This is part three of a three part conversation series on the Kelmscott/Goudy Press and the original William Morris broadside we commissioned to be printed on that press. Today, the artist Steven Lee-Davis joins us to talk about his inspirations and creative process.
Do you feel that Morris has influenced
your art at all?
I attended art school in the 80's and
at that time painting was largely within the realm of expressiveness.
DeKooning and Kandinsky were still the exemplars. So, I was a bit of
an oddball as I sought out the Pre-Raphaelites, Nazarenes, and
Neo-Classical painters. Even as far back as high-school I would study
paintings executed by the Pre-Raphaelites reproduced in fairytale
books -- of course, I had no idea what I was looking at, but it fit
well with my passion for fantasy illustration. It wasn't until much
later that I really began to pull out the different artistic
personalities of the Victorian age and dive into the writing of
Ruskin, Rossetti, and Morris. Fast forward two decades and I find
myself a Roycroft Renaissance Artist working among artists and
craftsmen that very much uphold the ideals espoused by William
Morris. I guess Morris has been part of my artistic growth since I
was a kid.
Can you tell us a little about the
printing process?
Printing on an iron hand press is
deceptively difficult. I regularly use an Albion "foolscap",
which is a tabletop model issued by Hopkinson & Cope and so I
knew a thing or two about the process when I approached the Kelmscott
housed at the Cary Collection at RIT. Since the press is so large and
has such an historic presence, I was glad to be assisted by Amelia
Hugill-Fontanel, the Associate Curator of the Cary Collection and the
woman who restored the press over the past year. Together, we spent
hours wrapping the tympan, adjusting the micro-settings on the bed of
the press, measuring the exact height of the carved block, setting
the position on the bed, setting the stop point, and cutting the
frisket to make a perfect mask for the image. We spent more time
practicing the hand-rolling of the ink and making sure it was the
right viscosity. Actually, that ink is not straight black, but has
reflex blue cut into it to contrast the yellow tint of the paper. Oh,
it was a huge process, but we just had to glance the book display
case to our left to see the Kelmscott Chaucer and we knew that we had
to make Morris proud. I think we did.
How did it feel to use the Kelmscott
Press?
Printing on the Kelmscott Press was the
highlight of my printing career. Really, when I am hanging out with
other printers and we are exchanging print stories over a beer, my
story wins every time!
How did you approach the design of this
broadside?
The design of this broadside was
created in collaboration with the Board of the William Morris
Society, U.S. Jack Walsdorf, the President, was a tireless
communicator who made sure that this project came to fruition. I
really think it is an amazing thing to have a limited edition
portrait of William Morris printed on the Kelmscott Press. I hope
that the proceeds benefit the Society and that members enjoy the
print. It was a pleasure to work with everyone involved.
To purchase the broadside, visit our online store here. All proceeds benefit the William Morris Society in the United States.
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