GOCCO-RAMA

We're getting a Gocco Printer! GA helped a friend design her wedding invitations, and now she is giving us the printer! We are so excited. Gocco is becoming a precious rarity like original polaroids. We've blogged about our love and appreciation of letterpress, and now we'll be able to screen-print on our dining room table. We look forward to making our own unique holiday cards and invitations.
Here are a few sweet gocco prints found on etsy:
1. twoguitars
2. artsharkdesigns
3. MisNopalesArt
4. katep
5. edisonrex

Our Letterpress Prints

playing with blocks

Here are more photos of woodblock letters from our letterpress workshop!

Letterpress Workshop in Alexandria

We had an awesome experience at a letterpress workshop this weekend. We had reserved a full-day class with Stuart Bradley of Railway Station Press in Alexandria, VA. We spent the day learning the basics of letterpress using the Chandler and Price tabletop press in Stuart's home studio. The beginner class covered terminology, the process, maintenance and materials.
We went with an emerald green ink for our prints. With the large selection of type and ornaments, Eric printed stationary for his photography business using metal type, and GA used wood blocks to create a typographical poster. Eric used a vintage 1930's camera ornament on his stationary. The wood block letters that GA selected would normally be printed on a larger format press, but we wanted to experiment! They required extra ink, so we added a bright red to the mix.
Stuart also shared valuable resources that will help us when we purchase our own letterpress. Since we normally work in the digital realm, we enjoyed the tactile sensation of this hands-on process. We highly recommend this workshop to anyone who is curious about letterpress and who would like a day of creative learning.

We'd love to hear about your letterpress experiences too!

Volunteering at the Virginia Fine Arts Festival

The 2010 Virginia Fine Arts Festival, produced by GRACE, is being held this weekend at Reston Town Center. This morning, GA+ E and some of GA's work colleagues joined the fun in the children's tent. There were four kinds of crafts, including a Calder-inspired mobile-making station and a magnet-moving paint station! For a fun and rewarding experience, we recommend seeking out volunteer opportunities with your local art organizations. If you have one that you love, we'd be happy to feature it on our site!

Our vote for Best in Show goes to Jenny Pope, an eco-conscious printer whose woodcarvings of endangered and invasive species are both bright and thoughtful.