I actually just finished carving this block, but here is a photo of it half completed.

The original version of this creature can be found in the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, a Flemish manuscript illuminated circa 1440. He appears in the bottom, right-hand corner of the page depicting St. Augustine (p. 245).

The original grotesque’s size is quite tiny:

1 1/8”w x 1 1/4”h

I have enlarged my little creature to 4″x4″ and given more definition. I also provided him with instruments of imprisonment.

The other little change I made was to carve him on linoleum rather than my usual resingrave. In the past I have always disliked linoleum. I find it just like carving a big eraser. There is much less control and it is much more difficult to create tiny details. The one benefit to linoleum is that it is MUCH easier to carve way large blank areas.

My experience carving this grotesque reaffirmed my dislike of linoleum, but it did take me much less time to carve than it otherwise would have.

I will post more pictures soon!

Thanks to Erin from SouthernTwistedSoaps!

My Heian Shrine print appears on page 21 of the printed version (and page 23 of the online edition). I am not sure what is going on with the pagination, but it is very exciting to be included nevertheless!

You can check out the rest of the catalog online here:

http://www.imcclains.com/documents/2012McClainsCatalog.pdf

Thanks McClain’s! You rock!

Check them out, and show them some Etsy love:

And number two:

You can pick up your very own “Zodiac” print in my Etsy Shop to commemorate the holiday!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more

This blog post is actually to support a smaller voice. Kelly Tankersley from Etsy’s 88editions has created a wonderful Treasury in support of Black Out Day. It is a fabulous collection. Check it out, favorite it, and spread the word!

Recently ‘Obama for America’ held an art contest to find a poster to promote the American Jobs Act. For those who don’t know, the American Jobs Act is a bill that President Obama proposed to Congress in mid-late 2011 that would create a lot of new jobs through infrastructure projects and tax cuts (I’m not quite sure how the tax cuts will put people back to work, but it is part of the bill). And anything that helps put Americans back to work is a good thing in my book. In any case, Congress has yet to pass it.

So, the Obama campaign designed a contest wherein artists could submit posters that show support for the American Jobs Act. Here’s where the letterpress come in. The winner of the contest is Philadelphia artist, Amanda Benton. Her poster was inspired by antique letterpress broadside posters.

Benton explained her stylistic choice: “The whole idea was to bring more attention to the American Jobs Act and get people involved. And the text on my poster included all the themes we could choose from. I like the whole idea of [the American Jobs Act]. So, I thought it should have a broadside important announcement feel to it.”

You can buy a copy of Amanda’s poster in the ‘Obama for America’ store here.

Amanda says she is excited about winning the contest. She wants her poster to highlight the current economic problems and help the process of recovery. “I like the whole idea that it would be a good kick-starter for the economy and getting people back to work,” she says. “Other than the Jobs Act, there hasn’t been much of an effort to do that. It’s very typical of Obama to make a compromise between Democrats and Republicans—and the American Jobs Act involves ideas that both parties have supported in the past.”

Amanda’s prize, however, was less inspring. For her effort, Amanda received a framed copy of the poster signed by President Obama. Yes folks, that’s it. No monetary reward, no art or research grant, no job offer. Just a signed poster. Did anyone in Washington D.C. think about the fact that they were trying to support the American JOBS Act when they settled on the contest reward? How does a signature help stimulate the economy?

Amanda is making the best of it though. She says, “getting a framed and signed copy of it is awesome. It would be awesome if I got paid for it, but if it helps promote the Jobs Act and it gets passed through, that alone would be a great payoff for me.”

In the 1930s FDR rolled out his New Deal plans that employed hundreds of people across the country. This included artists. Mural artists painted post offices and courthouses, and the Federal Theater Project employed actors, writers, and production hands. And these are just two examples of the artist programs.

While it seems almost impossible that any type of New Deal will pass Congress today, it is nice to hope. And the least the ‘Obama for America’ folks could have done was to offer Ms. Benton $100 for her trouble.

The up side to all this is that Letterpress continues to inspire. The traditional beauty of the broadside highlights the poster’s message and puts a smile on your face.

References:
Interview quotes from: Randy LoBasso, “Meet Amanda Benton, the Philly Artist Who Won the Barack Obama ‘Art Works’ Contest,” The Philadelphia Weekly, Dec. 27, 2011. LINK

American Jobs Act: Wikipedia Link

The New Deal: Wikipedia Link

Each store has their own promotional methods. To get free shopping from me, Porcuprints, just go to Etsy, add a print to your cart, and enter coupon code FREESHIPDAY2011 at checkout!

To go directly to my Etsy Store, click the Etsy logo!

You can also click on the free shipping day badge to see all the other wonderful online shops participating in this event.

My attendance was as a shopper, not a seller. I wanted to check it out and it did not disappoint. Some old favorites of mine were there, like Fortress Letterpress, and many local artists who I have never seen before!

However shallow it may make me seem, I did arrive early to get one of the “goodie bags” for the first 150 people. The bag included some letterpress cards and postcards, which I was excited about. It also had a couple of pairs of earrings, and some magnets, all of which are going to make great Christmas presents!

The Framework Design Lab had a surprisingly fresh booth that stood out to me. The Framework Design Lab is actually a graphic design student group of Oregon State University that was luck enough to be accepted into the show. It was great to see students getting their work and creativity out there! You can learn more about the group here: http://frameworkdesignlab.tumblr.com/

The only thing I purchased was a felt bacon Christmas ornament from PickleThings. It is truly adorable! I bought it as a present, and I have already wrapped it up, or I would have taken a picture of it.

All in all, it was a great craft show and I would definitely go again. Hopefully next year I will have the ability to enter as a seller, instead.

For more on Crafty Wonderland, check out their website here: http://craftywonderland.com/

And to see a list of other vendors who attended the show: http://craftywonderland.com/vendors/