Celebration!

This Tuesday, December 8, the PSU Department of Art hosted a celebration and dedication for the newly named "Cat Jepson Letterpress Studio." It is a humbling honor to have such a space named after me. I am so excited to see where those newly restored presses take students in the future!

Here is a link to the local news story:
http://www.fourstateshomepage.com/news/psu-printing-press-revival

The following is a brief story about how this all was made possible!

DEDICATION and CELEBRATION
The Cat Jepson Fine Art Printmaking Letterpress Studio

The PSU Department of Art had for many years one abandoned letterpress housed in the printmaking lab originally delivered to the campus in 1928. It had fallen into disrepair and was covered with a coat of garish blue paint that attempted to hide the rust beneath it.  Most letterpress machines sat in similar conditions as the 1980’s and 1990’s discarded them as irrelevant in the age of off-set printing and computer technology. Since then, according to a recent article in The Economist the letterpress is now enjoying a worldwide renaissance. Etsy, the online craft store boasts 35,000 letterpress artists. Briar Press, an online hub for all activity related to the letterpress enjoys 70,000 members. 3,500 of those have letterpress studios. In 2012 Ms. Jepson, was taking Bowman’s printmaking course and she became interested in the abandoned letterpress. Jepson expressed an interest in undertaking as an independent study the restoration of the abandoned press, which she did. Mr. Randy Roberts, Dean of the Axe Library had two letterpress units slated for donation to the local history museum that were discovered by Ms. Jepson in February of 2015. When Mr. Roberts learned of Ms. Jepson’s restorative efforts on the Vandercook he made these two available to the Department of Art.  Aided by the assistance of Tonya Pentola’s very able crew of Daniel Ingram, Cody McCloud, Dennis Sellegren, Keith Shively, Jeff Peternell, Rob Hunt, and Dale Lucchi who masterminded and engineered how to get the presses to their new home. These two new-old presses have been restored through the generous support of Dr. Pawan Kahol and the Office of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education with a $3000 Research Grant.  These pieces of equipment worth well over $50,000.00 on the “letterpress” market now enjoy a new life.   Students from the Fall 2015 Printmaking, Bookarts, Papermaking and Letterpress class have enjoyed inaugural experiences while Ms. Jepson led everyone through a two-week workshop.  Ms. Jepson’s instruction have been captured on video, however her legacy will live on with each new student who discovers the magic of metal type tracing human interaction with paper and ink to transform the world with image and These restoration projects are made possible by a host of supporters near and far. Ms. Jepson and S. Portico Bowman wish to thank: Rhona McBain, former PSU Department of Art Chair, for approving the original restoration and providing seed budget money from the Art Department for materials needed, Dean Randy Roberts for the donation of the second and third press, Dr. Pawan Kahol, Office of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, Bob Atkins, director of Skylab Letterpress, for his wealth of knowledge during Cat’s 2014 summer internship, Ben Jones from Hammerpress in regards to his guidance on how to restore the press, Brent’s Electric and Nico Prelogar for help with the electrical and mechanical repairs on the Universal. Doug Younger, Associate Professor, Graphics and Imaging Technologies at PSU for the donation of furniture, others parts and much support, Hunter Morrison, from PSU’s Wood Technology program for cutting wooden furniture and creating the lock up bars, plans for furniture storage units, Fritz Klinke  from NA Graphics for helping Cat with the tympan and mylar paper required for packing the cylinder, and numerous aspects of the advanced restorations. Mr. Klinke also provided Cat with a digital copy of the original PSU receipt and press directions when it first came to campus in 1942. We also wish to thank Marty White, Department of Art Administrative Assistant for helping us buy antique letterpress equipment on Ebay!

Photo credit: PSU Department of Art

Restoration = Complete!

I have completed the final restoration, the Vandercook Universal I is completely reassembled! The only thing left is to make any roller and packing adjustments and PRINT.

Next Tuesday, December 8, from 11-1 pm will be a celebration. I will have all three presses prepped so attendees can print. Feel free to stop by and ask any questions you may have.

Rust free bed

Almost ready for reassembly

DONE!

Teaching & Light at the End of the Tunnel

Over the past month, a LOT has happened with the letterpresses!

To start off, I was able to get the same automotive professor, who attached the gear, to come back and check out the bearing issue that I was having with the Universal I. In less than 2 hours, he was able to get them where they needed to be!

The next large step was teaching letterpress. In mid-November, I taught a two week workshop on letterpress to the printmaking course, as well as passed on my knowledge to the professor so that she can teach it in the future. It was such a neat time, to actually have a class using these presses that I have spent so much time with. A dream come true!

The print on the left is student work, the other two were from my demos.

Here are a few pictures from when my "students" (usually classmates) were applying what they learned from my lectures and demos. SO exciting. 

I am still vigilantly working to finish up the Vandercook Universal I. Mainly what is left is dismantling, scrubbing, wiping, and reassembling every little bit. I have until next Tuesday, December 8 to get the last touches done. That day next week will be a celebration to show any visitors the working presses, and of course to do some printing!

This cleaner and California Wash plus a tooth brush have been critical in the clean up. SO CLOSE!

New Gear!

As you can see, the Vandercook Universal now has a new gear! I was afraid that the gear was too small to fit onto the stud but we were able to have an automotive contact through PSU look at it. He was confident that it's the right gear, and viola he got it on. It just needs to have the hole for the pin drilled out and lubrication then it should work like a charm.

I am still a bit stumped with the cylinder not rolling back past the ink drum. I was working with the cylinder bearings and had no luck. I talked with Fritz Klinke from NA Graphics, he gave tips on just how to adjust the bearings. After this conversation, I feel more confident that this is in fact the problem and have a better idea of how to adjust them.

New Parts, New Life

As many orders have been placed, I have received nearly all of them! That means we now have almost everything needed to get the presses in use when I teach next week. 

Here is the broken acrylic gear that I managed to get off and the new metal one that will soon be put on. 

A few of the new items- leading and brand new type

I prepped the two proof presses to be painted and have a sample area painted with the "clear" gloss, hopefully when I return to it after it dries, it will actually be clear.

Presses in the News

Pittsburg State University's newspaper, The Collegio recently ran an article featuring this restoration! A huge thank you to Gretchen Burns for telling the story of these presses.

Restored presses moved to new home

Gretchen Burns reporter - Mikaleigh Wilson photographer

When Cat Jepson created her class and work schedules last spring to prepare for the fall, she had to schedule time that allowed her to get dirty, greasy and use muscle power.

Jepson is taking an independent-study course where she is restoring two letterpresses that sat in the basement of Axe Library.

She began her career at Pittsburg State University as a business major before becoming a biology major. It wasn’t until the fall of 2012 that Jepson found her true passion and changed her major to art.

During the fall of 2012, Jepson took the Printmaking and Paper Arts course in the art department and fell in love with all aspects of printing and officially changed her degree.

“Between that fall and the following fall, I became interested in letterpress printing and discovered a letterpress in the (printmaking) studio,” said Jepson, senior in art.

Last fall, Jepson restored a letterpress that had sat in the printmaking studio of Porter Hall for years. Jepson worked through her previous independent study as an extension and personal exploration of art instructor Portico Bowman’s printmaking course.

“I found out we had a press that wasn’t being used and I was like, ‘Can I fix it?’” she said, laughing. “My goal for fixing up these presses isn’t just for my own use. My hope is that they can be used in classes some day again.”

She submitted a proposal to the chair of the art department.

During spring 2014, she successfully restored the Vandercook No. 2 Proof Press successfully, even stripping the paint down to metal and putting a new topcoat of clear paint.

During the summer of 2014, Jepson interned at Skylab Letterpress, where she learned about and assisted with all aspects of commercial/production letterpress.

“The beauty of how I’ve approached college is that with art, you can do anything,” Jepson said.

When she returned to PSU that fall, she used her knowledge of the letterpress to embark on an independent study so that she could use the press and experiment. An open-to-the-public celebration was held in the department so that Jepson could talk about her journey with the letterpress and give a demo to those who attended.

The following spring, her boyfriend texted her a picture of two letterpresses sitting in an unused room on the backside of Axe Library. She and Bowman contacted Library Dean Randy Roberts, who told the women that the presses had sat in that room since the 1990s and granted them permission to bring them back to life.

Jepson attended and participated in the Research Colloquium where she presented her letterpress research, documenting the steps she had taken and what she had learned.

Bowman submitted grant proposals to Pittsburg State University, citing an article from The Economist website that showed letterpress printing was making a comeback.

On the website Etsy, there are 33,154 different letterpress artists alone who sell their wares and pieces.

According to the article, ‘The renaissance of printing well pressed,’ computers pushed cast-iron presses and drawers of lead type to storerooms, where they sat until taken to scrap metal yards and dump sites.

“I like how the author of this article said that younger people are becoming more aware of letterpress because they are facing ‘digital fatigue,’ and want to get their hands dirty in a hands-on experience,” Bowman said. “This is a form of art that most people had forgotten about in order to become one with the digital world.”

The grants were accepted through Pitt State from the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies as a form of continuing Bowman’s research. Two grants were awarded, $2,000 to repair the presses, and $1,000 to Jepson for her time and effort.

Once Jepson restores the two letterpresses that have been moved from the Axe to the second floor of Porter Hall, she will teach a two-week class on letterpress to the printmaking students in November. She will film herself doing the tutorials so that they may be used for later classes after she graduates.

“The letterpress can attract a lot more students than just printmakers,” said Bowman. “We could get illustration students, drawing and even graphic information technology students interested in this.”

Here's a link to the article on the Collegio website:
http://www.psucollegio.com/news/restored-presses-moved-to-new-home/article_55d2328a-7343-11e5-9a33-4bfbbb9120f3.html

The Motor is Alive!

A big thanks to Brent's Electric as we now know that the Vandercook Universal 1 motor works. Onward we go, they will be getting the cables, connections, and switches all repaired and replaced in the near future. With many other correspondences from today, we are in business for completing many of the purchasing orders for supplies. This includes a new gear, as shown in the previous post, as the old one is missing several teeth. With a new one on its way, the cylinder revolving problem may very well be resolved. Busy, busy day!

Progress and more to come

The restoration process is slowing plugging along. I have taken apart the Vandercook Universal and am still stumped as to what the main problem is in regards to the cylinder not revolving all the way back past the ink drum. I know there is a piece broken on this gear that assists with the trip but I am not convinced that is what's causing all of the problems. Tomorrow morning I will be meeting with a few electricians who are going to look over the motor to see what they can do!

I have found some neat "accidental" art within the skeleton of the Vandercook Universal after many years of use. Quite pleasant surprises!

The Potter is coming together nicely, I recently removed a lot of the deep rust. This one just needs a clear rust prevention coat, some oil, and packing and it will be ready to go!

I am gradually getting parts ordered for the presses, after the electrician meeting tomorrow, I feel that there will be a better understanding as how the rest of the restorations will proceed.

The Eagles Have Landed!

This marks my final semester at Pittsburg State University and I will be concluding my college career in a rewarding way! For a little background, in the spring of 2014 I managed to restore a Vandercook No. 2 Proof Press and more recently found two more unused letterpresses on campus. My advisor applied for grants to fund the restoration of these two "new" presses in which we were fully funded. With the help of these intuitive and gracious individuals, our "eagles" landed this week!

  

Alongside the Vandercook No. 2 Proof Press, we now have a Potter Proof Press and a Vandercook Universal. I hope to have these fully restored by the beginning of November as I will be teaching a two week workshop in the current printmaking course.

Stay tuned for updates on the restoration! To read more about the first restoration that I completed, click on the "Letterpress" tab to view all of the blog posts. Enjoy! 

PSU Studio Critique: Crit 4

In critique 3, with Emi Gennis and Rhona McBain, I presented several sections of fabric in color, which is new for me! Overall, the conversation between the three of us was focused on my career, beyond college. The most important thing for me to do is to create, and the logical way of doing so initially means having a job, hopefully in a creative area, and having a studio space to produce work. They have greatly encouraged me to continue to keep my ideas big and broad, the less limits I give myself, the more possibilities there are. Rhona also suggested alternative processes such as cyanotype. 

These images are a few of what I presented to them last time. 1. Layering of color, 2. My screen print on fabric, & 3. Four sections of the same patterns in different colors to see the qualities each color lends best. Side note about screen printing, I will be meeting with Chris Huitt in GIT to get some tips on screen printing as he teaches the course over in the Tech Center. 

As for critique 4, I will be bringing the elements from the previous 3 critiques and some work that I have been creating recently. I have been inspired by artists who have taken stumps of trees, sanding them down, and creating a relief print of it. I have two stumps in my yard so I decided to give it a try. My attempt was not nearly as successful as those who have spent quality time sanding the surface, as I printed my stumps as is. I would love to find a perfect stump to sand down and print on fabric to make pillows or a tote bag with.

This site shows and example of this type of printing. http://www.ashesandmilk.com/blog/paper/bryan-nash-gill/

Here is my attempt at this... Again, not as successful as it could have been. I was also able to get a few prints with my usual technique of picking the image up with my brayer. 

Lastly, from this trial, I discovered a different way of picking up the image of an object rather than running the ink-coated brayer over the object. Instead, I ran the brayer across the paper with the object under the paper. Here is a comparison image of the two techniques with a fern.

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As for the artist post section, I would like to introduce you to ceramicist, Sylvia Schultze. She has been on a journey to capture feminine body parts within fruit and sculpting them with clay. These beautiful sculptures are functional pieces of pottery that challenge the user in how they want to approach the vessel. I love the whimsical approach she has taken not only with creating these pieces but the overall idea. She wants to create something that will be lighthearted for her audience and certainly eye catching and conversation starters. Keep up with her blog as she is constantly producing more pieces to this collection of works. http://sschultze3.wix.com/sylviaschultze

PSU Studio Critique: Crit 3

Last critique, with Portico Bowman, I presented my first screen prints and new textile work with my "transition" into color. My first step was to use white ink on black fabric, rather than the reverse that I have primarily focused on. A funny way of starting this transition; however, the results were shocking! Portico mentioned that all of my textile work, but this white ink on black was even more evident of looking X-ray like. This presents all of the essentials within the image. She also stated that my work is "ugly," as in viewers are responding to a person behind that work who is investigating and searching. The audience is responding to that person as it gives them a safe zone to view the investigation. The work isn't focusing on perfection and taking the artists hand out of the work; it's the very opposite and apparently very relatable and tantalizing. Quite a compliment to my work. 

For this third critique, I will be displaying my further investigation of different colors within my textile printing. The purpose of this is for me to have an understanding of which color lends its best qualities as well as where it lacks. Having this inventory will help the future of my printing. 

As for my shadowbox series, as time dedicated to my studies is extensive, the series will not be completed by the end of the semester. I will gradually be developing the elements for the seven shadow boxes. This is not a project that I want to rush, which is why I have decided to focus on several crucial elements of the series this semester. 

The following two images are the first two screen prints that I have ever done (I brought to the 2nd critique). Definitely new to the process, but now I have a little experience under my belt!

This third image is of the third screen that I made (again had difficulty with the emulsion, but learning!). I will bring a print of it to this next critique. 

 Here are the colors of textiles that I will be bringing to the critique.

This is a little preview of the new natural objects used in my textiles for this next critique. I have never used most of the items before, especially lichen. 

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As for a fellow artist, I would love to introduce you to Rudi Rodebush. Her sense of humor is evident through conversation and her work. Last year she worked on a book of hand-cut paper images that correlated with a quote. With raving reviews from her peers, she was hesitant about sharing this book as it was almost like sharing a diary as the stories portrayed were personal and more negative. This semester she wanted to continue with her passion for cut paper but with a happier, positive direction. She has been creating comical pieces that capture her humor and general positive attitude that she carries. Check out her blog to see what I mean! She has a real gift and I wish her the best in her artistic career!

http://rudirodebushart.blogspot.com

PSU Studio Critique: Artist Lecture

Teresa Harris is currently a featured artist in Pittsburg State University's Museum of Art in the Harry Krug Gallery in Porter Hall. Her lecture was on January 23rd in which she spoke about how art was introduced into her life and her processes. I found that there are many parallels in our lives and interests in the arts, it was a very rewarding lecture to listen to and individual to meet. She was very professional in how she presented her work and herself as an artist and was a very sincere person to talk with. 

The following is her artist statement: 

Symbolism saturates my work. I am moved and influenced by what has come before me: the symbol-laden art of the Middle Ages, the purposeful and impeccable craftsmanship of ancient handmade books, and my own rich familial history. These connections to the past guide the iconography of my work. I deliberately choose to use objects over imagery, symbolism over realism, and suggestion over definition.

Teresa has been sharing her work in exhibitions since 1982, since 2009 she has been in over 40 national shows, commissioned work AT&T, and even part of a selected corporation collection at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. She is currently a working artist and associate professor of art at Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Missouri where she teaches typography and graphic design. 


She grew up on a farm with her many siblings and parents where problem solving and improvising was a must. These skills have artistically been useful throughout her career. She loves art history and has been inspired by Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Joseph Cornell, and Timothy Barrett. She obtained her undergrad in studio art where she focused on all media but was especially interested in paper art her senior year. This was a very new time for paper art and she ended up making it to print on. 


Her first works were of course paper but much more sculptural. They were very fine and perfected papers then after a few years she began to create more narrative pieces and boxy shapes. She researched and created many types of Japanese paper. In graduate school, she began using new materials such as metal which gave dimension to her work. Beeswax was another addition to her work as well as writing stories that were incorporated into the work. 


The Storytellers series in the PSU gallery, she mentioned that there are three common themes that connect every piece. 1. Language: text, print, written. 2. Containers: book, envelopes, house form with window-to contain story. 3. Portraits: autobiography of family and pure fiction from found images. With all three of these elements evident in her work, you are able to get a sense of a story she is telling. She even has bit of letterpress pieces such as leading and furniture. 


Her work is inspiring to me as I too have great interests in letterpress, printmaking, paper arts, mixed media, containers/boxes, and telling stories of my own. I also have a big family that grew up on a large plot of land in the country. Seeing her success and joy for her artistry is a breath of fresh air as I am embarking on my own journey along a similar path in media. I feel that I will refer to her work often in my own career. Another connecting point is that my dad, a former potter actually knew Teresa and her husband in the early 1970's. I even own, and use very often, a piece of his from 1974!



If you are interested in learning more about Teresa, here is the about page for her on the Missouri Western website and her personal website.

https://www.missouriwestern.edu/art/about-us/faculty/teresa-harris/ 

http://teresajharris.com