Festival

Presentación del catalogo-ensayo sobre la muestra, con intervenciones de Alberto López Bargados, Eva Marxen, Aníbal Salazar Anglada, Roser López Monsó, Ignasi Blanch, Nani Tedeschi, y de representantes de instituciones y centros de arte relevantes en todo el mundo. El volumen (coordinado por Elisa Pellacani, 246 pp., ilustrado, encuadernado en hilo, 20.00 Euros) estará disponible durante el Festival y en las principales librerías. 


More information about the festival can be found here.

Summer events

Upcoming summer events for Heroes & Criminals Press:
July 3rd & 4th: Scott and I will be giving letterpress printing demonstrations on Friday and Saturday nights at ConVergence, a annual sci-fi convention in Minneapolis. Prints will be made on the handy-dandy Kelsey 5x8, and given away like candy. In the spirit of the convention's theme this year, "A Celebration of the Funny Side", we'll make one print of a Dalek-vs-squirrel showdown, and another of a flying squirrel (the inventive kind, that helped people create their flying machines). Let me know if you want dibs on any leftovers.


July 18th: H&C Press will have a table at the first annual Iowa City Book Festival! I'm so excited that I get to be a part of this, and let's face it, isn't it really about time that IC had its own book festival? It'll be held in Gibson Square, outside of the library's south entrance, and will include music, vendors, food, demonstrations, readings, and panel discussions. Come out and celebrate books with us!

July 28th: The Big Move. We'll be relocating to Asheville, NC and setting up a print studio and bindery in West Asheville. On to new adventures!

August 5 - 9th: Thanks to the Grabhorn Fellowship, I'll be spending this week at Arion Press in San Francisco to learn the in-and-outs of how to run a fine press, along with a visit at the M&H Typefoundry. I'll be sure to post details and photos of this trip on my blog, so check back in mid-August for the nitty gritty.

August 29 - 30th: I'll be teaching a workshop, (Nearly) Non-Toxic Intaglio at Asheville Bookworks. We'll cover the basics of intaglio printing, plus we'll focus on using simple and clean materials like plexiglas and water-based inks. Printing that can be done in your very own kitchen, even if you have kids or pets! Go here to sign up. This will hopefully be the beginning of a long friendship with the wonderful people at ABW.

Starting in September, I'll be cranking out new work that'll be added to my Etsy site, and also will be making the rounds in various art and crafts shows in & around the Appalachians. I'll keep you posted on the details at my blog, and I hope you'll come visit me at one of these events.

Until then, I hope you're staying cool and enjoying the summer!