czech matchbook labels

I finally scanned in more of my czech matchbook labels (all uncut sheets) from the 50s an 60s. See them on flickr! ohlallala!

where did I come from?

Had to get a picture of these hilariously illustrated endpapers found in:
Where did I come from?
by Peter Mayle / Illustrated by Arthur Robbins / Designed by Paul Walter

I'm due on April Fools' Day—no joke!

k records studio tour

From my archives:
K records!

I just uncovered these photos that I shot while traveling with two friends, back in 98. My friend Barb set up a visit to K records in Olympia which was a incredible! The person working at K—unfortunately, I can't remember the name—graciously gave us a grand tour of the storeroom and the huge upstairs recording studio, which I believe used to be an old dancehall?? The walls were covered with these incredible characters and markings from the 40s. I've scoured the internet today trying to find information—I'm unsure if these artifacts still remain? Hopefully they were't painted over.

I wish my photos were better quality, but you get the picture. a few more on my flickr site.

it's friday

and nearly 32°F!

back into the cave?

Protect the Environment.

more uploaded today!

folklore, sweets, white hart +

It's this kind of day.

We start back to school on Monday——break seemed shorter this year. BUT, in 15 weeks I will officially be on sabbatical! then lot's of time for making and searching.

I just updated another set of uncut matchbook sheets to the wonderful world of flickr.

cafe wallpaper

Check out these wallpapers found in our very own, Minneapolis College of Art and Design's cafeteria! Recently, I asked my Intro to Graphic Design students to engage with their local environment & beautify it. Their wallpaper patterns had to address subject matter, narrative, sequence, scale and image
quality——they definitely rose to the task; each of them created 6ft strips of amazing pattern!

Work by: Lottie Anderson, Sydney Appleton, Racquel Banaszak, Clint Bohaty, Kelsey Dusenka, Kelsey Elder, Laura Hedrick, Abbey Freundschuh, Aurelia Gustafson, Samuel Hertogs, Mina Jang, Chad Lorence, Sherri Mueller, Heather Nguyen, Emily Pope, Keith Possehl, Olivia Rodriguez, Lauren Sidell and Heather Tubwon

record guild

where is my muffin man?! I'm loving these googly eyed illustrations.
happy friday!

More cardboard kiddie records here.
and a whole lot more here.

The Record Guild of America, Inc.
NYC

dear anna:

EEEKS, it's been a long time between postings. I've been swamped with teaching, getting organized and the day-to-day. Recently, I discovered a slew of my scanned ephemera on an old external harddrive of mine. Perhaps you'll enjoy this sampling of leather cards as much as I do. hope everything is going swimmingly with you all!

all addressed to anna.
most date between 1905-1907.

more cards from my collection here!

pioneer

Pioneer childrens magazine from Estonia. It kinda reminds me of an outdoorsie Highlights. Aren't the illustrations superb! + I love the off-registered printing on the gem stamps.

To see more please visit my flickr.

ANCIENT MAN

I'm very fond of this book.

Ancient Man
The Beginning of Civilizations

Written and Drawn and Done into Color by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, A.B., PH.D.
New York. Boni & Liveright. 1920


and his Dedication:

To HANSJE AND WILLEM.

My darling boys,

You are twelve and eight years old. Soon you will be grown up. You will leave home and begin your own lives. I have been thinking about that day, wondering what I could do to help you. At last, I have had an idea. The best compass is a thorough understanding of the growth and the experience of the human race. Why should I not write a special history for you?

So I took my faithful Corona and five bottles of ink and a box of matches and a bale of paper and began to work upon the first volume. If all goes well there will be eight more and they will tell you what you ought to know of the last six thousand years.

But before you start to read let me explain what I intend to do.

I am not going to present you with a textbook. Neither will it be a volume of pictures. It will not even be a regular history in theaccepted sense of the word.

I shall just take both of you by the hand and together we shall wander forth to explore the intricate wilderness of the bygone ages.

I shall show you mysterious rivers which seem to come from nowhere and which are doomed to reach no ultimate destination.

I shall bring you close to dangerous abysses, hidden carefully beneath a thick overgrowth of pleasant but deceiving romance.

Here and there we shall leave the beaten track to scale a solitary and
lonely peak, towering high above the surrounding country.

Unless we are very lucky we shall sometimes lose ourselves in a sudden and dense fog of ignorance.

Wherever we go we must carry our warm cloak of human sympathy and understanding for vast tracts of land will prove to be a sterile desert--swept by icy storms of popular prejudice and personal greed and unless we come well prepared we shall forsake our faith in humanity and that, dear boys, would be the worst thing that could happen to any
of us.

I shall not pretend to be an infallible guide. Whenever you have a chance, take counsel with other travelers who have passed along the same route before. Compare their observations with mine and if this leads you to different conclusions, I shall certainly not be angry with you.

I have never preached to you in times gone by.

I am not going to preach to you today.

You know what the world expects of you--that you shall do your share of the common task and shall do it bravely and cheerfully.

If these books can help you, so much the better.

And with all my love I dedicate these histories to you and to the boys and girls who shall keep you company on the voyage through life.

HENDRIK WILLEM VAN LOON.

healthy living

more matchbook labels from my collection here. plus, a little history.

wow, this is my 499th post! give away to follow?!

take care!

I'm vacationing here in philly! whoooothoo!

although, this was taken at the mn state fair, it feel like here.

ulimate puzzle

sorting and hunting for the perfect components and the puzzle-esque setup is surely my favorite part of the letterpress process; I'll save polymer plates/printing for professionals. PLUS, overprinting and experimenting with colors is quite seductive — i do love the element of chance. Once i pull the sheet off the press, i'm quite disinterested with the final thing.

i'm onto new press experiments inspired by this great site (found via manystuff).

young rats

A little Calder and a couple spreads from Three Young Rats by Alexander Calder. Just all around awesome!

The book was first published in 1944 in an edition of 60 copies with an original drawing & signed by Calder as well as an edition of 700 copies. I recently purchased a 2nd edition published by Museum of Modern Art, 1946.

Scans are from my book and photographs found here and here.