The Books of Anselm Kiefer 1969-1990

A very rare book by my favorite "book artist," Anselm Kiefer via The Art of Memory.

Textiles

I love weaving. If I had all the time and all the space in the world. I would have a loom. I actually learned to weave years ago when I was in college, before I even knew what letterpress was.

:: Gunta Stolzl ::

A couple years ago, I got to take a weaving class again at Penland, and made this graph paper scarf out of linen.

:: me! ::

I think there's a lot of similarities in process and final appearance between hand-weaving and letterpress.

Both are labor intensive to set up, the hours of feeding each thread through the heddles and reed or the hours of setting type and spacing material, but quick to execute. Both are set up traditionally to work on a x and y axis, making design very linear and geometrical.

This is a constraint I actually really enjoy.

:: Impossible Objects by Huldra Press ::

And I just discovered the needlework of At Swim-Two-Birds. Love.

:: At Swim-Two-Birds ::

Maybe weaving will be my retirement.

Summer in Philadelphia

:: clouds ::

We just got out of a nasty heat wave here in Philadelphia. The heat broke on Thursday with a dramatic thunderstorm. I made a little movie of the clouds forming, it was beautiful and threatening.

It was hard to do much when it felt like 104 outside. I know the cat felt the same way.

:: monkey ::

My studio gets very hot in the summer. I'm trying to find solutions to this problem. An entire wall of windows is beautiful, and a blessing in the winter, but it feels like a greenhouse in the summer. I'm working with my landlord to find the best way to install curtains, and possibly a portable air conditioner too.

In the meantime, I've been taking my work home with me.

:: books in progress ::

Mike is in Michigan teaching a class at Ox-Bow for two weeks, so I am home alone. Right now, I'm working on a big order of books for Cog & Pearl in Brooklyn, and later this week, I have some custom books to make too. I have plenty of work to keep me busy so hopefully those two weeks will just fly by. Well, almost fly by.

When he gets back, we're going to put those finishing touches on the press and then it's time for some serious printing.

Green Days

:: that's my mom ::

Summer is here, the trees are green, and so is the new typecase! Last weekend, I visited my parents in Delaware, we took a walk in Brandywine Creek state park. I live in South Philadelphia, where apparently they hate trees for reasons I will never understand. Going to Delaware is a nice change.

:: that's my new typecase ::

Last month was very productive. I spent a lot of it cleaning and rearranging the studio, which certainly is looking better than before. I also made my first test print on the press. To give you an update on the press, all that needs to be done now is

- reattach the feed boards
- figure out where it's going to sit in the studio
- plug it in!

:: that's the Cooper wood type in the back that I'm dying to use ::

I'm so happy I bought these type cases. I didn't really have the room for them, but now that I've sold my old typecase and the galley cabinet, I know I made the right decision. Look at all that wood type!

:: and that's more wood type ::

Things are looking pretty good. There's days where I feel completely overwhelmed, but I know I'm doing something right. I just need to be patient.