The Fork and Broom Press

The heating was the last to be fitted before the break over the Christmas-New Year period, and is now working well in the bindery and in the printroom. In the latter paint still is drying on the walls and on the floor. And on 19 January the first heavy weight is moving in: the KORREX Hannover.

Next is the Grafix proof press and one by one the type cabinets are sorted in to the printroom in their planned order.

Our large entrance door to the house is in the east facing gable wall. Gale force winds from the east kept pushing the old door open and we had to place a palette against it on the inside to keep it shut. On 9 February our beautiful new green door is being fitted in. The day is frosty but the gusty wind from the east has eased, which is good when one has a hole almost 10 square metres in the wall for most of the day.

As one of the many events on European Arts- and Crafts-Days Calendar, the studio opens under its new name „The Fork and Broom Press“ in early April. This is also the first open day at LandArt-Station 5.16 which happens to be the studio‘s placing on the regional art trail. There are five art trails, or LandArt-Routes, in the rural district of Minden-Lübbecke, connecting some 70 stations. Amongst them are museums, outdoor theatres, arts studios and arts+crafts workplaces. Route No. 5 runs between Rahden, Espelkamp, Lübbecke and Stemwede and, from now on, my printmaking studio is part of it, as a new addition. The rural district, which calls itself Mill-District, due to the many windmills that are still around, introduces all LandArt-Routes and their stations on its website and includes an events calendar listing what is to be experienced at the various stations. This year there is a LandArt-Festival, and the studio will be open in the summer offering printing for all visitors on a manual proof press. The special theme of the festival is „wind“, and I design a linocut that can be used to construct a kite, I also provide a how-to-do-it manual.

In July we find three tiny baby hares left at the foot of our newly planted apple tree. They will not be the only hare babies that are born on our meadow over the years.

In September I can take part in a first basket weaving workshop with Kerstin Eikmeier at her workplace. After some heavy rain we find puddles of water in the printroom, which is obvious proof that the roof is leaking. This needs to be promptly fixed and we have to replace part of the roof in the back section of the barn, something that was not at all on our schedule.

In late September we plan one more tour with a rented van to pick up bulky items like the carpenter‘s bench and a worktable for welding, which is still sitting at my mother‘s place near Stuttgart. Then there is news that another school needs to clear its printmaking department. We rent a bigger van and psyche ourselves up to do more heavy lifting. There is a hand platen press with aged rollers as well. There are some very nicely styled old type cabinets and a few rather special typefaces, one called Mediäval and one called Eilschrift. Thankfully the school‘s caretaker is very helpful, we are ever so grateful for this since we are both dealing with a head cold.

In early November we plant the trees and shrubs for our free growing hedge along the road, amongst them sea-buckthorn, golden rain and rowan. It is an autumn with a decent amount of rain, which is very much appreciated. The region is known to be more on the dry side and the soil on our property is mostly sand. The plan is to turn the large meadow into a garden that will give many species a permanent place to thrive.

I have good working knowledge from studying Botany and Soil Science as well as practical experience from assignments in nature conservation, thus the proper foundation for this task ahead. With the planned garden right at our front door, printmaking in the studio and ecological work in the garden will move closer together. The respective tasks will need to be intertwined and well matched with the prevailing weather conditions.

Meanwhile work has started in the printroom for the first ever artist‘s book to be produced at the new studio: No. 4 in the series „Manarah“.

Briefly noted:

Being part of LandArt-Kulturfestival in Landkreis Minden-Lübbecke

Exhibiting at Tausendschön at Preußen-Museum in Minden

Exhibiting at 6th Biennale Buchkunst Weimar

Contact

LandArt-Routes in Mill-District

Bundesverband Kunsthandwerk (BK): European Arts- and Cratfs-Days

Biennale Buchkunst Weimar: Atelier G – Gudrun Illert

 

To be continued on 29 May 2024