Just printin and printin and doing it well
Posted by Jona8than | Labels: life, Perry, press, taking apart, Tymeson | Posted On Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 12:38 a.m.
The past week I helped take a part a printing press. Two printing presses to be exact. Helped fix a Vandercook letterpress as well. All under the guidance of the expert Perry Tymeson or as his card said "Press Engineer". From New Jersey, but been all over, Tymeson is one of the few people who specializes in taking apart Charles Brand presses amongst other ones. Over last week he went through step by step, myself and the other workstudy helping him as well as with the facilitator. It was quite the learning experience, learning how to properly take apart a press and put it back together, correcting it of any problems it had as well. Great for me as St. Michael's Printshop in Newfoundland has the same two etching presses as here at the Banff Centre. I am no print engineer from this, but I have learned how to maintain the press and troubleshoot some problems.
His visit, through talking with him and hearing stories he told us really rekindled my love of printmaking. I still want to make sculpture, but this lifestyle, this network of printers he knows, the community of it all; it sounds so nice. Just taking about the print scene in this place or that place, really made me want to make efforts back home in St. John's.
Other ideas of wanting to learn the craft of printmaking has come up again, to immerse ones self in the dedication of it. To be a master printer? Hmm, not sure on that, might be some good side work here and there, though first you have to get to that level. I would like to push my skill at my etchings.
I have been looking at woodworking because the history it has in my family, pop and great uncle being master carpenters. There is that tradition there. So I wanted to earn it, become good at something and be able to build things. I still want to build things [I hate shitty furniture from walmart and never want to buy it myself], but perhaps printmaking can be craft for me. To assist in my art. Not be entirely my art.
Some of this comes from inherent want to be great at something. Another part of it of wondering what to do after the Banff Centre. I'm only young, I know, but I come home in June. I have to find a way to survive, live, continue making stuff, nee to set myself up for things. I have a residency in September at St. Michael's, so some time there will help.
Perhaps I'm just rambling now. Here are some pictures from last week
