Muddling along and an Open Studio

 Mostly muddling, but that's OK.

Firstly, thank so much to everyone who watched the video about us and for your kind words.  I think it is a beautifully shot little gem of a film and we really do feel fortunate to have been part of it.  It seems to capture our passion for the history of letterpress and what it has done nicely.  Thank you!

Muddling along this week has seen me teaching for 1/2 a day which was great - one on one in the studio with beautiful results.

I am also progressing the work that I am using the rusted papers for, and it is coming along. In fits and spurts, but moving forward which is entirely the aim for now.

I was thinking about fence lines that run all the way to the horizon...

I wasn't sure how best to illustrate the idea and returned to stitching twigs onto paper. I laid them out, pierced some holes and then practised how to make it look like a five-wire fence. I like the 3-D nature of the stitches because they come from on top of the twig - the scarcest of shadows sometimes appear below.

Barry suggested the looping over the top - and I was able to make it work.

Tools of the trade.

Having sorted out how that would work, I finished some more grief cards. These ones were also hard to illustrate, but I have done watercolour wave-lines and embossed the phases of the moon. All very subtle, so subtle you can barely see the embossing! This is a reject because the paper crinkled under pressure, sigh.

And then to the Open Studio event next Saturday!  Just in time for folk to purchase a few gifts for the season, we are flinging open the doors of the studio and showcasing letterpress printing and giving 10% off all items, and a few other special sales.

Barry has printed bundles of festive drink coasters and gift tags; and I wrapped them. Literally a tag team!

His salad servers are also looking gorgeous...

So this will be a week of preparations and teaching and then Saturday will be a big day we hope.