DWRI LETTERPRESS
Dan Wood [1994, Printmaking]
Alums also at DWRI:
Lois Harada [2010, Printmaking] +
Hope Anderson [2013, Printmaking]
Based in Providence, RI
DWRI Letterpress is a custom letterpress shop based in Providence, RI. We specialize in fine art edition printing, stationery, pencils and paper goods. DWRI is a team of three RISD alumni balancing traditional letterpress techniques with a contemporary aesthetic.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I’ve always been interested in multiples and began working as a press operator in commercial offset lithographic printing for ten years after art school. I was also printing my own work on letterpress presses at the same time and founded Garbaszawa Press in 1994 to print a mix of letterpress and offset books and print for myself and other artists. I reestablished the business in 2002 as DWRI Letterpress focusing solely on commercial letterpress printing. There are so many printers and printmakers who have inspired me along the way, but particularly artist’s like Saul Steinberg who worked on that line between fine art and world and the world off mass production.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
We’re excited to debut our new line of cards for all occasions or just everyday. We’ve also got some great new notecards and stationery sets as well as some editioned art prints from shop and in collaboration with local artists.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
We had a spotlight feature in the summer in the Providence Business News. It was a great platform to share our work and has led to some interesting follow up calls.
Dan has had work featured in Art in Print, a publication specializing in fine art printing. His print “Emanuel 9” has also been purchased by Wheaton College.
Hope completed a stunning animation for local band Mountainess earlier this year. Doe-Eyed Nightling is available to view online and Mountainess performs with a recently released side scrolling animation also designed and produced by Hope.
Lois completed a show at World’s Fair Gallery of two color letterpress prints in June.
To see more from DWRI visit dwriletterpress.net
ColorQuarry
Amanda McCorkle
[1998, Graphic Design]
Based in Providence, RI
ColorQuarry’s RISD Craft Gallery
From enchanted forests to underwater seascapes, ColorQuarry, an award-winning design studio hailing from Providence, RI, creates customized one-of-a-kind paper goods fit for the avant-garde. Inspired by the birth of her daughter, Amanda set out to create something that captured the essence of each client’s unique & individual joy. Pairing the centuries-old craft of letterpress printing with her classical training as a graphic designer, Amanda works with her customers to ensure each hand-printed piece is its own mystical nugget of art.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Some of my most important practices aren’t practices at all… I find I sometimes get my best ideas/inspiration while I’m just out doing other things! I’ll see a random piece of typography that creates a spark of an idea, or a couple of colors I’ve never seen together, and pull out my sketchbook to write it down!
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I spent my time at RISD doing a lot of hand drawn sketches before taking my ideas to the computer. I still do a lot of hand drawing before I get to the computer to create my custom stationery pieces!
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I love children’s books from the sixties & seventies! I also LOVE all of the old WPA posters from the thirties & forties– they are design perfection.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I’m excited to have new silk screened posters. Usually i just carry letterpress stationery & small woodblock prints, but this fall I will also have posters!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I recently designed & illustrated the book cover for Tenemental, a funny novel about a single woman owning a triple decker house in Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood. It was chosen as one of Oprah Magazine’s Summer’s Best Books!
To see more of Amanda’s work, visit colorquarry.etsy.com