Rare Prints Gallery!

We took a field trip to Rare Prints Gallery in Downtown Franklin off of Main Street. This was the first time that I went into this shop, so it was nice to discover something new!

The speaker that briefed us on the history of the gallery was very informational. She described how the process of some of the prints were accomplished and also pointed out some great artists such as Audubon! It was very interesting to hear!

There are 20 foot ceilings in this gallery and as you can see, the walls are taken up with these ornithological prints from ceiling to floor. Some of them I thought were pretty intricate and was told that it took a while for the printer to accomplish their design because of how the prints were accomplished. They are very time consuming because each color is done separately.

I absolutely loved staring at these rare prints up close. It was quite amazing how in detail each of them were...You can really appreciate their true art when you actually stop to appreciate their beauty!

It's quite amazing how rare these prints really are...being that they have been restored from the 1500's to the 1900's. Each one being unique in their own way. They have collections from John J. 
Audubon, John Gould, William Curtis and Giovanni Piranesi just t0 name a few. Oh how breathtaking!

The quality of their pieces are quite brilliant!! For being as old as they are, they have been very well maintained and you can tell how rare they are by their prices!! You need to have a jingle in your pocket in order to afford these rare prints!! There are a few that are $15 and above, small though, but still wonderful! 


As you can see, just picking up a print and holding it was enough satisfaction for me to appreciate how much they really were! I think this one sold for $1200! 


There's a lot of history behind these prints, you wouldn't think so at first, but you can really tell the pride that was placed in each one...They are gorgeous to look at, so you should step in and take a peek.

Breathtaking!

This is a very special journal that my sister gave to me when I moved to Tennessee in June 2010. I think it is the most beautiful book that I own! If you look at the details of this book, it's pretty amazing. I am thinking its a Celtic design because of the obvious cross on the cover. There is also a design in the center of the cross that is really interesting! The art work is breathtaking...I mean, just look at that amazing detail in the center of the cross. There are inscriptions in each corner...I'm not sure what it means or it's significance, but it's definitely something to look into! There are green, gold, red, and blue foil decorations as well that are placed all throughout the design.


The journal opens with a magnetic flap that is designed to be 'hidden' on the cover. What a creative idea. The inner color of the journal is gold, going with the overall look of this masterpiece!


The inside of the journal has blank pages...I have sketched on only one page, but haven't placed anything else in this book...I'm almost afraid I would mess it up. I think the beauty of it is great just the way it is that i'm just nervous to add to it! It is definitely something that I will cherish for a long time!

Hatch!

Went to Hatch on Saturday...took McKenna and Ryan there. Haha...I made McKenna point to the sign out side their door. Hatch Show Print is the oldest working printing press in the United States and is located in downtown Nashville. They design and sell posters for many different companies around the area in and out of Nashville.

Stepping into the shop it seemed a lot smaller than I imagined and seen in the pictures. There isn't much room to walk because the press work area itself took up most of the space.

The walls were filled with posters from every singer such as Patsy Cline to BBKing...this was my favorite part about the shop....it made everything look so colorful and alive!

This photo made me laugh, so I had to post this one!! They have two cats in Hatch Show Print that are apart of their family there among the printers. I had McKenna squat next to one in the shop...she was afraid get close to it...haha.

The shop seems like it's pretty laid back, but you can definitely tell how busy they can get. They seemed pretty busy when we entered with the phone ringing constantly and the chatter and hustle & bustle of printing.

Here are a couple of examples of what they do!! I made Ryan hold up a poster and how appropriate was this one?! I loved it!! I love how this poster is so simple, yet symbolizes what they do through silhouette. All of their posters were pretty amazing!!

I purchased a little notebook from there as well...I thought it was so clever how they incorporated a poster, with many colors and prints and bound it with string to create a book. The pages on the inside are blank, but it's the cover that caught my eye!

I think Hatch Show Print is such a great and amazing company! What they do is amazing and it's wonderful how they keep printing with a press alive and going!!

Speaker, Jim Sherraden from "Hatch Show Print"

Jim Sherraden was a guest speaker to our History of Graphic Design class. He is the head of the oldest/still functioning printers press in America. I've heard of Hatch Show Print, but didn't realize the extent of how great of a place it really was until Jim came in to speak. He talked about the process of what it took create a poster. He discussed the many clients in and around Nashville and the surrounding areas of the United States that used their services. I found it fascinating to hear how everything was ran and put together. He showed a few pictures of Hatch and described it as working in a garage. Even though it seemed really unorganized and messy, you can still find what you need and where everything is placed--if you worked there.

The way his presentation ran was pretty laid back, but very informational at the same time. He showed and passed around many examples of the different posters that they've created. From Taylor Swift, to The Ryman Auditorium posters...everything was hand pressed with the type hand set. It was a pretty amazing sight to see how such a small shop created so much business and also interesting to hear how they have survived for so long in Nashville. Hatch show began to begin making posters for Circus shows and minstrel shows across the U.S. and has grown to tremendous heights with the support of their clients and also the Nashville community.

I really appreciated hearing and learning about Hatch Show Print. I thought that the presentation was well done by Jim and he really made me realize how great of an art poster printing really was!

Mesmerize Me!

So my boyfriend Ryan was in town and stayed at my brother's apartment the weekend he was here. I saw this picture hanging in their living room and just had to take a picture of it!  I loved looking at it the most because there's quite a bit going on! It was definitely "Mesmerizing"!  I noticed the title first. It has a 'Hazard' text feel and thought that it was used rather well because of the overall presentation of the design in the art piece--it goes well with the shape looking DNA strands.






There was another use of text in this piece. It is located in the bottom left corner. It was placed cleverly and also is hidden to a certain extent. The text has been painted over with yellow paint, as to make it transparent.  "Stop Waiting. Start Doing"---this was done in Helvetica type.

I loved the creativity of what the artist used in their piece as well. As you can see, the artist used a Postage sticker for Priority Mail and drew and painted on it. It was an interesting way to incorporate everyday stickers in their design. Not sure what the meaning was, but it looked cool!

Not only did the artist use a Postage sticker, but they also used a name tag sticker as well. This just shows how creative the artist was trying to be and how they wanted their art work to make a successful statement!!

Lino Print!

Left is a picture of a linoleum cut I did in my History of Graphic Design class. The design was done on a whim, but it turned out really great! We took a flat rubber eraser and used it as our stamp. We carved into the eraser with a linoleum cutter. With this particular one I used a size #2. After the cutting was complete, we then used a roller to paint the ink on the stamp. You have to use just enough or else it won't turn out right.

Right is the finished product of my piece! I think it turned out really well! The type almost has an african feel in a way. I thought it looked especially neat because I incorporated the 'N' into the 'O' of my name. It was a fun exercise to accomplish and the great thing about it is, the stamp is reusable!!!

DREAM

This is an art piece that was given to me by my sister. She purchased it from Philanthropy in downtown Franklin. It is by Stoney Noell of Epic Live Creative. This piece was done on a small canvas (size of my hand) and I thought it looked really creative. It's a one word piece that is done in script "Dream". It's meant to be an inspirational/motivational piece. I love this piece because it serves as a constant reminder for me to stick to my dreams and goals. It's small enough that it's placed on a shelf in my room, for me to look at everyday.

"Dreams, take to flight and soar beyond the bleak" is located on the side of the canvas. It's such a great saying! It's done in a serif font, which is different from the front, but still goes pretty well with the overall point of defining dreams. It looks as if magazine was cut and placed with a sort of gel medium. It looks very "craftsy".

Stoney's label for Epic Creativity and his name, along with their website is cut and placed with gel medium just like the explanation of dreams. I think it was a creative idea, but for as small as the art piece is, I think it's just a little too big.

Overall this art piece is wonderful to look at and I enjoy doing it everyday!