Escapism!

Appleton, Wisconsin! I just spent four days on the campus of Lawrence University, surrounded by bacon, rabbits, and undergraduates, to start work on a newfangled informational pamphlet. Ben Rinehart, former resident of NYC and current Professor, started a visiting artist series called the Paper Fox Printmaking Workshop at Lawrence for his students, which invites local and national artists to campus to print an edition. I was invited to come visit and make prints alongside his students, and my friend and fellow visiting artist Emily Martin.

The pamphlet I designed is maybe a third done? Which is amazing for two days and a sign press. Yep, I printed 4 runs of a 100 without a motor. Who knew? I had the help of Ben’s students, Matt Cawley, Cori Lin, Deborah Levinson, and Eileen Rohaly, who helped make it happen.

I had some odd inking experiences on the second pass but there you go. This image goes down the middle of the front side of the edition; there’s a similar image on the backside which functions as a timeline. Both timelines are printed from reductive linoleum cuts, which I was worried about registering on an unfamiliar press, but which mostly worked out. There’s also an additional run of wood type that happened on top of this, but my camera died before recording it for you.

The pamphlet is about  the life and times of Harry Houdini, who was a child in Appleton, before moving away to NYC and becoming famous for breaking out of straitjackets, handcuffs, and sealed milk cans. I’m working on finishing setting the type this weekend, and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my half-finished pamphlets in the meantime.

This is Emily Martin, my co-visiting artist, also in town to print and meet the students. She’s conferring here with Ben, our dapper host. She worked on an intaglio print and is here trying to figure out what’s happening in the middle there. Lovely company! Thanks guys!