Welcome to the studio, Mason!

Last Saturday was an exciting day at the studio. Mason, our new foster press was delivered! After months of trying to co-ordinate between Sigrid, Craig and I, it finally came together! Mason ( a Vandercook SP15 that is rumoured to once have belonged to a famous Canadian writer that current mayor Rob Ford had never heard of ) was delivered to it's new long term temporary home at KOZO Studio. Along with Mason, Sigrid also gave me several boxes filled with various ornaments, leading, rules, metal display type and ink to use with Mason! Thank you Sigrid! I'll keep it all safe for your working visits to the studio.

It was a beautiful day for moving Mason. The last thing you want to do is movie a big press made of steel in the rain! As you can see from the photos we had lots of sun, a little bit of a breeze and a nice fall temperature! Thanks to Craig Black, Nick Kennedy and Albert Kwon for doing the pick up and delivery! Next time I have to remember to have more Coca Cola around.

So, right now the studio is in a state of disarray. Well, more than usual disarray! I've been sorting leads, cleaning and sorting ornaments, finding space for type and moving big pieces of furniture around (with the help of Ken and Albert - thank you, guys).  Now that all the press stuff and moving is settled I'll be able to start workshops again next week. Not sure how the new floor layout will work in terms of flow. Hopefully it will be fine. It ain't easy moving cases of lead and heavy metal presses around! We'll see how it goes.

Nick and Craig moving Mason onto the hydraulic cart.
Nick's new Universal Press is behind him.

Nick  and Albert posing on the hydraulic lift!

Lift down and now To move Mason onto the sidewalk...

...with a handy piece of flat steel to use as a ramp. 

The cool edge pry/lift-y thing helping craig get Mason onto the sidewalk.

There's Mason on the sidewalk.
Sorry guys. Mason is not going to walk into the studio on it's own!

WAYZGOOSE Time!

It's that time of year again! Wayzgoose is happening in Grimsby, Ontario on Saturday April 24th from 10 am - 5 pm. There is no admission fee and you'll get to look at some amazing book arts works! Most of the exhibitors have things for sale, also! I always spend too much!

I was absent last year because of the death of our son, but I'll definitely be there this year. Hope some of you can make it out!!

Back at it! Workshop update.

Last week was my first time teaching a workshop at my studio in over a year. I was really nervous. I was sure I would forget some piece of vital information that people needed to know for doing Letterpress!

I didn't need to worry... all went fine. The participants were really great and enthusiastic! I love meeting new people who have similar interests. Everyone who takes the workshop seems to have a love of old type, fine paper, books or a combination of the three. Of course I love all three. Don't ask me about font names though. I come from a fine art background! I just look at the type and chose by how it looks... the short, fat font with the rounded serifs are good!

Thank you to the people who participated in last weeks workshop. You made my return to teaching a wonderful and relaxing experience!

Workshop update:

Intro. to letterpress ($ 90.00)

Fri. Jan. 22 from 1 - 4 pm (full)
Sat Jan. 23 from 10 - 1 pm (full)
Sat. Feb. 6 from 10 - 1 pm (full)
Fri. Feb. 12 from 1 - 4 pm (cancelled)
Sat. Feb. 20 from 10 - 1 pm (full)

Letterpress 1 ($ 175.00)

Sun. Jan. 24 from 10 - 4 pm (1 space left)
Fri. Jan. 29 from 10 - 4 pm (full)
Fri. Feb. 19 from 10 - 4 pm
Sun. Feb. 28 from 10 - 4 pm (full)

Japanese Wood Block Workshop Nov. 23 & 30

For those of you that attended the Mokuhanga exhibition at the Japan Foundation in Toronto, here is a chance to try your hand at creating your own mokuhanga print. You will have seen Elizabeth Forrest's work at the exhibition, she was a student of Kurosaki sensei, and before that she was a printmaking instructor at OCAD.
If you jhaven't seen the 'Wood, Water, Paper, MOKUHANGA' exhibition, it is on until Nov. 15, 2008 at the Japan Foundation located at Bloor and Bay on the 2nd floor.

Check out:
www.elizabethforrest.ca
www.mokuhangatoronto.com/whatis.html


NENGA JOU MOKUHANGA WORKSHOP
Year of the Cow 2009
CREATE A JAPANESE NEW YEAR CARD and at the same time learn the basics of MOKUHANGA with instructor, Elizabeth Forrest.

Learn reduction carving and printing with at least 2 colours using waterbased pigments to create a small edition of new years cards. Please come with a “cow” idea or sketch. Plan for a 14 x 9 cm image.

DATES
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30,2008
From 10am – 4:30pm
Week one is for carving, week two is for learning to print.
LOCATION
KOZO STUDIO GALLERY, 257 Broadview Ave at
Dundas St. East, Toronto (formerly at the Distillery)
FEES
$95 + $15 for materials (woodlock, papers, pigments)
Good quality, authentic tools provided: carving tools, hake brushes, barens. NOTE: 10% off for cheques received before November 20th

Register now to avoid disappointment. For further information and to register: email Elizabeth at torontoprints@gmail.com.

PS Yes, Akemi Nishidera is still at KOZO, but I’m helping out a little more this time. EF

Year of the Rat Print Show

It's almost Year of the Rat!!
Several of us that took Liz Forrest's Japanese wood block printing workshop have our rat prints in the Print show at Proof.
I used to have a studio across the hall from them in Toronto's Distillery District. It's been one year since I moved to my new diggs and I love it!
Go see the show!

Woodblock printing workshop with E. Forrest

Japanese Wood Block Printing Workshop

JANUARY 24TH AND 29TH , 6 - 9 PM


We're scheduling a Japanese woodblock workshop over these two evenings and they will essentially be the same content as for the previously advertised nenga jou workshop (* see below). You'll be carving and printing a Japanese (or Chinese) new years card based on the Year of the Mouse or NEZUMI in Japanese. So if you'd like to participate you can start planning a mouse or rat theme for your print.

Rather than be restricted to postcard size, however, I thought I'd introduce making a folded card so you have a bit more room to play with the image and greater latitude for registering your paper.

Your maximum image size will be about 4 x 6 inches for one face of a card,
using washi to print on or 4.5 x 8 if you want to make a single sheet image or anything within those dimensions. I'll bring envelopes so you can be sure they fit.

We will aim for a two colour print - you'll be more likely to accomplish this if you have at least a black and white negative/positive image to start with.

$90/student (plus $10 for washi payable on day of class)



*Every year the Japanese celebrate the New Year by making their own “nenga jo”, or new year’s cards, to send to their friends. Usually the cards depict the animal whose year it is, and nenga jo are remarkable for their range of inventive, personalized images. 2008, will be the Year of the Rat. This animal has a lovely name in Japanese - "nezumi".

Printmaker, Elizabeth Forrest, is offering a 2 day work shop in the Kozo Studio for students to create their own nenga jo to send to relatives and friends.

Bring a cute or scary rat image to the class. After working it into a carve-able design and transferring it to a block, you will carve the image. Students will then learn the basics of Japanese style waterbased printing enabling them to print a series of cards on japanese washi paper.

We have been invited submit them to the International Year of the Rat Exhibition at Proof Gallery!

Registration Information
Payment is by cash, visa or cheque. If you wish to pay in person please call or e-mail me to set up a time to visit the studio. Payment is required upon registration to guarantee a space in the workshop. For more information contact Akemi at KOZO Studio/Gallery or kozostudio@gmail.com or tel: 416-214-1882