Friday Giveaway: New Numbers Poster

Well, Steph's outdone herself again!
She designed the perfect partner to her popular alphabet poster.

I letterpress printed them in 4 color combos: watermelon/rose, chocolate/apple, tulip/water, and graphite/tangerine (with soy inks on really nice cotton paper). I also reprinted the alphabet posters in all those colors, so they can hang as a nice matching set. (Sadly, we're slowly phasing out the light turquoise/deep crimson colorway, so I put it on sale in the shop.)

If you're really observant, maybe you noticed that they've been up in the shop for almost a week...and that Steph already posted about them...as did the (oh so) beautiful paper blog. (thanks!) But I waited until today to blog about them, because I really wanted them to debut here as a Friday giveaway.

This giveaway is for a numbers and an alphabet poster...in whichever colors you choose.

To enter the giveaway:
1) Check out the list of boutiques that already carry us, and read the shop recommendations that readers have left us in the comments of this blog entry.
2) Leave a comment below with the name and contact info (including website) of a boutique that you feel would be a good fit for our products AND that's not a shop already mentioned in the above links.
3) Check back next Friday, March 6th, to see if you won.




p.s. thanks to design*sponge guest blogger, sarah cormier, for featuring us in one of her posts on hand-lettering this week.

the sycamore q+a {no.17}: Leah Moses Gandhi

Leah's work isn't flashy. It's beauty is in the subtle layers and real depth that emerge both visually and conceptually as you spend time with it. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that this is a good description of Leah's own personality. We met in grad school, and as I got to know her better, I became more and more impressed with her wisdom, compassion, creativity, and experience. She has worked tirelessly for non profit organizations here and abroad, in the publishing industry in New York City, and as a public school teacher, university art instructor, visual artist, and mother.

Now, for the Q&A:

1.) How did you get into painting and drawing?

Painting: rediscovered oils after grad school and realized once again why I left them, I just love drawing more! Drawing: graphite mostly, line is my first love, and on any surface that will take including fiber, fabric, etc.

2.) What’s inspiring you these days?

I had another baby, with life changes come artistic changes. Created a show in the fall, she was born in December, painted the entire show in January, added some drawings February, and it will be up Feb 20th! I’m still riding on the joy of handmade paper and string, thin line and aged color from my MFA show.


3.) Tell us about something you’ve made or done lately.

Nesting is the title of the upcoming show, each piece depicts the same little bird in slightly different places on the ground under a Sycamore (fitting, my street is lined with them, and sounds like yours too!) It speaks of our relationship with a home environment, and the beautifully mundane details of everyday mothering, nothing seems to change, but everything has changed.


4.) Is there anything else we should/would be interested to know about you?

www.mosesgandhi.com
Eva, I think you’re great.
.............................................................................................................................................................

Thanks Leah!
I love the feathery lines and textures in her work.
Please check out her website if you'd like to see more.
For those of you in the Salt Lake area, her show is at Palmer's Gallery.
378 W Broadway # 3, SLC. (801) 359-4632 10AM-6PM T-F 10AM-4PM Sat.

I wish that I could see it myself!

Shadows and Light

My new project is documenting the late afternoon shadows in our neighborhood.

I think it's helping me to appreciate the winter somewhat, because I realize that when the trees are covered in leaves again, the shadows won't be nearly as interesting. It's also helping me to get outside, take in some fresh air, and get a little bit of exercise. It's hard for me to be motivated in this cold, cold time of year.
............................................................................................................................................................

+ studio on fire has some lovely letterpress work.
+ i don't normally wear high heels, but if someone gave me these, i think i'd make an exception.

Slumdog Wins the Oscar!

image via cinema is dope

I know that I already posted about this movie here, but I can't resist posting again.
I'm so happy it won. It is a truly wonderful story and film.

In the words of Washington Post reviewer Ann Hornaday:

...like all good fairy tales, this outsize celebration of perseverance and moral triumph contains within it a deeper idea -- in this case, the relative nature of what we think we know, and what's worth knowing at all. No doubt Dickens himself would approve.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/

image via the guardian

Giveaway Winner / Easy Dinner

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new, fresh, easy dinners to make.

This is one we really like: couscous with grilled chicken, shredded carrots, spinach, raisins, and toasted pine nuts. We just cooked up the chicken (on our grill pan, marinated with a fresh garlic/olive oil concoction) and the couscous (according to instructions on the bag). Then we threw everything together in a bowl along with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and cracked pepper. It was great as leftovers, too.
..............................................................................................................................................................

I used Random.org to find the winner from last week's giveaway. Congratulations Lindsay! (You wrote: "i thought i would try too. i love it michéle, you've done it again!") Please email me at info{at}sycamorestreetpress.com with your mailing info. Thank you to everyone for participating!

the sycamore q+a {no.16}: Moofus

When I saw this drawing in Dwell Magazine not too long ago, it was one of those moments where I HAD to know who had drawn it. Right away. Turns out, the artist is a fellow Etsian, who goes by the name of Moofus (aka Milan). He has a bunch of fantastic digital prints for sale that are also very affordable. He donates a percentage of all his profits to the Internatonal Animal Recue. And one last thing: he's 11 years old.

Now, for the Q&A:

1) How did you get into whatever it is you are into?

I started drawing when I was very small like everyone does I think. I used to draw on rolls of wall lining paper big scenes of ships and trains.

2) What’s inspiring you these days?

Music, skateboarding, friends, and teachers at my new school.

I've just started High School and it's visual arts based which is exciting. I'm going to get to try things that I never thought I would be able to do.

3) Tell us about something you’ve made or done lately.

I like cooking so I made good Indian curry with mum yesterday! Butter chicken and puris YUM!

I've been doing lots of new drawings and I've been learning wood shop at school.

4.) Is there anything else we should/would be interested to know about you?

My favourite movies are, Hancock, Juno, Almost round three and Ironman.

My favourite music is Jimi Hendrix and Bloc Party.

I like video games. A lot.

My bedroom is messy.

.........................................................................................................................................................

Thanks Milan!

I love his architectural focus, attentions to detail, and the way he uses such vibrant colors.
I can't get over how talented he is at such a young age. I mean, even if these were the drawings of a 32 year old, I'd think they were just as great. Milan must have a bright future in store for him, don't you think?

Please be sure to check out his Etsy shop:
www.moofus.etsy.com

We had some sun for a minute...

I miss it already.
........................................................................

Michéle told me about this site. Such nice, happy little things.

Margaret Kilgallen is my hero.

T-shirt by Elmwood clothing. Available at the Beautiful Losers online shop.

Kirk and I got to go see the film Beautiful Losers at the Wexner Center last Friday night. It was wonderful. A few random thoughts about it:

+ I found it a very fitting film for Valentine's day weekend for 2 reasons: 1) Kirk and I decided to get married one night on a friend's rooftop in the Mission district of San Francisco... which is where this movement originated. 2) The love between Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen that slowly and subtley emerges as you watch the film is amazing.

+ Barry McGee was my favorite visiting artist in school. (He came once when I was an undergrad and again when I was a grad student.) Margaret Kilgallen is my hero because 1) she is one of my favorite artists and 2) she was an incredibly brave, loving person. Both Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen majored in printmaking (like me!) and both worked in or around lettepress printshops (also like me!).

+ I do worry that the DIY art movement this film depicts has become too trendy, and that people will start discounting DIY in general as a fad. Yes, there are certain styles that proliferate in the DIY culture that I think are very trendy, but the basic idea of making things for ourselves with materials on hand is something that should never go out of style.

Installation by Margaret Kilgallen. Photo by Robert Wedemeyer Courtesy Deitch Projects, New York via Art 21.

"On any day in the Mission in San Francisco, you can see a hand-painted sign that is kind of funky, and maybe that person, if they had money, would prefer to have had a neon sign. But I don't prefer that. I think it's beautiful, what they did and that they did it themselves. That's what I find beautiful."

- Margaret Kilgallen

Tagged

I've been tagged by two blogs in the past week.
Amanda tagged me to show the 4th photo in the 4th album on my computer. It ended up being a photo of Kirk's old band The Birds of Paradise, circa 2004. I think this particular show was at Muse Music in Provo. I tag Stephanie.

My second tag was from Claire (clumsy bird).
The questions (to be answered in handwritten form):
1. name/username
2. right or left handed?
3. favorite letters to write
4. least favorite letters to write
5. "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
6. tag 5 contacts
I tag Kari (lil'bobo/the boy who could fly).

a little weekend extra...

for those of you who like kitty cats.

via dear ada

Friday Giveaway / Introducing the Limited Edition Series

great art + eco letterpress printing + affordable prices =
Sycamore Street Press limited editions

Beginning in February 2009, we are collaborating with a different talented artist on a limited edition art print each month. They create an original drawing, and we hand print them to achieve the beautiful texture only letterpress can deliver. These prints will be available for individual purchase, or at a discounted rate in a subscription. (Great as a gift for a friend...or for yourself!) To find out more, or to purchase this month's print, please click here.

Our debut print for this series is "I don't like the sound of this" by Michéle Brummer-Everett. I blogged about this print as it was in process here, and ever since, I've been dying to show you the final print. Well, here it is. I couldn't be happier with it! Michéle is such a talented artist. The drawing and the colors are fantastic, and if you click on the above image, you can really see how lovely it looks in letterpress.

We'll be doing a giveaway every month for each new limited edition that comes out. Today is the first. Please leave a comment below if you would like to enter to win one of Michéle's prints. I will select the winner at random next Friday, February 20th.

the sycamore q+a {no.15}: Kristin Taylor

I just realized that I've known Kristin for 10 years. (Wow. This decade has gone by so fast!) When we met, we were both in the art dept. at school and lived on the same block. We were also part of a little rag tag bunch of kids who led an arts and crafts class at a local nursing home once a week. Kristin always had the best project ideas. Even then, I could see how dedicated she was to making art, and I really admired her for that. I still do. Later on, when we were both working towards our BFA, she had the ability to rise above critiques, trends, and pressure to create work that was still very much her. ( Quite a feat, believe me). She's had lots of success with showing and selling her work back in Utah, and now in New York....and I'm sure she'll have much more in the future. She couldn't deserve it more.

Now, for the Q&A:

1. How did you get into making art?

As an undergrad I wrote a grant to pay for materials to teach myself to paint with encaustics. I really love the saturated colors and immediateness of the medium and have been working with it ever since. Although, if I am not in a space that I can work with hot wax I am always drawing little things. I can't remember ever not drawing and so it's hard to pinpoint how I got into it. But I remember copying images from some of my favorite record covers when I was in middle school and I think those images really resonated with me because they were really terrible, but I was so interested in the way the lines all worked together.

2. What’s inspiring you these days?

Recently I am totally inspired by the creative thinkers that I see all over the city--whether it's an adjusted poster on the subway platform or an old Chinese lady carrying hundreds (possibly thousands) of cans strapped onto her body in an ingenius way. There is a passion involved when a person comes up with their creative way to explain life and solve problems, instead of just purchasing something that does it for them.

I could also list quite a few visual artists that I am loving: Squeak Carnwath, Dana Schutz , Kiki Smith, and Louise Bourgeois ...oh there are way too many to list.

3.Tell us about something you’ve made or done lately.

My first year in New York I went to a different museum every week and was able to see a lot of very important work. I went to the American Museum of Folk Art and saw a show on Rug Hooking. I loved what I saw and since have had an itch to teach myself the art. For my birthday last year my husband gave me a stack of books about the history and contemporary work of rug hookers. So, now I'm learning the technique and working out how to put my paintings into hooked rugs.

4.) Is there anything else we would be interested to know about you?

As a teenager I really wanted to get a Screeching Weasel tattoo, but thankfully that never happened. Although, I do have a couple of really bad tattoos that I got before legal age that I have to explain quite often. Also, one of my favorite ways to see Brooklyn is on my bike with my almost 3-year-old stuffed in his little seat. We get to see all the odds and ends of the borough and talk about it all the way.
.............................................................................................

Thanks Kristin!
I love her colors and line work so much....and I can't wait to see how it all translates into a finished hooked rug. To see more of her work, please follow this link:
http://comecloserandsee.blogspot.com/

Around the studio

Just working on some new designs and on content for the new website.
...............................................................................................................................................................

Wishing for spring and for some of these shoes.

Giveaway Winner

Thanks so much everyone for your comments and ideas of shops! I used random.org to pick the winner, and lizardgg, you are it! Please contact me at info(at)sycamorestreetpress.com ASAP with your mailing address so that I can get that sent off to you. Thanks!

Copenhagen Cycle Chic

I just happened upon this blog not too long ago. As soon as I saw it, it brought me back to the summer of 2005 when Kirk and I camped in Copenhagen for about a week. Yes, we camped in the city. (That's our favorite kind of camping... but only in super safe cities like Copenhagen.) And we rode bikes. Everyone there does....and with such style! I don't think they ever lock their bikes up, either. They just set them against a wall, or put down the kickstand. The train station has a gigantic bicycle parking lot full of bikes that aren't chained to anything. It was bike heaven. I wish it were like that here.

I am currently bicycle-less. Kirk says he'll build me one at the Columbus bike co-op. Think he can make me one like the black one above?

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

Friday Giveaway

These little guys could be Valentine's day cards... or given out any day of the year. I was inspired by my good friend Zu's french bulldog, Felix. One of these days, Kirk and I will get a little hairy beast of our own!

To win a set of 6 of these cards, think of a shop in your area that would be a good fit for our products. In your comment, leave the name of the shop, as well as its contact info (including website, if it has one). From those comments we'll draw for the lucky winner on Tuesday morning (2.10), and ship them that day, so you should still get them before Valentine's Day if you live in the U.S. Thanks, and good luck!

P.S. The "Great Job on That Thing You Did..." cards are back in our shop.

the sycamore q+a {no.14}: Candice Stringham

After a much too long holiday hiatus, I've been itching to bring back my All About series. These posts are my favorite ones to do.

This week I've got some really striking images to show you from Candice Stringham. Candice and I don't really know each other...but we feel like we do! Her sister Stephanie is one of my best friends -- and a contributing designer to Sycamore Street Press. What a creative pair of sisters... (I have a feeling that they aren't the only ones in their family with loads of talent).

And now for the Q&A:
1.) How did you get into photography?

I started taking photographs when I was 15. I took a photography class at my high school. I fell in love with photography then, and continued with an internship with a portrait photographer my senior year.

Even with my passion for photography, I still started out my college career as a theater major. I changed it after a study abroad semester in London. I was taking more photos than seeing plays and I realized that’s what I really wanted to do. I still think that my photographs carry a theatrical storytelling quality to them.

Now I am an editorial photographer and contributing editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine, I write photography articles, and teach photography classes.

2.) What’s inspiring you these days?

There are so many things that inspire me. As a young photographer Rodney Smith was pretty much my hero and he still remains a favorite. I really love Tim Walker's work; it has such a magical element to it.

Aside from photographers I’m super inspired by my Mom and my sisters. My sister Stephanie has such amazing talent and is constantly making creativity a part of her family life.

NYC, we live in Brooklyn right now and the city itself is so inspiring. There is something new and bizarre at every corner.

Umbrella’s….I just love them. The end.

3.) Tell us about something you’ve made or done lately.

I’m currently working on a photography book and teaching beginning photography classes at www.jessicasprague.com . If you want to learn how to use your dslr come on over.

I’m also trying to shoot as much as I can while I’m here in NYC. My goal is to start shooting things for fun again and not get caught up in a work only mode.

4.) Is there anything else we should/would be interested to know about you?

I secretly love Aretha Franklin’s hat from the inauguration (I know everyone else hated it) and I wish that hats were still in style. Okay, maybe I wish that everything from the 40’s were back in style.

............................................................................................................................................................................

I love the light and colors/tones in her photos...Can you imagine what her photo albums must look like? I'll have to take her class one of these days when I finally spring for a dslr. Thanks Candice for taking the time to do my little Q&A!