Poetry Prints

NZ$68.00

Unframed letterpress print of my poem ‘The Beginner’.

This was designed and printed in collaboration with Alba Artisan Boutique Press in Petone, New Zealand.

• Dimensions: A5 (14.75cm wide x 21cm high)

• Printed on exquisite handmade cotton rag paper 200gsm

• Raw deckled edges

• Poem & image are debossed (pressed into the paper)

• Hand-mixed zesty green ink (Certified Ecosmart)

• With a beautiful matching cotton rag envelope

This is beautiful framed (floated or mounted), but is also sturdy enough to stand propped on a bookshelf or clipped to an inspiration board (where you can admire the beautiful raw edges of the paper!)

You can buy The Beginner AND the Labyrinth for a reduced price, and combined shipping (details behind the button below).

the story behind ‘The Beginner’

I wrote this poem as I set out on a new creative adventure in 2020. My painting teacher, Nicholas Wilton of Art2Life, encouraged those of us who were beginners to enjoy the experience of beginning. Rather than comparing ourselves to those more experienced, or wishing we were further along, he reminded us that we only get to be a beginner once and to soak the experience up.

This poem bubbled up in response to Nick’s words, and carries the energy of new beginnings, and all the tentative, hopeful and determined moments that involves!

I hope this print provides you with a gentle reminder of what a gift it is to stand at the beginning of a new path, yet again. I keep a copy close in my studio, reminding me to enjoy (rather than rue) the wobbly beginning phase of each new adventure.

Read all about The Labyrinth Card and get your card here.

Sorry - SOLD OUT

Limited edition letterpress print of my poem ‘Your Words’.

This was hand set and printed by me on a winters day in 2019, in Greytown, New Zealand. It was printed on a treadle-powered Challenge Gordon platen press.

Black ink on basic white 200gsm cardstock.
Dimensions: A5 (14.75cm wide x 21cm high)

20 prints available. Unframed.
Signed and numbered.

Please note: The nature of manual letterpress means each print is unique, each with its own little inky imperfections.

THE STORY BEHIND ‘YOUR WORDS’ & THE PRINT

Like so many others, I have received so much solace, encouragement and strength from the words of others. I wrote this poem in 2017, as an acknowledgement of the power of writing and sharing our work.

A Candle in the Window

As I got ready to offer this print for purchase, I began to wonder if there was history and meaning associated with putting a candle in a window. While it is now associated with Christmas celebrations, it is thought to have originated in Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was a time of brutal oppression of Irish Catholics, as the British Government attempted to dismantle their religion.

Irish Catholics would place a candle in the window and leave their door unlocked. It was a signal to priests that they were welcome to come and celebrate Mass there. My father is Irish, so I love this as both a connection to our homeland, and a symbol of defiance, determination and the defence of beliefs.

A Short but Very Cool History of Letterpress

Letterpress printing emerged in the 15th century when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. Prior to this, information was held in the handwritten manuscripts of scribes. Knowledge and literacy was the preserve of the wealthy. With the creation of the printing press, printed text became the preferred way to spread information. Written knowledge became increasingly accessible to all people.

In the late 17th century letterpress was used by both sides in the British Civil War to print leaflets designed to spread messages and rally support. From that time on, printed leaflets were heavily used in many movements around the world, and became associated with activism and resistance.

I love the thought of printing presses hidden in backrooms and alleyways, papers passed from hand to hand, printed pages full of rallying cries, support and conviction.

I offer this letterpress poem in that spirit. I invite you to not hide your light under a bushel, but rather set it in your window for all to see.