Moveable Type

what does this mean?

Crossing over into NC from the balmy southern Atlantic coast, I was a bit disappointed to find that it was still winter in the rest of the country.  I felt disoriented, and a little betrayed.  But there is no better antidote for betrayal than a visit with the kids at Blue Barnhouse.  (Don’t worry, I don’t know what that means either).

Brandon & Emily

I’ve mentioned this before, but I worked at Blue Barnhouse in Asheville for a year when I first started printing.  Those were wild and beautiful days.  This past summer, they relocated the shop to Wilmington, and so it was toward this port town that I steered the ol’ truck.

here be the presses I learned on: Vandercook Uni I and C&P 12x18

I parked the rig outside Brandon and Emily’s house and let them drive me around for the weekend.  We drank lots of coffee, went to the (cold and windy) beach, took a ferry ride, went bowling, watched Rio Bravo, visited the new shop and, for old time’s sake, I helped them bag cards and package orders.  That’s probably not everyone’s idea of A Good Time, but it felt strangely comforting to me… like, the most mundane, normal thing ever, which was just what I needed to feel less adrift.  So, umm, thanks for putting me to work, guys.

these guys print a *lot* of cards

I lost big time

If I lived in Savannah, I would not work.  Rather, I would sit in parks and write, draw, and think.  I would ditch my car and walk everywhere, all the time.  Sometimes I would drink coffee while walking, and sometimes, because it is legal to do so here, I would drink shandies.  It is always Shandy weather in Savannah.

I visited Armstrong Atlantic State University, and was welcomed by a very large and very sweet group of students who were very excited about getting on the press.  Thanks so much for coming out, you guys – I really like your town.  And you.

Charleston greenery

After spending a day or two fantasizing about my life in Savannah, I headed up the coast to Charleston.  Turns out this town isn’t so bad, either.  I walked around the compact city core, peering into secret gardens and playing the “which house would I most like to live in?” game.  As much as I love being on the road, it probably comes as no surprise that I’m also craving a little stillness, to feel at home in one place.  Even just for a little while.  I find these urges come and go, but they’re definitely in full force when I’m in a place that I particularly respond to.  Walking around Charleston, I kept thinking, “what if this was my neighborhood? What would my days look like?  Where would I walk my dog?  Where did I get the money to live in this house?”  BIG QUESTIONS.  Eventually, I found the house I would want to live in.  It’s not the grandest house in town – far from it – but it feels like a place I would like.  It’s small and Kyle-scaled.  It has a balcony with french doors that I would leave open most of the time.  Check it:

home sweet home!

But enough about me.  I came to Charleston to connect with the rad ladies at Sideshow Press.  Not only are they very talented printers and designers, but these gals know how to throw a party.  A peanut party.  Boiled peanuts, popcorn, sodas in glass bottles with adorable yellow and white straws, a photo booth, and little striped bags for everyone to put their prints in to take home.  I took some terrible photos after dark and after most of the people had left, so these hardly capture the spirit of the night.  But the spirit was very high.

yes, that is a quoin-as-paperweight

earlier in the night, the parking lot was full of revelers

Thank you, Charleston!

After my mini vacation in the Keys, I headed up the coast a bit to Boca Raton, to the Jaffe Center for Book Arts, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.  Arthur Jaffe, the center’s namesake and founder, is a spry 91 year old man who has been collecting books since he was a kid.  This collection represents the rambling story of his life in books.  We had a fabulous turnout, but this is one of those stops where I managed to not take a single photo (how does that happen?), so here is a photo I did not take, from an event I did not attend.

John pulls a print! Courtesy Jaffe Collection

John Cutrone, the director of the Jaffe Collection, and Seth Thompson, the collections specialist, also run Convivio Bookworks from their home, and they do beautiful work.  They were kind enough to put me up for the night, and sent me off with a starfruit from the tree outside their house.  It was delicious, by the way.

St Augustine harbor

The next day, I drove up the Atlantic coast to St. Augustine, and felt like I crossed over into another world.  Still Florida, but a far cry from the tropical climate and modern development of the southern part of the state.  It’s older here – much older.  And you can feel it.  St. Augustine is apparently the oldest European settlement in the United States, founded by the Spanish in 1565 and, much later, developed by Henry Flagler.  I had never heard of Flagler before coming to Florida but, apparently, he’s “kind of a big deal”.  He’s the guy responsible for developing much of the eastern coast of Florida, building hotels, and bringing the railroad all the way down to Key West in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  In St. Augustine, I visited Flagler College, which is housed in the former Ponce de León Hotel, a very grand hotel built by Flagler in 1888.  It is a grand and gorgeous structure, and it’s insane to me that it now houses college students.

that's a dorm room at the top of the tower...

I got to hang out with an especially awesome group of those students, who admitted that they kind of take for granted that they essentially go to school in a 5-star luxury hotel.  To their credit, though, I doubt many college students really appreciate the grand and historic architecture of their campuses.  I know I didn’t – not really.  I knew my campus was beautiful and the buildings were cool and old, but you know, I was in college.  I was thinking about other stuff.  Anyway, we printed some fun posters in honor of one of their professors, and then they took me out on a walking tour of the city and dinner at The Floridian, which was one of the best meals I’ve on had on this whole trip.  Thanks, guys!

And then, Jacksonville!  I had coordinated with the local AIGA chapter for this event, on a Sunday afternoon downtown.  We had a great turnout, everyone walked away with some Jacksonville souvenirs, and a lucky few had a turn printing their own stuff.  Big thanks to Jessi Bruton for setting it all up, and for providing me with some of her delicious macarons!

[yes]

Overseas Highway - OVER THE SEAS!

VACATIONTIME!!!!!  A vacation from blogging, too.  Instead, photos!

Bahia Honda State Park

KWLS HQ

this road goes all the way to Maine

Key West dog party

"Home of the Sunset"

sunset seems to have found its home

It was a good time.

OH MY GOD FLORIDA IS ENORMOUS.  I feel like I’ve been driving forever.  Sometimes I look at the map and can’t believe that Miami is even part of this country.  I mean, look at it!  So far down there!  But one of the good things about driving to Miami is that you get to go through the Everglades.  AND SEE ALLIGATORS SNOOZING ON THE BANKS OF A RIVER.

Once I got to the city, I went straight to the beach.  I also did a lot of walking around town, looking at the awesome deco architecture.

And I determined that the truck looks good parked in front of these buildings.

I did a workshop at Allie Munroe, a design studio specializing in stationery and wedding invitations.  They have a lot of their work letterpress printed by a shop in Chicago, and it was fun to be able to share the actual process with the staff so they could see what it’s all about.  I also did a public event at Pearl Art Supply in South Miami (with thanks to Ross and Monica!), where I managed a pretty funny typo, later corrected.

woops!

GOOSE!

And the last stop was at Lester’s, a cafe/bar/bookshop/gallery in the Wynwood neighborhood which, in the small world department, is run by Dan, a friend of a friend of mine.  Lester’s has a wall of framed photos of mustachioed men (see above).  I also met Dan’s friend Scott, who is another friend of another friend of mine, and runs a fake/real university called the University of Wynwood – check it out.

courtyard at studio b.

And so… Florida! Ye Old Sunshine State.  My first stop was at studio b, a gallery/studio/creative force in Alys Beach, which is a beautiful and very clean community a little west of Panama City.  I mention its cleanliness because it’s actually kind of insane how clean it is here.  Is it possible for a place to be too clean?  Studio b is a really dynamic and creative space, though, and hosts art shows, parties, cooking classes, life drawing sessions, and just about anything else you can think of.  It is run by photographer Colleen Duffley, and she and I coordinated a really fun morning workshop for 4 people.  We had some lunch, printed some posters, watched a spectacular sunset, and then had a sleepy evening as it began to rain.  Nice.

Panama City Publishing Co.

The next morning, I headed down the coast a bit to Panama City, a lively harbor town and home to the Panama City Publishing Company.  “West Florida’s Premier Printing Plant” is now a museum run by the city, and it’s a very well preserved monument to the work of George West, one of the “founding fathers” of Panama City.  He ran a newspaper here until his death in 1926, and the business was then carried on by his wife and eventually his grandson. who then sold it to the city for restoration and preservation.  It’s a beautiful print shop, and I had fun incorporating one of the old cuts from the collection into the day’s poster.  Lots of people came out to see the truck, make a print, and take home a little bit of history from their own town.

Jennifer's map!

And then, a long drive down to St Petersburg.  I ran into a little truck trouble on this stretch, which had me pulling into St Pete late for an event at Eve-n-Odd Gallery.  But folks stuck around and waited, and when I got there, I was treated to this sweet little chalk drawing on the sidewalk, courtesy of gallery owner Jennifer Kosharek.  Jennifer and her family were kind enough to take me to dinner and put me up for the night.  When we got to their house, I was warned that their two sugar gliders had escaped their cage and were on the loose.  I should be on the lookout.  It wasn’t until after a lengthy late night, kid-driven chase around the house resulting in an eventual capture that I learned that sugar gliders are tiny mouse-sized possums and not bats, as I had been imagining all along.

water water everywhere

loveliness at The Southern Letterpress

A 2.5-hour drive from Oxford brought me to the small town of Columbus, MS, not far from the border with Alabama.  I was there to visit Jessica Peterson and The Southern Letterpress.  I first got in touch with Jessica a few months back when I was reaching out to the folks in Gordo, Alabama.  We’ll get to Gordo shortly.  Back in Columbus, though, Jessica and I coordinated with Suzanne Powney at nearby MS State to pull together a super fun day of collaborative printing.  We had a great turnout, which I think surprised everyone.  Big thanks to Jessica and Suzanne for making this fun time happen!

storefront at Kennedy Prints

And then, Gordo!  Gordo is a *tiny* town about an hour from Columbus, and a little letterpress mecca.  Glenn House, Kathy Fetters, and Amos Kennedy are legendary printers and artists who have taken over a few buildings on Main Street and turned them into print shops, photo studios, and art galleries.  I got a very thorough tour of the studios and town (Glenn grew up just a few miles from here) and a really warm welcome to their world.

Amos and Kim, hello!

Amos’ friend Kim was in town from Bloomington, IN to help him with some printing and work on some projects of her own.  It seems like this is kind of how things go here – Glenn, Amos, and Kathy hold down the fort, and then visitors and friends drop in from time to time to add to the conversation.  I really wished I could have stayed for a few weeks… printing and hanging out.  Next time!

Glenn mugs for the camera

I never expected this landscape in Mississippi

After New Orleans, I made a weird detour up to north MS.  Back when I was booking this part of the trip, I think this made more sense but, as I made that long drive up to Oxford, I started questioning my logic.   I was, after all, going to be heading right back down to the Gulf Coast in another day or two.  No matter – most of the drive was really pretty, and Oxford, MS is a place I’ve been really curious about.  It’s the home of Ole’ Miss, and it’s one of those towns I just want to slather with all kinds of Southern gothic notions.  And it didn’t disappoint.

on the road to Faulkner's house

I visited William Faulkner’s home, Rowan Oak, via a mile or so walk through the woods, which seemed an appropriate approach – all shadows and earthy smells and anticipation.  The house is beautiful, and I was ready to move right in.  It was very cool to see all of his books, and his mint julep cup, and the room where he had written a timeline for A Fable directly on the wall.

Also, this sweet map of Yoknapatawpha County, where many of his novels are set:

One final note about Oxford, MS: I had one of the best burger/cocktail combos I’ve had on this trip – at Snackbar.  Oh, deliciousness.  Many thanks to Sarah Story from the University Museum for taking me out on the town!  I’m sure Faulkner would approve.

sunset drive

Next stop, New Orleans!  Finally!  I’ve been wanting to visit here for years, and was so thrilled when I rolled into town during an exquisite sunset.  I spent the next day walking all over town, stretching the ol’ legs and enjoying the perfect 72° weather.  Hey, January!

I was in LOVE with the colors here:

heaven... I'm in heaven...

I had two scheduled events in town.  On Saturday night, I set up outside The Front, an artist-run gallery during the opening of a group show.  One of the artist/members is Kyle Bravo, who also runs Hot Iron Press with his wife Jenny LeBlanc.  I’ve been a fan of their work for a few years now but, sadly, I didn’t leave enough time to stop by their shop for a visit.

The show at The Front had some really cool work in it, but the night got off to a slow start, since there was a Saints game going on – a really close game that ultimately ended in a loss for the beloved Saints.  The gallery had brought a TV out into the backyard where they’d set up the bar so people could watch the game.  There’s something pretty great about watching a televised football game outside during an art show.  But after the game, once everyone had dried their tears and had a few drinks, the crowds came out and we printed some good stuff.

community printers!

The next day, I headed over to the New Orleans Community Print Shop, an awesome art space, dedicated mostly to screenprinting.  This is a totally accessible shop, so anyone can come in off the street, pay $7 to burn a screen, and get to work.  You can also join up as a studio member, by paying a monthly or annual fee for 24-hour access.  I’ve visited a lot of these community studios around the country, and it’s always interesting to see how they’re structured and run – each place has a different arrangement, and responds to different needs in their communities.  I met some great people that day – the volunteers that run the studio and their friends and neighbors.  Thanks for the love, New Orleans!

Lowlands!  I drove through some really watery, swampy stretches on my way from Houston to Baton Rouge… trees peeking up out of the water, roads built on stilts (“bridges”, I guess they’re called).  I was heading to the state capitol, and to the campus of LSU.

This is a beautiful campus – lots of lakes with trees growing out of them.  There’s also this cool amphitheater:

And did you know that LSU has a great printshop and art department?  They have some really large format lithography and etching presses, and a sizeable collection of type, cuts, and ornaments, all very nicely cataloged:

file under D for Dixie. And Dude.

I was hosted by Hope Amico, a recent LSU grad and fellow printer, who helped organize a visit to campus and a public event in downtown Baton Rouge.

I got my ukelele tuned in downtown Baton Rouge! (I should put that on a t-shirt)

Hope was an excellent host, and prepared a tasty dinner for some friends after my presentation on campus.  Hope works for Kathryn Hunter over at Blackbird Letterpress, who was my original contact in BR, but had to be out of town for a trade show.  So she was hosting the truck in spirit.  I did get to check out her studio before I left town, which was a treat:

blackbirds, letterpress

Thanks to all for a fun visit!