Turntable Tuesday : Plum Delicious

Plums or Prunus domestica or double the size of a popcorn and we’ve got Empress Italian Plums. A dinner party hit to end a season and begin another. Literally have kilos of this fruit just outside the doorstep and although I love to eat them as is, why not explore everything plum?  A fun way to entertain guests and maybe even surprise them!

Turntable Studio Tunes : Hearty

As the name suggests, Turntable Tuesday is about what I’ve been listening to in the studio, sources of inspirational tunes, but I’ll start to highlight the “table" in the turntable part of the title too. What’s been cooking, as most creatives love to cook or at the least have a good bite and a glass of something nice to be inspired. Italy, has plenty of this to offer and more. Many here have awesome gardens with seasonal goodies. 

Artisanal Fair Italia :: Letterpress Demonstration

This is a special time of year as I get to spend it with the guys at the printing museum collaborating on the organization of the Artigianato (artisanal fair) 10-16 August. There will be two letterpress printing posts outside in our lovely Piazza Maggiore in the historic part of Mondovì. At one post Pirouette Press and Claudio Mandella of 9PT will pay homage to pop artist Andy Warhol by printing up some letterpress postcards with some infamous quotes by yours truly. I was moved by Warhol because of his willingness to mix it up and experiment with various mediums, including film, and techniques like printing.

These are the results of our 2 day homage to Andy Warhol -- great fun!

Turntable Tuesday : Homage to Andy Warhol : 2 Day Letterpress Print Performance

I’ve revisited Andy Warhol, who celebrated a birthday on the 6th of August, and plan a two day letterpress print performance with friend Claudio Mandella from 9PT (14-15 August, 2013 Mondovì, Italy). This is a homage to a fantastic artist--not to be mistaken as an Abstract Expressionist, but the purveyor of Pop Art. Warhol had the cool capacity to make his objects d’art "un-unique". Common sources Warhol used in his works in fact came from reproductions from popular American culture like advertisements, hollywood icons and newspaper clippings.

Heinz 57  limited ed. letterpress postcards

Motorcycle Letterpress :: Concept Menu

letterpress cover menù and flat print business cards & table tent

What do motorcyles and letterpress have in common? This was a concept menu for a neighborhood pizzeria, Due Pistoni, whose owner is a, you guessed it, a Harley Davidson rider. Added to the overall design were elements that gave the menu that "maintenance manual" touch. Screws are used to hold together the booklet and included is the local’s logo on the bike. Inside, there's a quote I found at Our Harley Days blog, translated from English to Italian-thanks to Vicki Downing for summing it up, “Our Rides... Our Adventures... Our Family and Friends... Traveling free and easy down a road that never ends...”. The cover is 100% letterpress while the inside of the menu was flat printed.

Cosa hanno in comune le motociclette e il letterpress? Questo è stato un menù per una pizzeria del quartiere, Due Pistoni, il cui proprietario è un  ... avete indovinato, un pilota di Harley Davidson.  Aggiunti al disegno complessivo sono stati gli elementi che hanno dato il menu che tocco "manuale di manutenzione". Le viti vengono utilizzate per tenere insieme il libretto ed è incluso il logo del locale sulla moto. All'interno, c'è una citazione che ho trovato su Il nostro blog "Harley Days", tradotto da Inglese a Italiano, grazie a Vicki Downing per riassumere in, "il nostro Giri ... Le nostre avventure ... La nostra famiglia e gli amici ... Viaggia libero e tranquilli per una strada che non finisce mai ... ". Copertina del menu 100% letterpress.

Turntable Tuesday :: Country Sunsets

I’m one of those people that say, I don’t like country but I like old country... are you one of those too? So this type of music is pretty good at putting things back in their place, or when a little courage is needed to get things done. I’ve come to understand running your own studio, or your own anything for that matter takes a healthy dose of what makes you happy everyday, like sunsets. This week I’ve been summoning Texas originals (native myself) to remind me of those simple things in life.
Studio Tunes:
Waylon Jennings “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys"
Waylon Jennings “Luckenback Texas”
Hank Williams (cover by Wookalily) “Ramblin' Man"
Willie Nelson and friends “Roll Me Up"