The patterned paper used to case Metal Type (& line the boxes of the deluxe copies) was designed by artist & HM friend Dana Cromie. (See bottom of this post for details on a small number of these sheets issued as signed prints.) I first saw the general scheme he used for repeating the components last summer, in mock-ups for a series of large prints/collages he was planning for a show the Beaty Biodiversity Museum on the campus of the University of British Columbia.
The show, titled Remnants, opens at the end of this month. The focus is Dana's "reaction to the ongoing reduction by human activity of natural habitat." In recent years Dana's art has focused primarily on detailed (but usually quite spare) botanical watercolors. For Remnants, however, he explored a new medium, creating a series of five collages, each composed of prints of natural components arranged and repeated in the same manner as the paper used for Metal Type, and layered with prints of anthropogenic activities.
"Twenty-six original drawings have been letterpress printed, hand cut into 1,500 pieces and glued into five portraits. The sources for the nature drawings are mostly archival, some from the Internet, some from the cabinets of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a few from nature. What is always missing is context. The design of the man-made elements in the style of traditional wallpaper is Cromie's response to the appropriation of ‘Green’ currently utilized to promote everything from gasoline to urban towers. Humans are absent in the portraits because as individuals we do not see our relationship to the changes in the environment."
The natural drawings used to create the five collages (18 in all, ranging in size from 2 x 2 inches to 6 x 6 inches) have also been printed individually on Somerset Velvet paper, in editions of 20 signed and numbered by Dana. These prints will be available for purchase at the Beaty during the show (prices range from $65 to $125).
All of the relief printing was done by Yasmine Franchi at Black Stone Press, with Dana's original drawings reproduced from polymer at one-half scale. Each of the finished collages measures 59 x 39 inches. Dana's sister was enamoured of the larger format of the original natural drawings, so they were silk-screened with indigo ink on while bull denim. She then sewed a traditional quilt of 8 x 10 feet to hang at the entrance to the exhibit.
Metal Type is not HM's first collaboration with Dana. A couple of years ago we printed a series of four line drawings for him, each in an edition of 12. Titled Dance Recital, the series was "a music concert interpreted in line and colour." Each printed was inspired by a particular piece of music (above is Philip Glass's opera The Photographer, based on the homicide trial of photographer Eadweard Muybridge). The prints were the individually colored by Dana (they're available uncolored, but since the color is half of the premise for the images, it's a waste).
Not a printer per se, Dana has ink in his veins: his family owned the Vancouver Sun for many years. In addition to his own art & a couple of cool early Joe Average paintings (he and Dana ran in the same circles), one of the notable pieces on Dana's walls is a menu from the MGM Studio cafe, c.1935 signed by a number of famous actors, including Nelson Eddy, Mickey Rooney and Jimmy Stewart. Turns out back in the day, Dana's grandmother used to winter in L.A., along with her son (Dana's dad). One day they were noshing at MGM, and got the actors to sign the menu on their lunch break. The menu alone is a great piece of job printing from the era, the other side reset with the specials every day.
We had a handful of extra sheets of the fonts paper printed for Metal Type. Rather than putting them away in a box, we decided to issue them as prints, suitable for framing. The edition is 10, each signed & numbered by Dana. The sheets (Guarro laid off-white) measure 12.5 x 17 inches, with an approx. 0.75 inch border around the image. They're available from Dana, price is $75.
Remnants will be up through April. Dana will be posting images of the pieces created for the show on his site after the opening.
P.S.
Interesting notice of the recent sale at auction of the Kelmscott Goudy Albion press on the Wessel & Lieberman home page. Also, a longer piece in The New York Times. Neil Shaver's Yellow Barn Press published an interesting and, as with all his books, beautifully printed book about the press. In view of the hammer price, maybe HM unfairly criticized the asking prices of some handpress on eBay last year...
New releases from Harold Budd's back catalogue recently. And a new release through Darla expected soon.
loscil tours Europe next month. See him if you can. (Apparently he still has a couple of the portfolios containing two original prints, produced with Heavenly Monkey, which might be available at the merch table...)
Signed copies of Aimee Lee's book Hanji Unfurled - the first English-language book about Korean handmade paper (according to the blurb) - are available through the author's site. The book's received strong reviews. Unfortunately no deluxe or special edition with samples was issued. Regardless, if you're buying contemporary trade books, you should get signed copies whenever possible.
This
series of portraits is Cromie's reaction to the ongoing reduction by
human activity of natural habitat. Built using the small pieces of the
contemporary viewing pane, these collage quilts pay homage to
traditional home economics and to the Arts and Crafts movement of the
late 19th century. The vertical format reflects the traditional portrait
proportions of influential individuals. The repeated use of small
pieces relates to how we build our impression of the world without
experiencing it.
Twenty-six original drawings have been letterpress printed, hand cut into 1,500 pieces and glued into five portraits. The sources for the nature drawings are mostly archival, some from the internet, some from the cabinets of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a few from nature. What is always missing is context. The design of the man-made elements in the style of traditional wallpaper is Cromie's response to the appropriation of ‘Green’ currently utilized to promote everything from gasoline to urban towers. Humans are absent in the portraits because as individuals we do not see our relationship to the changes in the environment.
- See more at: http://www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/remnants#sthash.97XmWIUg.dpuf
Twenty-six original drawings have been letterpress printed, hand cut into 1,500 pieces and glued into five portraits. The sources for the nature drawings are mostly archival, some from the internet, some from the cabinets of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a few from nature. What is always missing is context. The design of the man-made elements in the style of traditional wallpaper is Cromie's response to the appropriation of ‘Green’ currently utilized to promote everything from gasoline to urban towers. Humans are absent in the portraits because as individuals we do not see our relationship to the changes in the environment.
- See more at: http://www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/remnants#sthash.97XmWIUg.dpuf
This
series of portraits is Cromie's reaction to the ongoing reduction by
human activity of natural habitat. Built using the small pieces of the
contemporary viewing pane, these collage quilts pay homage to
traditional home economics and to the Arts and Crafts movement of the
late 19th century. The vertical format reflects the traditional portrait
proportions of influential individuals. The repeated use of small
pieces relates to how we build our impression of the world without
experiencing it.
Twenty-six original drawings have been letterpress printed, hand cut into 1,500 pieces and glued into five portraits. The sources for the nature drawings are mostly archival, some from the internet, some from the cabinets of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a few from nature. What is always missing is context. The design of the man-made elements in the style of traditional wallpaper is Cromie's response to the appropriation of ‘Green’ currently utilized to promote everything from gasoline to urban towers. Humans are absent in the portraits because as individuals we do not see our relationship to the changes in the environment.
- See more at: http://www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/remnants#sthash.97XmWIUg.dpuf
Twenty-six original drawings have been letterpress printed, hand cut into 1,500 pieces and glued into five portraits. The sources for the nature drawings are mostly archival, some from the internet, some from the cabinets of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a few from nature. What is always missing is context. The design of the man-made elements in the style of traditional wallpaper is Cromie's response to the appropriation of ‘Green’ currently utilized to promote everything from gasoline to urban towers. Humans are absent in the portraits because as individuals we do not see our relationship to the changes in the environment.
- See more at: http://www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/remnants#sthash.97XmWIUg.dpuf
Posts
