Letterpress

I have always had a crush on letterpress.  Smooth metal shapes with deeply carved letters, coated with the gray patina of time.  In my mind’s eye they are the size of children’s blocks, and just as tactile.  But I’ve never used them in artwork.  In real life they are often tiny, and clunky, and while they can be beautiful in other artists’ hands, they are awkward at best in mine.

But then I discovered a beautiful Art Deco set in the vintage shop “Call Me Clever” (callmeclever.etsy.com).  I fell in love with the letters, and the way they were grouped together in a topsy turvy manner.  The image glued itself to my brain, and when I went back, the letterpress had sold and just the image remained.  I contacted Shawn the shop owner and asked if he would allow me to do something artistic with his photo.  I didn’t know what.  (Sometimes it’s best to not think about that til you get permission, lest your creative heart be broken ;) )  He was very kind and agreeable, and I’m thrilled to share with you the results of our collaboration:

 

I focused on a small section of the picture, and shuffled the blocks a bit to fill out the space.  Then I used Photoshop to adjust the contrast and brightness of each letter & background so that the overall image felt balanced.  That image was then fused onto etched and tarnished zinc so that the smoky silver tone of the metal mimicked the look of the letterpress.  This little piece became February’s art card.  (I have a few left over ~ click the image above for more info)

 

Je T’aime
I wanted to create a larger piece as well ~ something that really pulled together a variety of inspiration into one piece… the key from last year’s Valentine’s Day card… the cut out metal letters I’ve been making… familiar elements, presented in a new way.