part 2 of 4 posts about printing in italy

Now the fun question: how did I print these while I was in Milan? There was no shortage of print shops and if I was craftier, I would’ve got myself invited to one. But I appreciate some stability so I letterpress printed the same text on 4 sets of 100 cards using polymer plates by Black Bird Letterpress.

Here’s the fun part: I purchased a Gocco printer (a small japanese contraption that worked like a cross between silkscreen and stamps). Did I accidentally attempt to carry the press and all it is exploding lightbulbs onto my plane in Baton Rouge? Absolutely.

In Milan, I would make a drawing or print out of the months postcard, expose a screen and wait until my roommates were out drinking (never a long wait) . And then I would commandeer our kitchen table , which was made of glass?!, and print all night.

For a his month, my undergrad pal Ella Desmond agreed to receive cards. Ella always had interesting ideas about art and composition and why she made work like she did, so I thought it would be nice to have my subscribers send her an image or drawing of a new perspective. I laid in the grass under a tree at Santa Maria Della Grazie, the church that houses the Last Supper. Also very close to my university.

The story continues in the following posts!

Gocco and letterpress printed on French paper.

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