Over the last two weeks, I attended a letterpress workshop at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina. “Letterpress Bootcamp,” was taught by John Horn and Beth Lambert.
John Horn, a Master Printer, ran his own print shop for over 50 years. I wanted to know how he handled type and the presses, and how his creative process worked. His poster, “Souls Dwell in Printer’s Type,” speaks to this relationship.
Treating the workshop like a residency, I began a new project which I plan to continue. Like most of my work, discovering the concept was not a linear process. It involved writing everyday, looking through my journals and through my photographs I had taken. I tried to connect the writing to past projects but, in the end I began a piece about my Mother.
After finding a direction, I began setting and proofing type, drawing and transferring images to linoleum. I must have looked totally lost when I began setting up the bed of the press because John came over and got me started. Thank goodness he did because I would still be there staring at a blank press bed.
