Pressure Printing: The Blog

Amphibian Frontier

2011-05-25T10:00:00.002-06:00

We've loved Todd's work forever and had the pleasure of designing his big monograph, “American Surreal” a couple of years ago; so it’s with great pleasure that we're able to release our second project with him featuring the image that graced the cover of that book: “Amphibian Frontier.”

Todd writes in “American Surreal” that the image was born out of a free-associated mix of memories and artefacts from his 1950’s childhood: frog hunting, toy indians and a plastic Zorro, N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations in The Last of The Mohicans, and the traumatic experience of falling into a yellowjacket hive. Stirred together and shot through with yellow, the result is one of Todd's most arresting images, released here for the first and only time.

We printed the edition using offset lithography to enable the scale and color that the image demands, and it came out beautifully. Todd works across scales so well, creating huge dynamic compositions that pop and grab you from afar which are rendered down to the atom and have a million little details to discover up close. So the only way to print this image was huge; the poster is three and a quarter feet tall. It's on a satisfyingly heavy paper and we've added some blind embossed embellishments—a title, printer's chops—as final touches.

All told it’s a stunning print. Buy it now on pressureprinting.com!

The Print:

Printed from an original Todd Schorr image
Offset lithography on premium cover weight paper
Hand signed by Todd Schorr

The Certificate of Authenticity:

Custom designed, embossed and perforated
Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition

Released May, 2011
Print size is 39" x 25"
Image size is 20.25" x 33.75"
Edition of 100
20 artist’s proofs

Lucky Summer Sale!

2010-07-28T12:37:00.008-06:00

It's awfully hot (97° in Denver yesterday, to be exact), so it must be time for a summer sale! To celebrate the season and welcome the flood of new folks who are discovering us this week via a bit of wonderfully kind publicity, we're discounting everything in the pressureprinting.com store by 25%. Sale ends Friday the 13th. Enjoy!

Grandma Knew...

2010-05-11T09:26:00.006-06:00

Grandma knew that if you were patient, good times would always curdle up. She was the oldest in a fluctuating family of 17 siblings, and had seen life at its harshest, and known it to be like chewing on rancid beef jerky. She was of a generation for whom pleasures like bathing without clothing would never occur, for some omnipotently randy deity always had his eyes on you, and that would be too much for the fabric of life to bear. As grandma would say, “I was born a Cyclops, and I’m gonna die a Cyclops, pass the coon gravy to yer lil’ sister.”. Having never seen things in 3-D before, she felt no need to let doctors “dig around in my skull”, looking for her other eye. “Those charlatans steal enough of what durn piddly little ya got.”, as it was already, so she said, and “I got better things ta do with my vittles than to expose them to one of them varmints.”, was her philosophy in life. Grandma met grandpa when she was not even yet a teenager, and had an eye on him from before she was old enough to go to the store. Grandma felt like, “we gots two eyes when we is together, you can’t call us four eyes!” They took to each other early on, any thing he would shoot, she could gut it, and cook it, and put it on the table for whoever was there to eat up. When she turned 13, and he turned 15, they decided it was high time to tie the knot, and they had a brood of their own in no time. Many of the neighbors marveled at the sight of Grandpa and Grandma coming into town, their 11 cyclop children in tow, all wearing matching gingham skateboard clothing, all wearing matching earbuds attached to grandpa’s MP3 player, listening to the same remixes of Appalachian death metal clog dancing reindeer music. Grandma played a little hammer dulcimer when they were at home sitting around the microwave stove-kettle heating unit in the middle of their one room log cabin, way up in the mountains. The kids would take turns doing a slow, yet complicated little dance grandpa had brought over from the old country, and they sounded like a giant alien beehive as they all joined in on their wax paper and combs, humming in time, while the cruel winter winds blasted outside the safety of their small, yet odorific mountain top cabin. Late at night, the children would huddle in fear at the warbling sounds that would fill the room, as the sputtering stove-kettle heating unit would cast a shadow of grandpa and grandma making the beast with one back on the far wall of the cabin. In those days, life was quite harsh, and people jumped in age from 17, directly to 75, thereby skipping 57 years that they might have endured had they been living in a different corner of the planet. Grandma always said, “that’s alright by me, if ida been living all them years, it would surely have kilt me sooner than this!”, and would make a big hocker sound, right before spitting a sour chaw of tobaccy and killing the unsuspecting chicken scratching on the log cabin floor. She was a strange critter, I think we musta had funerals and buried her on at least three separate occasions, but true to her tenacious self, the Christmas tears and sorrow holiday would arrive, and there she would be, up before dawn whistling, and rendering fat from a recently dismembered animal into the shape of the Christmas piñata ghost, filled with gooseberries and pine cones, and other treats that would make her Christmas eve meal the spread of the year. You couldn’t eat or shit for at least five weeks after that feast. When one of the children would announce intentions to get hitched, she would slap their ears, and hit them on top of the head with a frying pan, before rapping her hairy arms around them, sobbing and laughing simultaneously, smothering them with big slobbery kisses.

—Mark Mothersbaugh

Grandma Cyclops

2010-05-11T09:25:00.003-06:00

We had the pleasure of releasing our first collaboration with the esteemed Mark Mothersbaugh, “Grandpa Cyclops,” all the way back in November of 2007. Ever since, we’ve been pestering Mark to come up with a grandma. She’s finally arrived.

Grandma is clearly of the same stock as her monocular companion—she’s got the same wispy hair, geographic skin, overlarge ears, and of course there’s the bit about only having one eye.

So in constructing this edition (and after excavating our three year old production notes from the bottom of a drawer) we set about trying to match everything about Grandpa. From the just-ever-so-slightly-sepia-ish ink to the grain and texture of the printing.

A few rounds of test plates, a few days of printing and a few more of drying and flattening, we were set to begin the staining process. The duo-tone stain we apply brings a warmth and an antiqued quality to the piece that’s truly lovely, but the process—dipping fresh, pristine, slaved-over prints into a pot of brown inky water—is also slightly terrifying.

Meanwhile, we toiled away at the resin frames. It was only fitting that we encase Grandma in the same intricate frame that Grandpa enjoys, so we broke out the old molds and set to pouring.

The sanding and antiquing processes are above all dusty, and need be done outside. So I don’t know why we always seem to be doing these resin frame projects during the winter.

And while we were braving the Denver winter to finish the frames, the prints took a round trip to sunny LA to be signed by the man himself.

And with that, all that was left was to put the various pieces—the prints, the frames, the powder-coated steel backs, and the jewel-like convex glass—together into the finished product we’re releasing today.

Enjoy!

The Print:

Printed from an original Mark Mothersbaugh image
Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
Hand-printed intaglio in black ink
Each print individually stained in gouache and ink
Hand signed by Mark Mothersbaugh

The Frame:

Hand-cast and antiqued resin frame
High quality curved glass
Custom laser cut solid steel back for free-standing or wall-mounted display

The Certificate of Authenticity:

Custom designed, embossed and perforated
Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition

Released April, 2010
Frame size is 10.5” x 7.25”
Print size is 4.75” x 3.375”
Edition of 50
10 printer’s proofs
10 artist’s proofs
1 Bon à tirer

Dive

2010-02-15T20:22:00.020-07:00

“Dive” has been in the works for three years. It's one of our largest intaglio prints to date, made from an astonishing image from James Jean. It all began when James sent the original image our way. We were suitably floored:

James employed a technique he's got a unique mastery of here, working up a one-color "key" drawing by hand and then going back and adding tone and color in Photoshop. This technique just happens to lend itself perfectly to printmaking. After much color proofing and not a few sets of test plates, we decided upon printing the key drawing in a dark burgundy, with the tonal additions printed in a warm cyan.

The print is large, with an image size of 29” x 16”, and a paper size of 36” x 23”. It has been printed via an intaglio process, with the two plates cut to slightly different sizes giving the print its unique double-plate-embossed border.

Registration proved particularly difficult. This was our first attempt at a multi-plate intaglio print of this size, and the process (which involves squeezing wet paper through several tons of pressure) causes the paper to warp and stretch between plates. Bigger plates = bigger problems! Persistence pays though, and after a few (more) sets of plates we'd figured it all out.

Stack of finished prints in hand, it was time for some finishing touches. James specially made a drawing for the title, which we turned into an embossing plate, giving the title some extra punch, so to speak.

We also embossed our own printer's chop and letterpressed a tiny artist's chop in bright red next to James' signature

In addition to the regular edition of 15 prints, we convinced James to hand-embellish seven of the prints for a special edition. Here he is trying some things on one of the junk prints we gave him for testing purposes:

After much consideration the additions that stuck were a bright red flag and pure white highlights throughout the image, resulting in a hint of pop and shine throughout the image. Almost as if the original print had been sprinkled with magical fairy dust. Perfect.

The regular edition sells for $2,000 and is available now at pressureprinting.com, while the special edition is priced at $4,000 and is not available for purchase on the website. In order to purchase one you will need to contact Brad directly.

The rundown:

James Jean: Dive

Regular edition: 15 + 2 artist’s proofs, 2 printer’s proofs
Special edition: 7 + 2 artist's proofs, 2 printer's proofs & 1 bon à tirer
Image size: 29" × 16"
Paper size: 36" x 23"
2-color intaglio print on Rives Heavyweight paper
Special edition includes highlights hand-painted by the artist in white and red acrylic
Embossed title based on a drawing done especially by James
Embossed printer's chop
Letterpressed artist's chop
Signed and numbered by the artist
Comes with a custom-designed, perforated, signed and numbered certificate of authenticity

Evening

2010-01-26T16:10:00.017-07:00

Recently, we've been thinking quite a lot about how to imbue giclée prints with some of the tactile feel of traditional printing techniques. We buy quite a few giclées ourselves and generally no matter how awesome the image, when you get your tube in the mail and slide your print out of it, the end product feels somehow plain, lacking. We thought: how can we bring the magic back? How can we make these things special?

So when our friend and longtime associate Glenn Barr agreed to let us use one of his most evocative and sought-after images, “Evening,” for an edition, we jumped at the chance to put some of our ideas to work.

First things first: we needed some prints to work with, so we set about color proofing the image until we were blue in the face. When finally satisfied, we printed the edition on archival Hahnemühle German Etching paper. These were then trimmed and mounted with a kind of inlay process into a debossed impression on 300gsm Arches watercolor paper, which is some of the thickest, stiffest paper I've ever held in my hands. The stuff is like board, and has a wonderfully tactility to it with its deckled edges and rough texture. To increase the textural contrast between the giclées and the mounting paper, we ran all of the prints under a heated steel plate in a 100-ton press, making them silky-smooth. Finally they were stamped with our printer's chop, and signed and numbered by Glenn.

It's a special image, and we are honored to have been able to give it the treatment it deserves. Take one home for yourself at pressureprinting.com.

The rundown:

Glenn Barr: Evening

Edition: 50 + 5 artist’s proofs, 5 printer’s proofs & 1 bon à tirer
Image size: 23” × 11”
Paper size: 30” x 18.5”
Fine art giclée on Hahnemühle German Etching paper, inlaid into debossed 300gsm Arches watercolor paper.
Embossed printer’s chop
Signed and numbered by the artist
Comes with a custom-designed, perforated, signed and numbered certificate of authenticity

Oldies = Goodies

2009-11-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

First things first: we've got a fall sale going. 25% off of everything on pressureprinting.com! But while you're taking advantage of our low low prices, you might also notice some new print thumbnails littering the timeline. And indeed, we've updated the website with a gaggle of projects which were never available for general sale, but which we want to share with the world nonetheless. In rough chronological order:

First: Mark Ryden's 11-color screenprint, Silence. We completed this edition in collaboration with Mark under the auspices of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, who handled the selling and distribution. It was more work than anyone supposed but the results were more than worth it. The textural contrast between the shiny, translucent, aged Japanese paper and the heavy, matte, flat screened inks came off particularly well.

Second, we have a few installments of a project which has become something of an annual ritual around here: Baby Tattooville nametags! We've done them for three years running now, and they're always a blast. Here's how it works: the Baby Tattooville folks send us a strinking image from an amazing artist, we hand-print and generally fancy it up, and ship the resulting stack of paper back to California where they are inscribed by the hand of a professional calligrapher with each attendee's name to become the coolest nametags in the history of mankind. Artists in order of year: James Jean, Shag, and Greg Simkins. None of us have been lucky enough to attend this fantabulous weekend (yet) but we've only heard gushing praise about the event and are happy to play a part.

Next is an edition of giclées we did in collaboration with Chris Berens, exclusively for Jaski Art Gallery, The Kiss. The image is one of simultaneous action and repose, painted (painted!) with an equally paradoxical mix of expressiveness and photographic detail. We did our best to make it more than the average giclée with the debossed mounting on heavy, stiff, deckled stock and the illustrated emboss above the title. Plus: polar bears and manatees. It's a winner.
And finally another edition of giclées, this time produced for the Limited Edition of James Jean's Process Recess, Volume 3. So beautiful. If the painting weren't enough, the ropey foil pattern James drew for us to foil stamp on top takes it to another level. It can be a challenge to integrate something as literally flashy as gold foil into an image, but James handled it with his usual preternatural grace and skill.

None of these are new, really, but they're new to most of you! And while they weren't and aren't available for general sale, we have proofs of most on hand and you are always free to enquire.

Haniwa

2009-10-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

What do you get when you mix a skull, a spider, a snail, anthropomorphic teacups, a wooden man in a bowler, and a horse, six feet underground? Our newest print with the one and only Femke Hiemstra!

Femke, (who is right this second releasing her first [great!] book, “Rock Candy,”) furnished us with a wonderful graphite drawing as a starting point for the project. She also sent along some awesome pictures of the drawing in progress, from her first thumbnails:

...to further refinements:

...to finishing touches:

So drawing in hand, we went through a few rounds of intaglio plates and made a flurry of test prints until we had one that captured the darkest darks all the way to the wispy highlights. And then it was time to ink, buff, and edition the plate.

We settled on printing the image in a smoky sepia ink on a stack of handcrafted custom-made Twinrocker paper.

Meanwhile, Brad had the bright idea to emboss an illustrated title and perhaps other various accoutrements into the print, and after talking about it with Femke she produced this:

...which, punched into the paper, ends up looking something like this:

Really, a perfect touch.

So, a couple of mailings to and from the Netherlands to get everything signed and a funny-goggled quality control session later...

...and we had a finished edition. And now we're offering it for sale on pressureprinting.com!

Femke Hiemstra: Haniwa

Edition: 100 + 10 artist’s proofs, 10 printer’s proofs & 1 bon à tirer

Print size: 12.75” × 8.75”

Printed intaglio on custom Twinrocker paper with Charbonnel inks

Embossed with an illustrated title designed by the artist

Signed and numbered by the artist

Comes with a custom-designed, perforated, signed and numbered certificate of authenticity

Zembo Boy

2009-09-14T15:01:00.010-06:00

Today we’re releasing our newest project, “Zembo Boy,” completed in conjunction with the inestimable Ron English.

We’ve been on a bit of an antique portrait frame kick recently, so when Brad first saw Zembo Boy, he couldn’t help but picture the kid looking out from under a piece of beveled glass, encased in an intricately ornate cast black resin frame. So he contacted Ron (for whom we've been lucky enough to do some design work in the [ancient] past) with a proposal for a project built around the image. Mr. English graciously consented and we were well on our way.

The image presented some unique printing challenges—Ron’s imagery has a truly socks-knocking, insane hyper-real aesthetic about it and we wanted to preserve as much of that as we could when translating the large-scale oil painting into a small-scale intaglio print. Similarly, frames like the one employed here were originally made to showcase old-style, tack-sharp daguerreotypes; we went through not a few rounds of plates attempting to be true to our sources, squeezing (literally!) as much fine detail, smooth sheen, and as many bottomless rich darks out of the plate as is possible.

We’ve detailed the casting process we use to make these resin frames before, so I’ll spare you the details and just take an opportunity to reiterate that these frames take an inordinate amount of labor and care to produce, making it extra-important to us that the particulars of the frame and the art within it complement each other. And in that respect, the quirky, vintage, vaguely oriental flavors of both frame and image here are a perfect fit.

Also, here are some more casting pictures, because pictures of toxic black polyurethane resin goo are cool:

In short, we’re pretty excited about this release, and hope you are too.

Ron English: Zembo Boy

Edition: 100 + 10 Artist’s Proofs, 10 Printer’s Proofs & 1 Bon à tirer

Print size: 4.875" x 3.375"

Frame size: 10.125" x 7.25"

Printed intaglio on Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper with Charbonnel inks

Hand stained in ink and gouache

Signed and numbered by the artist

Framed in a cast-resin, hand-antiqued frame with custom laser cut steel backing plate

Mounted under curved glass

Comes with a custom-designed, perforated, signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity

Available now at pressureprinting.com!

Wish Fulfillment From Another World

2009-07-21T17:46:00.010-06:00

Today we are very pleased to release our newest project, Todd Schorr's "Wish Fulfilment from Another World."

We've been lucky enough to work with Todd quite a bit recently–Brad designed his latest book, "American Surreal," which was just released in conjunction with Mr. Schorr's (by all reports amazing) mid-career retrospective at the San Jose Museum of Art. Brad managed to make it out for the opening over the weekend and took a few snapshots to prove it:

At the same time that we were designing the book we were simultaneously putting the pieces together for this project. With a gorgeous, strange and wonderful image from Todd as a starting point, we began figuring out the particulars.

We printed the edition using an intaglio process, in a color somewhere in the hazy area between green and grey and sepia. Each print was hand-stained in both ink and gouache, for a richer set of hues and that organic, aged-to-perfection look.

The image–a weird and wonderful piece of something like traditional portraiture from another dimension–was an obvious choice to be housed in one of our hand-cast, hand-antiqued, curved-glass, metal backed resin frames. We love these things. The process is pretty gooey (and stinky, and time-consuming):

but the results couldn't be classier. This particular frame-image combo seemed especially apt, somehow, and the curved glass makes it feel precious and jewel-like.

Put on a laser-cut, powder coated back that makes the print equally at home hung on a wall or free standing on a flat surface–
–and it's finished.
All in all we couldn't be happier with how it all turned out. We finished up just in time for Brad to hand-deliver the first artist proof to Todd at his museum show and now we're opening it up to all of you.

Todd Schorr: Wish Fulfillment from Another World

Edition: 100 + 10 Artist's Proofs, 10 Printer's Proofs, and 1 Bon á tirer
Print Size: 3.75" x 5.25"
Frame Size: 9.5" x 6.375"
Printed intaglio on Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper with Charbonell inks
Hand stained in ink and gouache
Signed and numbered by the artist
Framed in a cast-resin, hand-antiqued frame with custom laser cut steel backing plate
Mounted under curved glass
Comes with a custom-designed, perforated, signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity

Available now at pressureprinting.com!

Blog-only framed print sale

2009-06-17T09:00:00.003-06:00

We've been doing some spring cleaning and recently came across the remnants of our 2006 gallery tour, "A Curious Show." We need some space, and these framed prints are taking up alot of it. Which means we're putting them up for sale. If you missed this the first time around, it's a unique opportunity to buy individual prints out of some of our portfolios. Most prints are available framed and a few are from sold out editions: last call!

If you'd like to purchase anything send an email to brad@pressureprinting.com; we'll be taking things down as they sell:

Focus Study
Jim Woodring
framed; there are a few scuffs on the matte finish but it's in pretty good shape, #13/50
$100.00
SOLD
more info
The Four Reasons Jim Woodring
all framed and from portfolio #48/50 of this sold out edition
more info

#1 - $75.00
SOLD

#2 - $75.00
SOLD

#3 - $75.00
SOLD
The Brine Queen Attaboy
unframed, #13/50 of a sold out edition
$150.00
more info

Butterflies in the Rain Alex Gross
unframed, #13/50 in a sold out edition
$100.00
SOLD
more info

Unattainable Beauty Gary Baseman
all unframed and from portfolio #29/30
more info

#1 - $50.00

#2 - $50.00
#3 - $50.00

#4 - $50.00

James Jean's Kindling, Many Other Things

2009-06-01T10:38:00.020-06:00

It's been a little quiet around the blog as of late. Okay, a lot quiet, six months of quiet, people emailing us to ask us if we're still in business quiet. Many things have conspired to keep us from making any noise, and most of them, I'm happy to report, are very good things. I'm finally allowed to share some news and there's so much to cover I hardly know where to start.

How about with our newest official release, "Kindling?"

We've had the honor and joy of working with James Jean before (also–did anyone see those Baby Tatooville nametags?), and so when Mr. Jean approached us with an image and proposal for a small edition, prints of which would go to both the Asian Art Musuem's permanent collection and a benefit auction by Hayao Miyazaki held at Pixar to save the Totoro Forest, we jumped at the chance.

James approaches the printmaking process with excitement and understanding. He knew exactly what he wanted and sent us a detailed proposal with the design, colors and printing processes all fully specified. It looked wonderful. And intimidating. It's safe to say that this print required the most precise registration we've ever attempted; it really pushed our use of hand-printing on 150-year old presses to a new level of exactitude.

With as much care as we could muster (think lots of bending over things with squinty eyes, loupes & micrometers), our first set of plates, with all of the wonkery of platemaking, hand-registration, wetting, drying, rewetting, and two runs through two separate presses, yielded prints in which the red image and the blue image consistently mismatched by about a sixty-fourth of an inch. Which is pretty gosh-darn good if you ask me: 1/64" is about the width of 4 human hairs. And it was very noticeable on every single test print! So we remade the red relief plate a 64th shorter and tried again, and sure enough things snapped a bit more into place.

We were hitting it within a 128th in any direction throughout the edition. As perfect as it gets in the imperfect world of hand-printing. The prints were then sent to James for a little hand-applied highlighting of the drops in white color pencil, and edition was complete.

James Jean: Kindling

Edition: 10, + 5 Artist's Proofs, 5 Printer's Proofs, and 1 Bon à tirer

Print Size: 11.875" x 9.5"

Intaglio and relief printed

Printed on Rives BFK printmaking paper

Hand-applied highlights in colored pencil by James Jean

Signed & numbered by the artist

—

Another reason for our silence: Brad keeps doing very cool things and then, no matter how much I bug him about it, never can get around to blogging about them. Like, say, going on a weeklong trip to Japan in conjunction with Mark Ryden's Snow Yak Show, or heading out to LA for a weekend to meet with Pressure Printing artists past, present and future. Or, say, designing Todd Schorr's new book, "American Surreal," to be released by Last Gasp in conjunction with Todd's museum retrospective later this month at the San Jose Museum of Art.

Hopefully I can get Brad to write a more in depth post about this (huge!) project and all of the work that went into it, but suffice to say that Todd Shorr blows my mind, from what I gather one couldn't ask for a better guy to work with, and the book was a complete labor of love.

—

In addition to these projects for Mr. Schorr and Mr. Jean, we've been doing quite a bit of work for none other than Mr. Mark Ryden. For one, there was the twelve-color screenprint, "Silence," which we produced with Mark for MOCA. That print really deserves it's own post so I'll spare you the details for now.

Also, we have taken on the production and sales operations of Porterhouse Fine Art Editions. This has of course been amazing and fantastic, but I'm not sure what else I'm allowed to divulge before a miniature Abraham Lincoln appears behind me and silences me with his third eye and his mind.

—

But wait! There's more! There are all kinds of print projects in the works, many of which are shaping up to be released in bunches during the latter half of this year. So–speaking of Todd Schorr–keep an eye out for this guy:

And prints by Ron English, Femke, Travis Louie, and who knows maybe another James Jean will all hopefully be hitting our virtual shelves before December. Maybe a COOP too? Time will tell.

In any case, get set for an print-and-blog-post-packed rest of the year.

pressureprinting.com v2.0

2008-12-16T10:28:00.011-07:00

After a couple of years of design and an intense final few months of production, today we're finally flipping the switch on the new pressureprinting.com.

Though the things we make –one of a kind handmade fine art prints made of real stuff like paper and ink– are about as far from the internet as you can get, in many ways one could call us a web company. All of our business takes place on the web, and for the sizable majority of you who've never toured our Denver, Colorado headquarters and who don't buy each and every project, Pressure Printing really is the website; it's the only way in which you interface with us and our projects. It's a pretty important part of who we are and what we do.

The old site served us tremendously well over its long, long life (circa 2002 - yesterday, R.I.P.). Like "Whip It" and your parents, it was rather radical in its day. We used Macromedia Flash for a neato scrolling-artists-names-navigation-bar. The site was entirely made up of images so that we could freely utilize fonts outside of the "web-safe" canon and have big, beautiful photography. Back in those days (before anyone knew what a YouTube was and MapQuest was blowing peoples' minds) it may have taken a little while to load on your 56k modem but once it did, www.pressureprinting.com was a pretty slick little site.

Time passed. As our list of artists grew longer the scrolling artist nav bar grew increasingly akin to a carousel, where one had to grope fleetingly for passing brass rings, and less like a workable user interface. Screen resolutions doubled and tripled but our website stayed the same size, eventually becoming a tiny box adrift in a huge, seemingly wasted sea of black. We made jokes about not being able to work with any new artists for lack of space on the front page ("Sorry, Mr. Crumb, but facts are facts and we're out of real estate"), and then nervously laughed, and then became silent.

Neato! Hope you're not in a hurry!

Negative space: not always a good thing.

We were overdue for a change.

And so a couple of years ago we started sketching some stuff out on paper and talking of something new. There would be bigger photography of course. A simple, streamlined, classic-looking design that would put everything you wanted at your fingertips and never get in the way of the art. Words like "honest," "clean," and "best website ever" came up whenever we discussed the look and feel of the thing. Here's an early version:

And here's a later one:

We went back and forth on whether it should be on black or white more than a few times.

Seeing as how most of our stuff is either on white paper or in black frames, there was no easy choice, but after much deliberation and a brief, misguided foray into grey we settled on the purer, brighter, cleaner, more gallery-esque choice.

Information moved from separate sections of the site into drop-down tabs, letting you learn more about various things without having to leave what you are looking at. We re-photographed every project, exchanging the dramatic, moody lighting of our old site for a clean and clear aesthetic which emphasizes texture and volume. What you see on the site is exactly what you get when you receive your print.

And a tiny subsection of the early versions of the site –a timeline of the history of Pressure Printing– came out of nowhere to really become the new site. As we fiddled and fussed we discovered that a timeline was an ideal way to organize all of our content on a single, clean, organized page which encouraged exploration, conveyed a wealth of information, and just plain looked good. Being able to quickly flick around and see all of the projects from the get-go instead of choosing from a text list was a huge leap. And with all of the projects there on view we could establish a few relationships between them. Obviously they are all laid out chronologically, so one can see at a glance what's new, what's old, and indeed the entire arc of Pressure Printing's history. But just as importantly, every project is displayed at relative scale. For the first time people can see just how big, say, "Exorcism" really is, in a way that reading "36in x 36in" doesn't fully convey. And once you click on something, we've tried to make drilling down into a project's detail images and information as seamless, intuitive, and silky-smooth as possible.

Design in hand, we worked with one of our closest friends and and longest-running associates to to realize it in all of its timeline-y, interactive glory as a full-fledged, honest to goodness, database driven, dynamic website / showcase / e-commerce solution.

Our sincere hope is that this second major version of pressureprinting.com is as unique, useful, and as eye-catching in the winter of 2008 as v1.0 was in the summer of 2002. We're ecstatic to finally get it out the door and share it with the world.

Bride of Stan

2008-08-06T13:32:00.012-06:00

Our newest project is an intaglio print from the mind of Travis Louie entitled "Bride of Stan." This framed portrait was completed in conjunction with the fine folks at Hi-Fructose Magazine. They debuted it at Comi-Con last week and it is now available for purchase exclusively through their online store.

Here's a rundown of the various processes that went into the creation of this jewel of a print.

First: intaglio printing. After dialing in the values and tones with a few rounds of test plates we pulled 71 prints.

Each print was then trimmed and individually hand-stained with ink and gouache.

Meanwhile, the frames were progressing apace. Using the same process pioneered in our recent collaboration with Mark Mothersbaugh, each frame was hand-cast in resin.

Then things got pretty dusty. We made a complete mess sanding all of the backs flat. We hoped that the resulting 1/4" layer of resin dust on our back porch might helpfully double as a kind of weed-killer, but it seems to have only made them even stronger.

Once the backs were flat and the mess cleaned up, each frame was meticulously cleaned and then even more meticulously re-dusted to an antique-finish perfection.

The prints & certificates of authenticity were sent to Travis for signing and numbering. We've seen some nice John Hancocks in our day but I have to say, Travis' stands alone.

The final pieces of the puzzle were the custom-designed and laser-cut backing plates (which allow for either hanging on a wall or propping up on a flat surface) and the curved glass, which really takes the whole project to another level... Once everything was in hand it was time to assemble an edition of finished products.

Some parting statistics:

Frame Size: 9" x 6 7/8"
Print Size: 3 3/8" x 4 3/4"
Edition: 50,+ 10 Artist Proofs, 10 Printer's Proofs, and 1 Bon á tirer
Intaglio printed on Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
Hand-stained in ink and gouache.
Signed and numbered by the artist.
Framed in a cast-resin, hand-antiqued frame with custom laser cut steel backing plate
Mounted under curved glass
Comes with a custom-designed, perforated, signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

And remember, this project is available for purchase only through our friends (and yours!) at Hi-Fructose Magzine.

Hand-Delivered

2008-07-15T11:26:00.004-06:00

None other than Mr. Joe Sorren dropped by the studio last Thursday. He happened to be passing through town and took some time out to take a tour of the studio and to personally hand deliver a painting that we're using as a starting point for an upcoming project (you may have read a little about it on his blog). Plans, hopes, and dreams were discussed--this project might take awhile but it will be worth the wait.

Okimiyage

2008-06-27T09:22:00.011-06:00

Today we're releasing our newest project, "Okimiyage," completed in conjunction with one of our favorites, Audrey Kawasaki.

We were excited about this one from the get go, but our high expectations were blown out of the water when we first saw Audrey's drawing:

Audrey had certainly kept up her end of the bargain. Now it was our turn.

The print itself has been printed intaglio, on a handmade, custom-tailored paper, special-ordered from the incredible craftsmen at Twinrocker. It's printed in a color that lies somewhere between sepia and lichen. A quick pictorial rundown of the process:

After pulling 71 satisfactory prints we sent the edition off to Audrey to be signed, numbered, and hand colored in pencil.

As an aside, sitting here with the entire edition infront of me, let me tell you that she hand-colored them with a precision that's almost spooky. From first to last, the areas of pink added to the lips, cheeks, and shoulders are flippin' identical.

After completing their second journey between Denver and LA, the prints were, after much back in forth about the wheres and the hows of it, decoratively embossed with a pattern drawn by Audrey and chopped with a miniature version of our new "fancy-chop."

Meanwhile, we were making frames. As you may have heard, we recently acquired a woodshop, and this project represents our first set of frames wrought completely with our own hands, starting with raw lumber of soft maple & birch and—after much sawing, routing, gluing, drilling, coating, and endless, repeated sanding—finishing with the simple, precise elegance we had hoped for. Some pictures:

All that remained was to archivally mount the prints and place them under the astonishingly glare-free, UV-proof museum quality glass that we use for all of our framing.

And now they're packaged, boxed and ready to be sent to loving homes the world over. Some final statistics:

Audrey Kawasaki: Okimiyage

Edition: 50, + 10 Artist's Proofs, 10 Printer's Proofs, and 1 Bon á tirer

Print Size: 8.75" x 12.75"

Frame Size: 12" x 16"

Intaglio print made from an exclusive, orignal drawing

Printed on custom Twinrocker paper with Charbonell inks

Hand-tinted in pencil by Audrey Kawasaki

Decorativley embossed with patterns drawn by Audrey Kawasaki

Signed & numbered by the artist

Archivally mounted in a handmade soft maple and birch frame under museum quality glass

Perforated, custom designed, signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity

Ain't That Good News

2008-04-22T09:21:00.010-06:00

Well we've got some good news and some more good news.

The good news is that we're announcing the release of a new framed relief print, our first collaboration with artist Cathie Bleck. Cathie currently has a solo show hanging at the New Britain Museum of American Art and has just produced a gorgeous book which comes complete with jacket recommendation blurbs from none other than Milton Glaser and Jimmy Carter. I cannot imagine a more awesome pair of references.

If you aren't familiar with Cathie's work you are in for a treat.

The print in question measures 9.75" x 8.5" and has been printed with our circa 1860 relief press in a very limited edition of 20 prints (+ 5 Printer's Proofs, 5 Artist's Proofs, and one Bon à Tirer) on Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper. The frame extends out to 16.5" x 15.25", and the print is floated within it over a linen backing using completely archival materials. Everything is protected from the elements with startlingly transparent, anti-reflective, UV-proof museum-quality glass. It's then packaged with perfectly fitting, custom-ordered boxes and foam, ready to be shipped.

Which brings me to my second bit of good news, which is that this is our first project framed from start to finish in our new woodshop.

The more astute among you may recognize this space from the production pictures of the assembly of Mark Ryden's Madonna & Karl project. The shop has for forty years been run by our long time carpenter and friend David, who we've worked with forever--he constructed most of the furniture here in the office. But David is moving on to greener pastures and we have purchased his woodshop; we are saddened to see him go and tremendously excited about the possibilities this shop brings for streamlining and extending our framing process. We can finally bring it all under one roof and customize, experiment, and craft to our hearts' content with a full arsenal of tools. Expect amazing things.

Spring Print Sale

2008-03-24T15:59:00.005-06:00

We had a bit of a white Easter here in Denver but spring has sprung nonetheless. I'm riding my bike to work again, our brief respite from baseball is nearly finished, they're about to resume handing out parking tickets, and most important of all: we're having a sale! Everything is 20% off, so get 'em while they're hot as the sale ends on Thursday.

The Making Of: The Ruiners & The Banana Eater

2008-02-11T09:32:00.005-07:00

We here at Pressure Printing have a complicated relationship with gicleés.

On the one hand, after a day of hard, fussy labor, with ink stained hands and a pile of 50 or a dozen prints to show for a day's work, we have been known to snidely comment that "gicleé," you know, is really just french for "inkjet."

But on the other hand--holy cow look at all those colors! Look at the total perfection of reproduction! If our hand pulled prints are loving recreations, in which the final product exhibits the best elements from both the artist's original image and the unique, beautiful mark of the labor intensive printing process, gicleés are capable of being crystal clear, perfect reproductions in which the "process" becomes entirely transparent. You are left with only the original immaculately duplicated image.

And so we undertake a gicleé project from time to time. But when we do we know full well how plain their perfection can be, and strive to put into them the same concern for detail, presentation, tactility, surface--the same overall fussyness--which we devote to our handmade prints.

And so it is with our two latest releases, Glenn Barr's "The Ruiners" and Amy Crehore's "The Banana Eater." (click on pictures to enlarge)

"The Ruiners"
• frame size 27 3/4" x 31 1/2" x 2"
• print size 18 1/2" x 22 5/8"
• edition of 50 with 5 printer's proofs, 5 artist's proofs and 1 bon á tirer

"The Banana Eater"
• frame size 30 3/8" x 18 3/8" x 1 1/4"
• print size 23 1/4" x 11 1/4"
• edition of 40 with 4 printers proofs, 4 artist's proofs and 1 bon á tirer

The first thing one must do is generate a pile of prints. This involves getting a perfect digital file to work from, a week or two of color and tonal proofs, and tests of different surfaces to print on--"The Ruiners" ended up on a textured paper, and "The Banana Eater" on a canvas with approximately the same thread count as that of the original painting.

Next comes selecting a moulding and complementary fillet with which to construct a frame. Both of these frames have a bit of character. Our goal is to add a little contextual flavor to the image without jumping out and hogging your attention away from the art.

The prints are then mailed to the artist to be hand signed one by one in paint and shipped back to us...

...and then coated in a few layers of uv-proof varnish, which enriches the colors, makes the prints shine, and, applied by hand with a brush, adds a bit of that hand-made je ne sais quoi we know and love so much. It's hard to capture in photos what this does for the prints, but it really makes them feel like pieces of art and not mere printouts. It gives them a real polish and preciousness.

Then we put all of the pieces together. We do this with all of the little fine touches we can think to add--custom brass hardware, a perforated, signed, numbered, and embossed certificate of authenticity, foil stamped backing paper, the works.

And then it's packed up in specially cut box and foam (like all of our projects) and sent out in the world for you to enjoy.

Enjoy!

The Making Of: Madonna & Karl

2007-12-10T16:28:00.002-07:00

In the long, storied history of labor intensive Pressure Printing projects, our just-released project with Mr. Ryden might take the cake for complexity and craft. With the release of this hotly-anticipated and long-promised project we thought we'd give you a brief tour behind the scenes of a Pressure Printing production and show what went into this project.

The Print

The first thing we had to do, of course, was edition the print. The editioning of Madonna & Karl built upon our years of hard-won intaglio printing experience; from the outset we spared no expense testing and refining etch times and screen resolutions until we couldn't find anything to nitpick anymore. We tested preliminary plates with different colors and ink consistencies until we wore them out out--all told the process involved ten separate sets of plates. Along the way we were also hunting down and experimenting with most of the Japanese papers we could get our hands on, finally settling on Kochi, which proved to have the right combination of sensitivity to ink and a certain unquantifiable "feel." The final print involves two printed plates, both wiped a la poupée (with multiple colors on the same plate) to create subtle gradations of gold, ochre and the perfect aged paper look behind Mark's original image, which is recreated in all of it's stunning, wispy, pencil-drawn delicacy.

The Frame

Once we had a print in hand we needed something to put it in. After selling Mark on the idea of a religious-icon-esque altarpiece (it was an easy sell), Brad sketched and traded designs with both Mark and the carpenter we work with for a few months until arriving on a prototype of the final frame. Our carpenter friend is a craftsman of the first order. He is a soft-spoken and wise old man, who despite his consummate abilities seemed loath to implement each extra detail or refinement that went beyond his first prototype, which was a few steps removed from a kind of a triangle on sticks. Constantly, repeatedly, we would ask if we could put an extra bend in the trim or somesuch only to hear "Oh man, we can do it, but *long, slow head shake* that is a lot of work." However his expert advice (e.g. once while I was manning the belt sander: "Yentle, yentle, like with a woman") guided us through the fabrication and editioning of the frames, which then needed only to be sanded, coated in gesso, hand gilded, coated again in various oils and varnishes, antiqued, and stamped with a few finishing touches (the eye was a particularly inspired late addition), before all of the pieces could be put together into a finished project.

Finishing Touches

But not, of course, before we set up a few more obstacles between ourselves and a release. The certificate of authenticity was a nearly an entire project in and of itself--incorporating both intaglio and relief hand-printing on a fine, heavyweight printmaking paper. After printing it was perforated on our antique perforator, signed, numbered, and emblazoned with sculpted-die chops representing both Mr. Ryden and Pressure Printing. Which is another story--after stamping a few certificates with our old, simple Pressure Printing chop alongside Mark Ryden's immaculate sculpted bee we balked at how we were being beaten at our own game and designed an entirely new sculpted die for ourselves.

We selected the the best glass we could find, "museum quality" glass which exhibits some must-see-to-believe anti-glare characteristics and total UV-protection. As we have for a few projects in the past we special-ordered custom cardboard boxes and packing foam with the shape of the frame cut out of it for a perfect snug fit. When we finally started mounting the prints in their frames we agreed that the wrinkle in the prints, which were intentionally left a little wavy after printing, was a bit much and they were all half-flattened to a more perfect degree of wrinkly-ness. Etc., etc., etc.

If anything could be made better on this project we didn't give the extra cost or effort a second thought--this is the best piece of fine printing we know how to make. We're estatic that we can finally show you the fruits of our long labors, which can be seen over at pressureprinting.com.

Here are some final statistics:

The Print:
• Hand printed two plate plate intaglio print
• Kochi fine Japanese paper
• Each plate wiped à la poupée with multiple colors
• Embossed with sculted bee die and chop
• Hand signed by Mark Ryden

The Frame
• Hand-built custom wooden frame
• Hand guilded with antiqued finish
• Stamped with eye insignia and title
• Museum quality, anti-glare, UV protecting glass

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed
• Hand printed with relief-printed type and
intaglio-printed image
• Printed on Rives Heavyweight paper
• Perforated and embossed with sculpted dies
• Signed and numbered by Mark Ryden

The Edition:
• Released December 2007
• Frame size is 10 1/4" x 16 3/4" x 1 3/4"
• Print size is 5 1/2" x 6 1/2"
• Edition of 40
• 10 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Monocular Multitudes

2007-11-29T13:24:00.002-07:00

P9
Mark Mothersbaugh
Grandpa Cyclops

"Hey, ya varmints! Git offa my lawn!" cursed Grandpa Cyclops as he jumped up off of his ratty porch and speed hobbled after the fleeing laughing children as they cut across his lawn on the way to and from school each day. Grandpa's spittle lined lips would be screeching curses and vindictives at the top of his rattle-lunged voice as the kids would kick off on their skateboards, already out of the reach of his boney fingers and busted fly swatter. "I'll git you rotten dinker-dillies if it's the last thing I do!" screamed the old coot as his mole-covered neck turned a bright crimson color. Grandpa Cyclops would then go back to his sagging wooden porch with it's rusted metal lawn chair, and sit flushed and shaking, as he waited for the next group of transgressors to violate his property border. Sometimes he would fall asleep in that chair and dream about the shiny black eels that he used to catch as a young boy and bring home for his mother to fry up. As images of writhing cooking eels trying to jump out of the pan filled his mind, his nostrils would twitch at the acrid burning smell in his dream memory and his thin rubbery lips would smack at the metallic taste of fresh cooked eel.

– Mark Mothersbaugh

---

The Print:
• Printed from an original Mark Mothersbaugh image
• Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
• Hand-printed intaglio in black ink
• Each print individually tea stained
• Hand signed by Mark Mothersbaugh

The Frame:
• Hand-cast and antiqued resin frame
• High quality curved glass
• Custom laser cut solid steel back for free-standing or wall-mounted display

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed, embossed and perforated
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition
• Released November 2007
• Frame size is 10 1/2" x 7 1/4"
• Print size is 4 3/4" x 3 3/8"
• Edition of 50
• 10 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon à tirer

1949 Mercury: Production Notes

2007-11-01T11:21:00.002-06:00

Coop
1949 Mercury

---

The Print:
• Printed from an original COOP image
• Arches Cover printmaking paper
• Hand-printed relief in black ink
• Hand signed by COOP

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed, embossed, and perforated
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released November 2007
• Print size is 25 1/2" x 47 1/2"
• Edition of 25
• 5 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Grandpa Cyclops: Production Notes

2007-11-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Mark Mothersbaugh
Grandpa Cyclops

---

The Print:
• Printed from an original Mark Mothersbaugh image
• Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
• Hand-printed intaglio in black ink
• Each print individually tea stained
• Hand signed by Mark Mothersbaugh

The Frame:
• Hand-cast and antiqued resin frame
• High quality curved glass
• Custom laser cut solid steel back for free-standing or wall-mounted display

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed, embossed and perforated
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition
• Released November 2007
• Frame size is 10 1/2" x 7 1/4"
• Print size is 4 3/4" x 3 3/8"
• Edition of 50
• 10 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon à tirer

Can you stand the suspense . . . . ?

2007-10-23T12:11:00.001-06:00

I can't.

Eric wrote in the last post that he said too much about our up-coming project releases and now I'm going to say more. Suspense is all over the studio and its making me squirmy. I can't promise to give away all of the secrets but I will let you in on a few more details.

First and foremost: The new Pressure Printing Bookstore! This is not a secret. It is the real deal and it is up an running. Right now at the Bookstore we have Mark Ryden, Camille Rose Garcia, and James Jean (their books, not the actual artist, that would be silly). We are super excited about this addition and hope it offers our Pressure Printing fans another great way to check out the beautiful work of these very talented artists.

Next in line: We sent off Coop's latest project to be signed by, you guessed it, Coop. Do you remember the blog post from May 22nd? Well, that huge print being lovingly pulled by Mr. EP is the huge Coop print on the brink of release! You would have seen the image before but this time its a whole new world of Coopness. Its big, its embossed and it will rock the wall over that old couch of yours making you the most envied print owner on the block. The road of big prints is a new one for Pressure Printing and it took time to find our barrings but I'm sure you'll enjoy this new direction.

Moving right along . . . Mark Mothersbaugh. Ah yes. A long awaited project with the Devo front man is just around the corner. Mothersbaugh gave all the Pressure Printing folks a little taste with his "Air Marshall Turbulence" print we did for The Curious Show portfolio and now we have something really satisfying to feed on. Eric has been making new frames from antique frames that are so terrific it makes me happy just knowing he's back there making them. This project is a perfect trademark Pressure Printing mix of old and new. With a little bit of antique frame, traditional printmaking techniques, old school rounded glass, and antique photography all mixed up with digital manipulation, new school plate making processes, synthetic materials and modern day pizazz, its got it all. Just take a look:

This picture is pre cool rounded glass, but you get the idea.

And next . . . drum roll please . . . what rhymes with "Shark Hidin"? . . Mark Ryden! That's who! The Mark Ryden project is on the horizon and we just can't not mention it because it's so close. This project literally has our blood, sweat and tears in its fibers (don't worry, we cleaned them off). We did so many new tricks, worked with new techniques and the trials and tribulations are well worth it. You'll see . . . .

Eric took this picture of Brad and I working on the hand made frames for the Ryden print.

This year has been full of new adventures for Pressure Printing . . . what will we come up with next? Keep watching to find out. www.pressureprinting.com

Let's Go Camping

2007-10-02T13:40:00.001-06:00

Oh neglected blog, we will update you more often, we promise.

We've got a number projects that are infuriatingly close to release, and we can't tell you about any of them. Big and small, old and new, grandfathers, fast cars, and something truly beautiful from an aritst whose name rhymes with "Shark Hidin'."

I've said too much already.

Anyhow, what's keeping us from finishing these things up already? Vacation! Here are some pictures from the recent work camping trip out to the desert. Desert + tiki bar + fire + drum kit + explosions + rock'n'roll + guns + dirtbikes + beer = good times had by all.

The Artist's Eye: Production Notes

2007-09-01T11:21:00.002-06:00

Jim Woodring
The Artist’s Eye

"The eye of the artist is an organ upon which the love-hungry world depends for its quasi-spiritual sustenance. It works constantly, peering into the realm of ineffable mystery and selecting a melange of impressions that can be committed to form.

But what happens when this jewel in the skull is trained upon itself? Catastrophe! It sees that it is a pitiful thing like an oat, and the true nature of the artist's task and the extent of his self-delusion is made shockingly apparent. Ironically, this artist, this seer, this shaman does not take his exalted position seriously enough, and fails to see almost everything he is attaining through his single-mindedness.

In this painstakingly observed record of the actual experience the artist's eye notes that the artist suffers from a kind of tunnel-vision, which makes the pursuit of the perfectly expressive shape or the perfect pink to go with grey-green seem a worthy goal, when in reality he is just stirring up trouble by not being fully aware of the extent of his involvement."

–Jim Woodring

---

The Print:
• Printed from an original Jim Woodring charcoal drawing
• Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
• Hand-printed intaglio in black ink
• Hand signed by Jim Woodring

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released September 2007
• Print size is 32 1/2" x 26 1/2"
• Edition of 25
• 10 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Bloodline: Production Notes

2007-07-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Robert Hardgrave
Bloodline

---

The Print:
• Printed from an original Robert Hardgrave ink drawing
• Custom handmade Twinrocker printmaking paper
• Hand-printed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Robert Hardgrave

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released July, 2007
• Print size is 12" x 14 1/4"
• Edition of 30
• 5 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Team Printing

2007-06-13T14:26:00.001-06:00

We're working pretty hard today, printing a plate that neither Gretchen nor I could take on alone. "With our powers combined..."

Around the Office

2007-06-06T10:50:00.002-06:00

One of the perks of working at Pressure Printing is the office itself; particularly it's ever accumulating collection of things. Brad loves the eBay. Every time I look up UPS is delivering another box of antiquarian curiosities right to our doorstep for us to ferret away in various nooks and crannies.

Above is just one shelf of the glass cabinet used in A Curious Show, which as you can see we've thoroughly restocked. It's a "conversation piece." For instance: I got into a ten minute discussion about Ultraman with the FedEx guy the other day... He grew up on an army base in Japan, where pop culture is awesome, and bemoaned moving back to the States in his early teens, turning on a TV and seeing the The Brady Bunch.

Clowns are always scary, but are especially so when they erupt, bright-eyed and open-mouthed, from the crotch of molten rusty baby legs.

He is a beer, and also a man!

And a beer girl to match. She dresses like Peter Pan, and is also a bell. We ring her to call for happy hour. Also there are rockets.

Some things you have to peek around corners to find.

The switch for this sign is right next to the switch for the lights below, which we use quite often. I'm about 50-50 for hitting it accidentally. At which point there is instantly a brief interlude of daquaris and dancing.

I absolutely love this guy. The best part is, when you tip him back, his eyes close like an "American Girl" doll or somesuch.

Leftover Curiosities, a couple of relief plates, and an orange from the Carter administration.

That's all for now.

We're Going Big

2007-05-22T16:45:00.001-06:00

We’re going big.

How could we resist the temptation? If our press can go big than so must we. But big prints mean big equipment. And so, our print studio continues on its course of perpetual motion, attempting to keep up with all of the different scenarios of PP projects and setting up new equipment to print you all some big prints. Paper moves over there to make way for the huge paper dampening tray, and flat files move over there to set up a flattening station . . . If we stack this stuff we can put that over there . . . but then were will we put that? Or that? It’s actually a lot like musical chairs . . . no, no more like Tetris . . . but without things disappearing or gaining points . . . maybe more like musical chairs. Anyway, it’s worth it, because these prints we got coming up are good, real good. Or at least we think so, and we hope you do to.

Stay on your toes . . .

Croaker and Squeaker

2007-05-03T08:14:00.001-06:00

We have two new tidbits of printing pleasure buy the inventive Jim Woodring. Just released are “The Pensioner” (first edition to be printed on the new press!) and “Squeaker in the Woods.” They are cool, they are beautiful, and they could be yours. While taking a gander at these new Pressure Printing family members be sure to read the text written by Mr. Woodring himself. Enigmatic and dreamy print goodness awaits you. It’s all at our web site: www.pressureprinting.com.

"The Pensioner" by Jim Woodring

"Squeaker in the Woods" by Jim Woodring

Gretchen printing and pondering over the “tough croaker.”

Squeaker in the Woods: Production Notes

2007-05-01T11:21:00.007-06:00

Jim Woodring
Squeaker in the Woods

“Toward the end of a long day spent exploring the dark precincts, a plaintive tootling is heard in the heart of the woods. It says food is plentiful, but remote. It says sleep is inevitable but may be deferred. It says go forward, hungry and tired, and see what has been hidden for you to discover.”

—Jim Woodring

The Print:
• Printed from an original Jim Woodring ink drawing
• Custom handmade Twinrocker printmaking paper
• Hand-printed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Jim Woodring

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released May 2007
• Print size is 8" x 6 1/4"
• Edition of 100
• 10 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

The Pensioner: Production Notes

2007-05-01T11:21:00.002-06:00

Jim Woodring
The Pensioner

“There he is, posing with his trophies in the last hours of his tragicomic career as a park frog. He may look like a vain old fool, but don’t you believe it. The Pensioner is one tough croaker, a survivor who knows how to work the system, and he’s connected. You’d better keep your head on straight, mister.”

—Jim Woodring

---

The Print:
• Printed from an original Jim Woodring charcoal drawing
• Rives Heavyweight printmaking paper
• Hand-printed etching in black ink
• Hand signed by Jim Woodring

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom designed
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released May 1st, 2007
• Print size is 18 3/8" x 16"
• Edition of 50
• 10 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Portraits: Broken & Slayer: Production Notes

2007-03-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Tim Biskup
Portraits: Broken & Slayer

---

The Print:
• Printed from exclusive and original Tim Biksup drawings
• Custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Hand-printed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Tim Biskup

The Portfolio:
• Thick book binder board with paper covered edges
• Covers are litho printed, foil stamped and embossed
• Solid brass hinges hold the two boards together
• Interior pockets are die cut to hold the prints, have
foil stamped titles and embossed corner details
• Packets hold letterpressed stories, certificate of
authenticity, and artists' biographies.

The Stories, Biographies, and Certificate of Authenticity:
• Letterpressed in two colors
• Stories hand lettered by Tim Biskup for each portrait
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in March 2007
• Print size is 4.5" x 4.5"
• Edition of 100
• 10 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

We got press!

2007-02-28T08:48:00.001-07:00

Oh yeah. That’s right. Our new press has arrived. And despite the problems posed by a semi truck larger than our gate, we persevered and managed to get the 1300 pound baby in the studio (with only a little damage to a tree and the fence). We have project after project lined up for our new family addition. What joy! (And just a little shout out to our small, now not so needed, Charles Brand press. You served us well and we will miss you. Thanks for all the good times.)

In other news, Scott Musgrove’s Portraits Series print set was released and Tim Biskup’s is fast approaching (please excuse the delay). Eric is busy with his new camera and doing some kick ass things on his pride and joy, the Vandercook. He also set up a way for us to listen to lots of great music, very loudly if needed, in the studio. Our ears are happy.

With so many very cool and exciting projects on the horizon and with the new press, Pressure Printing feels unstoppable. Brad is designing like a maniac. But even with his 10+ hour days and weekends Eric and I still go into Brad’s office just to nag him for these projects. “Patience,” he tells us, “patience.” We can hardly hold it together.

Brad takes great care in placing the press in just the right spot . . . carefully, carefully . . . don't run over Eric . . .

Well, we got it in here and in the right place. . . but now the question is how to get 1300 pounds off the palette? . . . and Gretchen does not look very into lifting 1300 pounds . . .

Safty First. No hands in the press, kids.

Brad takes a moment to envision all the splendor ahead . . .

Little side note: yes, it is snowing . . . again. We know the rest of the country has felt the season’s torture, but damn it, we're not used to all this constant winter. What ever happened to our 60 degree Februarys? Oh, how we dream of spring . . .

Portraits: Enormous Lotus Larvae & Dwarf Basket Horse: Production Notes

2007-02-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Scott Musgrove
Portraits: Enormous Lotus Larve & Dwarf Basket Horse

---

The Print:
• Printed from exclusive and original Scott Musgrove drawings
• Custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Hand-printed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Scott Musgrove

The Portfolio:
• Thick book binder board with paper covered edges
• Covers are litho printed, foil stamped and embossed
• Solid brass hinges hold the two boards together
• Interior pockets are die cut to hold the prints, have
foil stamped titles and embossed corner details
• Packets hold letterpressed stories, certificate of
authenticity, and artists' biographies.

The Stories, Biographies, and Certificate of Authenticity:
• Letterpressed in two colors on 100% cotton paper
• Stories written for each creature by Scott Musgrove
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in February 2006
• Print size is 4.5" x 4.5"
• Edition of 50
• 9 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Framed Print Sale

2007-01-03T02:43:00.001-07:00

Our truck recently got in from LA containing boxes and boxes of framed prints from A Curious Show. Lack of space is a chronic Pressure Printing problem (office desks have become inventory storage, presses serve as inking tables...) and so in the interest of tidiness (and in part to make way for the new press we just bought! Which is awesome! Except we have no idea where to put it when it comes! And it is rather large!) we're offering our readers a unique opportunity to buy the very same framed prints that hung in A Curious Show. Ever wanted just one of our Gary Baseman prints to put on your wall instead of all five, nicely framed for display instead of in a box? Now you can. At reasonable prices!

They're all one of a kind--we'll take them down as they sell. Shipping and handling will be a flat rate of $25 anywhere in the United States and $50 internationally. All items will be shipped fully insured. Email brad@pressureprinting.com with questions or to make a purchase. Links lead to pictures of the framed piece in question:

Dave Cooper
Bent Over
SOLD

Jim Woodring
Focus Study
$225

The Four Reasons (print #1) SOLD
The Four Reasons (print #2)
The Four Reasons (print #3)
The Four Reasons (print #4)
each printer's proof from this sold-out edition: $250

Hassan Patterson
Mun-Tiki
$350

Glenn Barr
Carousel of Souls (print #1)
Carousel of Souls (print #3)
Carousel of Souls (print #4)
Carousel of Souls (print #5)
each $310

Gary Baseman
Unattainable Beauty (print #1)
Unattainable Beauty (print #2)
Unattainable Beauty (print #3)
Unattainable Beauty (print #4)

each $325

KRK Ryden
Lime Scent
Doggy Punchin'
each $300
Lunch-Time Escape Plan
printer's proof from this sold-out edition: $350

SNOWED IN!

2006-12-22T17:09:00.001-07:00

That’s right everyone, we got about 3 feet of the beautiful, fluffy white stuff. And, it’s everywhere, in boots, in socks, in mail boxes, even in pants (Oh, my). I was the only one able to make it to the studio yesterday and I had to do it on snowshoes! As I was emailing eager customers hoping we could still get prints out by Christmas, out the window I saw a couple cross-country skiing down Pearl Street. Highways were shut down, cars were abandoned and folks took to the streets any way possible. Ah, the life of a printer in Colorado . . .

So, now that we have stomped off the snow and warmed by the fire here is a little

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year
to all of you, from all of us at Pressure Printing.

See You Next Year! (and be sure to keep in touch, we have a very special “blog only” print sale coming up, so keep your eyes open . . .)

Sincerely,
Brad, Gretchen and Eric

Calli & Helper Portraits Coming Soon...

2006-11-19T17:22:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to announce, to those who don't already know, that we are finally doing a project with Tim Biskup. Tim and I have talked for a long time about doing something and the Portraits Series seemed to be just the right place to start. That is after the Dragamel drawing he did for the Curious Show portfolio. Anyway, here is a sneak peek at what the prints should look like. It is a quick mock up so hopefully it will just get better from here, but these are the actual drawings. And finally to dispel some rumors going around, these are not sold out and we are not taking any pre-orders. The edition will be 100 so anyone on the email list will have a very good chance of getting one.

We Came, We Saw, It Raw-ked

2006-11-09T11:58:00.001-07:00

We're back from LA. It raw-ked, throughly. We're all recuperating, gearing up for what's next (there is much!), but let us take a moment to reflect on the greatness that was the Copro Nason installment of A Curious Show.

We left Denver with a Uhaul and a sense of puropse.

Santa Monica! There was beach! Palm trees! Also small dogs in sweaters.

And then there was work to be done.

This is what it looked like when we were done

How better to reward ourselves than with some "Poquito Mas"

And what better movie than The Nightmare Before Christmas... in 3-D!?!

The opening!

Camille Rose Garcia, Brad, Mark Ryden

Gary Baseman flips through his sketchbook.

More Baseman in the background. Alex Gross eats an apple.

And then signs some autographs.

Thomas Han! I think that is Luke Chueh's back.

Eric extrapolates on the finer points of fine printing to Mr. Hassan Patterson, who flew all the way out from Florida for the show.

Art stars pose for a picture of a picture (L to R: Camille Rose Garcia, Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Seonna Hong, and Gary Baseman)

Eric, Brad, Gretchen. Eric pops his sweet custom printed tie.

Totally sweet close-up.

Time to call it a night.

printprintprintprintprintprint

2006-10-27T16:45:00.001-06:00

Eric puttin' on the chops of freshly mailed and signed prints.

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while but with our recent non-stop printing schedule I think its time to take a short rest and get you caught up on the action.

Returning to the studio revitalized after the Open Press show, we continue to contrive, formulate, devise and construct the Santa Monica show at Copro Nason Gallery. One of the highlights of the show being the ten print show portfolio; hence our day and night schedule on the presses. We had both the Albion and our little Charles Brand simultaneously printing at full speed (for only the second time in history folks!). The prints are an eclectic and stunningly complementary family of images. Some participating artist are newbies to a Pressure Printing project while others are usual suspects. The artists are Alex Gross, Glenn Barr, KRK Ryden, Scott Musgrove, Tim Biskup, Mark Mothersbaugh, Jim Woodring, Coop, Dave Cooper and Attaboy. We are bubbly with excitement. The unveiling of this never before seen portfolio will only be at the Copro Nason show, so come and take a peek.

OPENING NOVEMBER 4TH
THROUGH DECEMBER 2ND

COPRO NASON GALLERY
2525 MICHIGAN AVENUE, T5
SANTA MONICA, CA 90404

Open Press Opening

2006-10-09T11:24:00.001-06:00

Running solely on adrenaline (a mix of very little sleep and coffee [tea for Brad and Eric]), we printed the artist's names on the wall, we put up the Curious Show sign, we attached the title cards, printed out the price list and turned on the lights in the cabinet. Viola. A CURIOUS SHOW 2006 is officially official!

Strike up the band.

As for the night's events:

Denverites flocked to the show and found it quite curious. People hovered about the display cabinet, tried on the 3-D glasses for KRK Ryden's pieces, drank, ate, and were merry. Some wandered in from the street like moths to a flame having never heard of the wild works of Pressure Printing and throughly enjoyed the sights. Others knew of the artists and Pressure Printing and jumped for joy at the surprises and in-person interaction with the prints. Pictures!

Preparations...

PP employees take a collective nap.

The cabinent looked smashing. We need better pictures of it so that it dosen't look like a UFO.

A panorama of the gallery.

Then the people showed up!

Brad's family was all there and were all in conversational poses.

Gretchen was pretty happy about the whole thing.

Everybody loved the KRK glasses.

Brad, Gretchen, Eric.

All in all, a pretty great night.

Initiate the Count Down

2006-09-29T15:15:00.001-06:00

Full throttle as we dive into the final week before the Denver opening of A Curious Show. Eric makes plates to be printed on the gallery walls (yes, we are suckers for using printmaking techniques in any way possible). Gretchen fixes antique frames and lays out the show in little models of the gallery. Brad battles printers and his own nerves as he dreams up bigger and bigger ideas for the show with total disregard to time, money and laws of gravity.

Super heros of printmaking? Probably not. But it's still going to be kick ass.

We want you to come.
It All Begins Friday, October 6th 6-9pm at
Open Press Gallery
10 E. Ellsworth Ave
Denver, CO 80223

Cutting, Kerning, and Burning

2006-09-15T15:56:00.001-06:00

Preparations for the show continue: Gretchen has been cutting up prints and raiding the antique frame collection, Eric has been taking pictures and kerning type, Brad has been burning the midnight oil, buying things, designing things, planning things, and looking at the calendar whilst exhibiting a facial expression somewhere in the hazy space between anticipation and fear. Oh it will be a beautiful show. We're excited.

In The Flesh, or, Cranking Up the Hype Machine

2006-09-07T16:12:00.001-06:00

We at Pressure Printing love the internet as much as anyone else. Heck, unless you have visited us in Denver, we only exist in that magical world of html. For as much as we enjoy our virtual inhabitance we have always wanted to share the detail and tactile qualities of the Pressure Printing projects. Unfortunately your iSight doesn't let you actually touch the embossed covers of the Portrait series, or untie the suede ribbon of The Four Reasons, or even unfold and examine the tiny details in Tactiturn. Well, the exhibit at Open Press Gallery in Denver and Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica is going to change all that.

Although we don't know yet if you'll actually be able to personally fondle the projects, "A Curious Show" will be the perfect place to examine in person what really goes into each edition.

Mun-Tiki

2006-08-29T14:46:00.001-06:00

What happens when ball-point pen meets Pressure Printing's old school print methods and gets mixed up with low-brow style? . . . Hassan Patterson's Mun-Tiki is what happens.

Patterson's second print of his Tiki series is now available! It turned out great and looks killer with the first print, Tiki Dawg. Get the details here.

A Curious Show

2006-08-23T12:26:00.001-06:00

When you sit down to digest your October issue of Juxtapoz, drink up this announcement of our forthcoming exhibition:

A Curious Show
The Collective Works of Pressure Printing

See in the flesh what previously you have only seen in pictures. A treasury of fine art prints from the vaults of Pressure Printing.

Featuring the art of Dave Cooper, Camille Rose Garcia, Glenn Barr, Gary Baseman, Jim Woodring, Coop, Daniel Martin Diaz, Tony Millionaire, James Jean, Scott Musgrove, Jeff Soto and KRK Ryden.

Exclusive show prints by Dave Cooper, Glenn Barr, Gary Baseman, Jim Woodring, Coop, Scott Musgrove and others.

A very limited number of sold out Printer's Proofs will also be available only at the show.

Opening November 4th
Through December 2nd 2006

Copro Nason Gallery
2525 Michigan Avenue, T5
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Stay tuned for more details about Pressure Printing's Santa Monica exhibition . . .

Prints and Buckets

2006-08-16T13:49:00.001-06:00

We printed a couple of small Jim Woodring plates this morning. The resulting prints will be included in an upcoming black and white special edition of Jim's Frank, Pupshaw and Pushpaw vinyl toy set. Whilst printing, Brad put on some Buckethead; he totally shreds. Also one of these days soon the second edition of intaglio prints in our series with Hassan Patterson, entitled "Mun-Tiki," will arrive back at our doorstep; signed, sealed and delivered. Am I allowed to quote Motown on the blog? We shall see.

The letter of every day is "P."

2006-08-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

Pressure Printing now has a blog!

Mun-Tiki: Production Notes

2006-08-01T11:21:00.001-06:00

Hassan Patterson
Mun-Tiki

---

The Prints:
• Intaglio print made from an exclusive and original
Hassan Paterson ballpoint pen drawing
• Printed on Rives BFK cream printmaking paper
• Stamped printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by Hassan Patterson

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom-designed with perforated borders
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in August 2006
• Print size is 15" x 17"
• Edition of 30
• 9 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Tiki-Dawg: Production Notes

2006-08-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hassan Patterson
Tiki-Dawg

---

The Prints:
• Intaglio print made from an exclusive and original
Hassan Paterson ballpoint pen drawing
• Printed on Rives BFK cream printmaking paper
• Stamped printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by Hassan Patterson

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Custom-designed with perforated borders
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in July 2006
• Print size is 15" x 17"
• Edition of 30
• 9 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Portratis: Mad Love and Eternal Love: Production Notes

2006-07-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Kim Deitch
Portratis: Mad Love and Eternal Love

---

The Print:
• Printed from exclusive and original Kim Deitch drawings
• Custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Hand-printed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Kim Deitch

The Portfolio:
• Thick book binder board with paper covered edges
• Covers are litho printed, foil stamped and embossed
• Solid brass hinges hold the two boards together
• Interior pockets are die cut to hold the prints, have
foil stamped titles and embossed corner details
• Packets hold letterpressed stories, certificate of
authenticity, and artists' biographies.

The Stories, Biographies, and Certificate of Authenticity:
• Letterpressed in two colors on 100% cotton paper
• Stories written, hand-lettered and drawn specially by
Kim Deitch
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in July 2006
• Print size is 4.5" x 4.5"
• Edition of 50
• 9 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Lime Scent: Production Notes

2006-06-01T11:21:00.002-06:00

KRK Ryden
Lime Scent

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original KRK Ryden drawing
• Printed on Rives BFK, cream, printmaking paper
• Handpressed in custom green, pink, and purple inks
• Stamped title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by KRK Ryden

The Multi-Sensory Experience:
• Scratch-'n'-sniff on the rim of the floating seat
• Special 3-D viewing glasses
• Original KRK graphics foil stamped on glasses in red

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Printed in two colors on heavy paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in June 2006
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 25
• 4 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Patty McCormack's Quiet Time: Production Notes

2006-06-01T11:21:00.001-06:00

KRK Ryden
Patty McCormack’s Quiet Time

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original KRK Ryden drawing
• Printed on Rives BFK, cream, printmaking paper
• Handpressed in custom blue and red inks
• Stamped title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by KRK Ryden

The Glasses:
• Special 3-D viewing glasses
• Original KRK graphics foil stamped in red

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Printed in two colors on heavy paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in June 2006
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 25
• 4 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Doggy Punchin': Production Notes

2006-06-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

KRK Ryden
Doggy Punchin’

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original KRK Ryden drawing
• Printed on Rives BFK, cream, printmaking paper
• Handpressed in custom blue and red inks
• Stamped title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by KRK Ryden

The Glasses:
• Special 3-D viewing glasses
• Original KRK graphics foil stamped in red

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Printed in two colors on heavy paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in June 2006
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 25
• 4 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

The Owl Addict: Production Notes

2006-04-01T11:21:00.001-07:00

Camille Rose Garcia
The Owl Addict

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original Camille Rose Garcia drawing
• Hand watercolored and glittered by Camille
• Custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Handpressed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by Camille

The Frame:
• Custom outter frame made of hand poured resin
• Custom inner frame and box is all wood construction
• Lacquer painted and hand rubbed finishes
• Print is archivally mounted with rice paper hinges to 100% rag board and mounted to a rose embossed velvet back board
• Glazing and mounting hardware thoughtfully installed

The Stories, Biographies and Certificate of Authenticity:
• Information to come!

The Edition:
• Released in April, 2006
• Print size is 6" x 8"
• Edition of 50
• 9 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Taciturn: Production Notes

2006-04-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

James Jean
Taciturn

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original James Jean drawing
• Intaglio prints were made from a solar etched plate
• Printed on Kitakata rice paper
• Specially mixed green ink
• Hand signed and numbered by James

The Screen:
• Laser cut wood panels
• Primed and lacquer painted semi-gloss black
• Print is sandwiched between frame halfs
• Metal hinges

The Stories, Biographies and Certificate of Authenticity:
• Original Haiku by James Jean
• Printed and assembled certificate of Authenticity

The Edition:
• Released in April, 2006
• Print size is 8.75" x 17"
• Edition of 30
• 5 printer proofs
• 4 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Wild Growth: Production Notes

2005-12-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Jeff Soto
Wild Growth

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original Jeff Soto drawing
• Heavy-weight custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Handpressed in black ink
• Debossed title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Jeff Soto

The Frame:
• Thick black laminated and die cut paper-board
• Custom pattern stamped on front
• Back has a custom designed pop-out easel
• Frame can sit by itself, or be used as matting for framing

The Picture Corners:
• Custom designed corners are embossed and die cut

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Gold foil stamped on heavy black paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in December 2005
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 100
• 24 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

A Midsummer's Night Dream: Production Details

2005-10-01T11:21:00.007-06:00

Glenn Barr
A Midsummer’s Night Dream

The prints: (10.5” x 13.5”)
• Made from an original painting by Glenn Barr
• Printed with pigmented, fade-resistant inks
• Printed on heavy Hahnemüle paper
• Signature hand-painted by Glenn Barr
• Hand-glazed with UV glaze by Glenn Barr
• Title stamped in gold foil

The Frame: (17.5” x 20.5” x 1.5”)
• Made with wood and resein
• Hand-finished and -painted
• Hanging hardware

The Certificates of Authenticity: (5" x 11.5")
• Foil stamped in gold
• Signed by the artist

Edition Information:
• Publisher: Pressure Priniting
• Year of Release: 2005
• Print Dimensions: 10.5” x 13.5”
• Edition Size: 50
• Artist's Proofs: 5
• Printer Proofs: 9
• Bon à tirer: 1

Jockey Full of Bourbon: Production Notes

2005-10-01T11:21:00.004-06:00

The prints: (4.75" x 6.5")
• Made from an original painting by Glenn Barr
• Printed with pigmented, fade-resistant inks
• Printed on heavy Hahnemüle paper
• Signature hand-painted by Glenn Barr
• Hand-glazed with UV glaze by Glenn Barr
• Title stamped in gold foil

The Frame: (11.25” x 15.5” x 1.25”)
• Made with wood and resein
• Hand-finished and -painted
• Hanging hardware

The Certificates of Authenticity: (5" x 11.5")
• Foil stamped in gold
• Signed by the artist

Edition Information:
• Publisher: Pressure Priniting
• Year of Release: 2005
• Print Dimensions: 4.75" x 6.5"
• Edition Size: 50
• Artist's Proofs: 5
• Printer Proofs: 9
• Bon à tirer: 1

The Oceanid: Production Notes

2005-10-01T11:21:00.003-06:00

The prints: (8" x 10")
• Made from an original painting by Glenn Barr
• Printed with pigmented, fade-resistant inks
• Printed on heavy Hahnemüle paper
• Signature hand-painted by Glenn Barr
• Hand-glazed with UV glaze by Glenn Barr
• Title stamped in gold foil

The Frame: (15.5" x 17.5" 4.5")
• Made with wood and resein
• Hand-finished and -painted
• Hanging hardware

The Certificates of Authenticity: (5" x 11.5")
• Foil stamped in gold
• Signed by the artist

Edition Information:
• Publisher: Pressure Priniting
• Year of Release: 2005
• Print Dimensions: 8" x 10"
• Edition Size: 50
• Artist's Proofs: 5
• Printer Proofs: 9
• Bon à tirer: 1

Lunch Time Escape Plan: Production Notes

2005-09-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original KRK Ryden drawing
• Printed on Rives BFK, cream, printmaking paper
• Handpressed in custom blue and red inks
• Stamped title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed and numbered by KRK Ryden

The Glasses:
• Special 3-D viewing glasses
• Original KRK graphics foil stamped in red

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Printed in two colors on heavy paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in September 2005
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 25
• 9 printer proofs
• 5 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Portraits: Drinky Crow & Uncle Gabby: Production Notes

2005-08-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Tony Millionaire
Portraits: Drinky Crow & Uncle Gabby

---

The Prints:
• Printed from exclusive and original Tony Millionaire drawings
• Custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Handpressed in black ink
• Debossed printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Tony Millionaire

The Portfolio:
• Thick book binder board with paper covered edges
• Covers are litho printed, foil stamped and embosed
• Solid brass hinges hold the two halfs together
• Interior pockets are die cut to hold the prints, have foil stamped titles and embossed corner details
• Pockets hold printed stories and certificate

The Stories, Biographies and Certificate of Authenticity:
• Printed in two-color on 100% cotton paper
• Specially written stories about Drinky & Gabby
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in August 2005
• Print size is 4.5" x 4.5"
• Edition of 100
• 24 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Lesser Maori Mule: Production Notes

2005-06-01T11:21:00.001-06:00

Scott Musgrove
Lesser Maori Mule

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original Scott Musgrove drawing
• Heavy-weight custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Handpressed in black ink
• Debossed title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Scott Musgrove

The Frame:
• Thick black laminated and die cut paper-board
• Custom pattern stamped on front
• Back has a custom designed pop-out easel
• Frame can sit by itself, or be used as matting for framing

The Picture Corners:
• Custom designed corners are embossed and die cut

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Gold foil stamped on heavy black paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in June 2005
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 100
• 24 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

The Confidence Bird: Production Notes

2005-02-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Jim Woodring
The Confidence Bird

---

The Prints:
• Printed from an exclusive and original Jim Woodring drawing
• Heavy-weight custom handmade paper by Twinrocker
• Handpressed in black ink
• Debossed title and printer’s chop
• Hand signed by Jim Woodring

The Frame:
• Thick black laminated and die cut paper-board
• Custom pattern stamped on front
• Back has a custom designed pop-out easel
• Frame can sit by itself, or be used as matting for framing

The Picture Corners:
• Custom designed corners are embossed and die cut

The Certificate of Authenticity:
• Gold foil stamped on heavy black paper
• Signed and numbered by the artist

The Edition:
• Released in February 2005
• Print size is 12" x 14"
• Edition of 100
• 24 printer proofs
• 10 artist's proofs
• 1 Bon á tirer

Parts With Appeal: Production Notes

2004-10-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Coop
Parts With Appeal

---

The portfolio exterior:
• Printed and stamped on thick 130 pound cover paper
• Intricatly diecut pocket folder
• Printed images made from 2 original Coop drawings
• Custom printed with special silver and red ink mixes
• Lightly debossed areas

Inside the portfolio:
• Custom printed devil girls in special silver ink mix

The prints:
• Printed images made from six original Coop drawings
• 130 pound black cover paper
• Specially printed in silver and lightly debossed

The colophon:
• Biographies about Coop, Brad Keech, and Pressure Printing
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Printed in 3 colors on 130 pound duplex paper

The title page:
• Printed in 3 colors on 130 pound duplex paper

Exorcism: Production Notes

2004-06-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Daniel Martin Diaz
Exorcism

---

The prints:
• Made from original linolium carvings by Daniel Martin Diaz
• Handprinted on Rives BFK 280 gram cream paper
• Illustrations printed in black ink
• Numbering chops printed in red ink
• Each print is signed and numbered by the artist

The 8 panel Booklet:
• Contains Essay, Analysis and Summary about the project
• Handprinted in two colors on heavy paper

The Certificates of Authenticity:
• Printed in two colors on heavy paper
• Pinhole perforated divisions
• Signed by the artist

Edition Information:
• Publisher: Pressure Priniting
• Year of Release: 2005
• Print Dimensions: 30" x 30"
• Edition Size: 13 sets of 3
• Artist's Proofs: 3 sets of 3
• Printer Proofs: 6 sets of 3
• Bon à tirer: 1 set of 3

The Four Reasons: Production Notes

2004-03-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Jim Woodring
The Four Reasons

---

The portfolio exterior:
• Custom duplex stock created for the portfolio
• Elegant diecut flap and portfolio opening
• Beautiful sculpted emboss of Jim's "4" logo onthe flap
• Red suede ribbon tie

Inside the portfolio:
• Gold flecked red paper with an elaborate pattern by Brad Keech

The prints:
• Hand pressed images made from Jim's four original drawings
• Handmade paper from Twinrocker
• Rich shop mix Black ink

The colophon:
• Biographies of Jim Woodring, Brad Keech, and Pressure Printing
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Printed in 2 colors on a rich velum paper

The story:
• Jim Woodring's story about "The Four Reasons"
• Printed in 2 colors on a rich velum paper

Unattainable Beauty (deluxe): Production Notes

2003-12-01T11:21:00.001-07:00

Gary Baseman
Unattainable Beauty (deluxe)

---

The Box Exterior:
• Aluminum box with welded and ground corners
• Baseman logo is laser cut out of the lid revealing the interior flap
• The finish is a protective powder coat

Inside the Box:
• The aluminum flap seen through the lid is hinged to the box base
and is powder coated bright red with a yellow silk screened illustration
and blue silk screened lettering
• The box interior is also powder coated

The Accordion Print Holder:
• Accordion is adhered to the flap and unfolds when the flap is lifted
• Accordion is made of unque black coated paper
• Each spread has a silver foil stamped title and Baseman quote
• The last spread has an additional foil stamped original illustration

The Prints:
• Hand pressed images made from Gary's five original drawings
• Thick handmade paper by Twinrocker of Indiana
• Custom blue ink

The Colophon:
• Biographies of Gary Baseman, Brad Keech, and Pressure Printing
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Printed on the back is yet another original illustration

Unattainable Beauty (simple): Production Notes

2003-12-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Gary Baseman
Unattainable Beauty (simple)

---

The portfolio folder:
• Custom die-cut black folder with foil stamped logo.

The prints:
• Red Foil Stamped images made from Gary's five original drawings
• Rives BFK print making paper.

The story and colophon:
• Same as deluxe version without the additional illustration. Colophon is signed by Gary Baseman.

Carousel of Souls (simple): Production Notes

2003-10-01T11:21:00.001-06:00

Glenn Barr
Carousel of Souls (simple)

---

The portfolio folder:
• Custom die-cut black folder with foil stamped logo.

The prints:
• Letterpressed images made from Glenn's six original drawings
• Rives BFK print making paper.
• Custom sepia ink

The story and colophon:
• Same as deluxe version. Colophon is signed by Glenn Barr.

Carousel of Souls (deluxe): Production Notes

2003-10-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Glenn Barr
Carousel of Souls (deluxe)

---

The box exterior:
• Handmade pine box with dovetail joints
• Hand-stained and finished in a deep blue
• Top and sides silkscreened with the "Carousel of Souls" logo
• Hand-distressed surfaces
• Satin urethane finish
• Brass hardware

Inside the box:
• Hand-painted gold wood liner
• Color giclee print of Glenn's original title painting lining the inside cover

The portfolio folder:
• Custom die-cut black folder
• Embossed and foil stamped eye illustration

The story:
• Glenn Barr's enigmatic story of the "Carousel of Souls"

The prints:
• Hand pressed images made from Glenn's six original drawings
• Handmade paper
• Custom sepia ink

The colophon:
• Biographies of Glenn Barr, Brad Keech, and Pressure Printing
• Signed certificate of authenticity