These pictures were taken in March on our way home from a vacation. We were at the Buffalo International Airport on our way to pick up our luggage and there in front of us was a display of letterpress broadsides! I made my family take a detour from getting our luggage so that I could have a look. The Western New York Book Arts Centre were given a small retail space to set up a display promoting the Centre. Cool! It made me think that Buffalo was a pretty cool place to have this in their airport! A few weeks later, at Wayzgoose, I talked to some of the people representing the Centre and they assured me that Buffalo was not a cool place - except for the WNYBAC. The work coming out of there is pretty amazing and it looks like they have a great resource of type to use. Hopefully I'll get to go there someday soon. By the way, Richard Kegler who is affiliated with the WNYBAC, has a documentary film called "Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century". It documents the work of Canadian graphic designer, Jim Rimmer, who was also a type designer, caster, and letterpress craftsman.

I bought a copy of Richard's documentary at Wayzgoose but I haven't watched it yet as I want to watch it in the right company - meaning not with our daughter!

Toronto Mini Maker Faire This Weekend!

This weekend is the first Toronto Mini Maker Faire. It started in the U.S. in 2006. It is now held all over the U.S., Britain, Africa and now Canada. The Toronto Mini Maker Faire is being held this Saturday and Sunday at the Evergreen Brickworks on Bayview Ave.

"Makers" are people at any level who are dedicated to the act of creating in that DIY style. The Faires are a chance to bring "makers" and the public together to share ideas, create collaborations, create new projects, come up with new ideas as well as compare notes. It's not just Artists and crafters! It's scientists, hackers, musicians, filmmakers, writers, architects, engineers, etc.

I'll be there demonstrating letterpress printing (old fashion DIY!) and I'm hoping that I'll have time to look around. There are going to be 3-D printers, snowflake cameras (?), and robots! It's a family event and it looks like there will be some really cool, mind expanding things for children to try.

Check out the website for participants, directions and other cool info: http://makerfairetoronto.ca/about/

Happy people printing!

I've been a bit sloppy in remembering to post photos that I've taken during workshops. Sorry to all my students who have not seen their photos here!

I find it amazing and really wonderful what participants come up with in a very short time for letterpress projects! No photopolymers. Just old school cuts, engravings, wood type and metal type. Take a look...

Erin printing a small edition book cover.