Penland, A Winter Visit
At the end of my winter break I took a road trip from the snows of Iowa to the calm sun of Tybee Island, GA (for kayaking and citrus trees). Along the way I stopped off for a couple days near Penland School of Crafts. (Post disclaimer, I worked for Penland for a few years.)
For the past few years Penland has hosted a winter residency for artists working in printmaking and letterpress. They also host one-week and eight-week classes in Spring and Fall, as well as summer one to two week classes. Penland holds a special place in my heart, not just because of the years I spent there, but also because they have rich programming that supports artists at various phases of their careers.
When I paid a visit this winter, Emily Arthur and Rory Sparks were helping the first group of winter residents. Emily’s group focused on intaglio techniques. Here are some photos of the work they completed and of Penland’s Paul Hayden Duensing Letterpress and Printmaking Studio.
Printmaking studio
Lithos ON WHEELS, ready for some off-roading (not really)
- Ink storage and the fan that guards it
Print by Charlie Coates
Print by Emily Arthur
Print by Brooke Vertin
Print by Hanneke Relyea
Print by Martha Park
The print wall in the pass-through
Digital tools in the pass-through between the two studios
A print that welcomes Penland neighbor Edwina Bringle’s new corgi puppy Cricket to the family
A hand printed announcement for the school’s schedule of scholarship auctions
More hand printed announcements, this one asks for volunteers for the annual benefit auction
Print celebrating the fabulous bacon cuisine of Penland’s (Big) John Renick
Penland’s letterpress studio has a pinwheel of four Vandercook presses
The schedule board
The view on a foggy winter day
One artist set up a correspondence table in the letterpress studio.
Greetings and salutations for correspondence
The studio has lovely light
Thank you for highlighting this wonderful program–and Rory and Emily!
Thank you for adding a creative surge to my morning!
chris dacre likes!
What a great blog post! It’s a great space and I know the students love it. I wish I had access to that growing up!