Wind Challenge, Opening December 3rd

::Marianne Dages, Veil (detail), letterpress print on okawara paper, 2015 ::

If you are near or around Philadelphia, I am very honored and excited to be taking part in the Wind Challenge Exhibition series. I will be debuting a series of printed and drawn work.

"Established in 1978, the Wind Challenge Exhibition Series is an annual juried competition that is committed to enriching and expanding people’s lives through art. Three Wind Challenge Exhibitions are held from September through May, featuring the work of exceptional artists living in the Philadelphia region."

Challenge 2: Jacintha Clark, Marianne Dages, and Nichola Kinch

December 4-January 30

Opening Reception is December, 3rd from 6-8

Fleisher Art Memorial
719 Catharine Street
Philadelphia

I hope you can join us!

::Marianne Dages, Ka (detail), letterpress print on okawara paper, 2015 ::

Show is up...

The show is up, Distant Operator opens tomorrow, at Napoleon Gallery. Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this happen, I hope to see you tomorrow night.

Opening Reception
Friday, January 9th
6pm – 10pm

NAPOLEON

319 N 11th Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA

Exhibition Dates: 1.9.2015 – 1.30.2015
Gallery Hours: Saturdays and Sundays 2pm – 6pm or by appointment

Happenings

A few things that happened, are happening, or will be happening soon...

- If you are in Philadelphia, this Thursday September 4th is the opening reception for my two-person exhibition with Emily Cucalon at the Parkway Central Library. 

- Last week, I wrote a guest post for Fieldwork, an artwork by John Rogers and Amy Tavern that is experienced through an interactive map tracing their journey through Iceland. After exploring the map, I wrote a short piece about the connection I felt with the artists and what we collected to remember our time in Iceland. which can be read HERE.

- Next week I will be in North Carolina, for a one-week retreat/residency, generously hosted by Penland School of Crafts for former students of their Core Fellowship Program. My home base will be the letterpress studio where I plan to work on a short book and some experimental printing techniques.

- I will have a book, Oculus Song, in the Picture Books exhibit at Duke University's Power Plant Gallery, a juried exhibition of self-published and handmade photo books. The show will run mid-September through November.

- Last but not least, I will have a table at the first annual Philalalia, small press poetry and art fair on Saturday September 26 at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, where Justin Staller and I will be debuting our collaborative book "Start Over"

January

:: studio thoughts :: coded odes ::

January has almost come and gone, a month when long trains of thought finally arrived at their stations...

I will be starting a new job, adjunct teaching 2D Foundations at Temple University's Tyler School of Art on Monday! I'm so grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to start.

At the Crane Arts Building, the Due North exhibition is closing today. If you didn't get to see it, there are images and reviews on the show's website. As mentioned in The Inquirer's review, Cindi Ettinger's etchings on plaster and Julia Staples photographs of mountains in Iceland at night were among my favorites.

 

Geekadelphia Review of Due North 

The Due North Invitational Portfolio was also on exhibition this month at C.R. Ettinger Studio.

 

Philagrafika Invitational Portfolio at C.R. Ettinger Studio

Coming up, the opening reception is February 5th, I'm very excited to be a part of R/W: Reading & Writing Visual Experience a group exhibition curated by Gerard Brown which "investigates the uses of reading and writing – from punctuation to publication – in contemporary art. I will be showing prints from the Small Fires series.

:: R/W: Reading & Writing Visual Experience ::

Also coming up, Oculus Song will be traveling to Printed Matter's LA Art Book Fair courtesy of The Center for Book Arts in New York. Have a great trip little book!

:: Oculus Song ::

Craft Fairs galore...

I've been pulling my hair out. In a good way. Why? I am doing three craft fairs this holiday season. A record for Huldra Press...and a stretch. A good stretch!

In all seriousness, I'm very excited to be doing all three of these wonderful craft fairs. And it's been a great push to make new work.

I've been printing away and will have a selection of new cards to debut. Not photographed yet, sorry. And books, stacks of books. Many books.

Here's the line up, from soonest to latest.

:: Art Star Craft Bazaar - In Philly ::

:: The Big Crafty - In Asheville ::

:: Crafty Balboa - in Philly ::

Hope to see you there!

OPEN STUDIO!

Next weekend I'm going to be opening up my doors as part of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tour.

My studio is located in Northeast Philadelphia at Globe Dye Works, a beautiful old factory building converted into artist's studios. There will be a half dozen or so other exhibiting artists in the building, painters, boat builders, photographers, and more.

If you're live in or happen to be in Philadelphia next weekend, I really hope you can stop and say hello.

I'll have some new work to show you and you can see the new up and running press, type collection, and other neat things. There will also be refreshments.

See you there!

Collaboration

:: Georgia # 2 ::


:: Eastern Missouri # 2 :::: North Carolina # 2 ::

My friend Shane Darwent just launched a website. He takes incredible photographs and makes sculptures inspired by the sights he's seen in his travels around the country. Last fall, we collaborated on a portfolio as part of a show at Rebus Works.

The idea was simple, Shane selected a series of image of basketball hoops and mailed them to me. When I received them, I laid them out and began "altering" them with a mixture of drawing and collage.

I wanted to make marks that accented the tight composition of Shane's photographs, obscuring and highlighting parts of the photograph.

:: Tennessee # 1 ::

We ended up with a portfolio of five which happens to be the number of players on a basketball team.

:: Ava, MO ::

Shane and I are interested in producing a small edition of prints from the originals. I'll keep you updated on the project as it develops.

Custom & Retail

:: Janeya Cooper ::

Recently, I printed business cards for Janeya Cooper, instructional designer and technical writer, who supplied me with the design. Her design was perfect for letterpress, simple, colorful, and textured. I printed it on 220 lb Lettra, which allowed deep impression, especially for the blind embossed dots, without showing through on the other side.

:: Blue Gallery ::

Other than that, I've been focusing less on custom work and more on retail goods. Recently, I've had the good fortune, to have my books and prints added to some wonderful stores and galleries, including, the newly opened Blue Gallery in Provincetown MA, Cog & Pearl in Brooklyn NY, Rebus Works in Raleigh NC, and...it's official, the Penland Gallery in Penland NC. I'm thrilled to be working with all of these wonderful people.

Also working on some new books to add to the Etsy store, so be on the lookout for that in about a week. Five of them are going to be "special edition."

Via Penland

Mr. Shane Darwent, bookbinding by Kathy Steinsberger

If you're in North Carolina, there's a great show up in Raleigh at Rebus Works Gallery featuring photographer Shane Darwent. The show's name is Via Penland. Every year, the gallery features one artist connected to Penland School of Crafts. This year, they featured Shane and his collaborations with five book artists, including myself.

Via Penland

This show represents over a year of travels and residencies, which are beautifully documented on Shane's blog. Shane also put together a great slide show of the opening, which you can see here.

My collaboration with Shane, a portfolio of five collages/drawings on his photographs housed in a box.

Some of Shane's hand-colored photographs

It looks like it was a great opening, I wish I could have been there! I'd love to hear your thoughts if you were there. I'm so glad I got a chance to do this collaboration with my fellow former core student, Shane. Thank you Shane!

Via Penland Show at Rebus Works

I'm so happy to be part of this wonderful show again this year. Rebus Works is in Raleigh, NC. The opening reception is December 4, 2009 from 6-10 and the work will be up until January 30, 2010. I'll be showing a series of drawings from the summer, and my new letterpress edition book "For You".

Layers, mixed media on book page

from For You, letterpress

There's more information about the show here. Hope you can stop by!

On another happy note, I am done with my work obligations as a core student. This is a joyous occasion. Mike and I will be moving to Philadelphia in early spring, and I will be working on getting my Chandler and Price press up and working. Till then, I'll be making paper, making books, some new stationery, and making some phone calls looking for a job. So if you know anyone who is looking for a studio assistant in Philadelphia, I would love to assist a printer, bookbinder, or conservator to keep learning about what I do. Thanks!

A show, a press, and a giant floating stone head

It's been a little while, hasn't it? I've been busy, getting ready for the Core Show and so have all my dear colleagues. There's still framing to be done, but yesterday I finished my new deluxe business cards, so things are moving along. It's getting there.

There's also big news on the horizon...

Saturday, I'm picking up my new press, a 10 x 15 Chandler & Price. I'll post pictures after the move. A real bargain basement find. Literally. It's in a basement and yes, it's really a bargain. So this week, I'm gathering my wits and resources for the move. Any advice?

I know the press will need some work, but I'm beginning to feel like things are coming together. I have a hard time moving forward when I don't know what's coming next. Getting this press is making the future more concrete. A thousand pounds more concrete.

Oh, and I'm looking forward to watching Zardoz.

Bridges Show in Portland, OR

Me and fellow core fellow (that's not a typo), Beth Schaible are in this rad show in Portland, OR, benefiting the Em Space, a community book arts center along with some other very rad letterpress printers like Power and Light, who's Burt Reynolds thank you card I covet, and Heroes & Criminals Press, who beautiful, animal battle scroll book I got to see in person here at Penland and much more!

Heroes and Criminals Press :: The Bad Sparrow

Power and Light :: Burt Reynolds Thank You Card

Huldra Press :: Volcanoes of Iceland