About me...
I grew up in Taiwan where I learned to love storybooks and crafts. I recently switched careers from academic teaching as the Professor of Printmaking at Warren Wilson College to return to the studio full time. I'm now a studio artist and and continue to teach workshops in and around Asheville, NC, where I make prints, books, and crankies.
My work has been exhibited internationally and can be seen in public collections including Yale University, Lingnan University Hong Kong, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the NC Museum of Art. My publications include Letterpress Now: A DIY Guide to New & Old Printing Methods, published by Lark Crafts, and Ladies of Letterpress: A Gallery of Prints with 80 Removable Posters, published by Princeton Architectural Press. I am the co-founder of Ladies of Letterpress, an international trade organization of women printers, a member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, and currently the President of the Wood Engravers’ Network.
Fancy degrees I hold include a BFA in Sculpture from East Carolina University, a Graduate Studies Certificate in Book Arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book, as well as an MA and MFA in Printmaking from the University of Iowa. When I'm not getting inky in the studio, you can find me hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway or out on the lake catching the breeze in my sailboat Cassiopeia.
Some frequently asked questions:
Where did you learn how to make prints and book art?
I studied sculpture, primarily metal work and iron casting, as an undergraduate student at East Carolina University where I also learned to repair books while working at the university’s Joyner Library. After graduating from ECU in 2000, I worked for three years as a conservator of works on paper at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Massachusetts. During this time I set up a studio and took workshops where I learned the basics of book art and printmaking. From there, I moved to Iowa City where I earned an MA and MFA in Printmaking in 2008 and a certificate in Book Studies in 2009 at the University of Iowa.
How do you make these prints?
Each of my prints are hand pulled from letterpress printing presses. My studio is equipped with a Challenge 15MP (Sweet Pea), Chandler & Price 10x15 (Ernestine), a Showcard Press, and a Kelsey 5x8. I also have a small etching press for intaglio prints.
Each print starts from a drawing, which will then be cut as a wood block, engraving, or linocut (many prints actually include elements of one, two, or all three of these). The text is printed from handset metal type or photopolymer plates. Check out my Media page for videos of how this is done.
Do you teach classes or workshops?
I teach printmaking, bookbinding, and crankie workshops at John C. Campbell Folk School, along with occasional other arts and crafts schools (check my Calendar for updates).
Where can I see your work in person?
In the Asheville area, you can purchase original work at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery and digital prints and ephemera at Horse + Hero.
Other places include:
Starfangled Press (Brevard, NC)
Emerge Gallery (Greenville, NC)
River Gallery (Chattanooga, TN)
Minnesota Center for Book Arts (Minneapolis, MN)
To see more of my artist books, please visit Vamp & Tramp Booksellers or check out my work in these public collections:
- Brigham Young University
- Lafayette College
- Lingnan University, Hong Kong
- NC Museum of Art
- The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Scripps College
- Stanford University
- Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of Iowa
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Yale University
You can also check my Calendar for any current exhibits or upcoming craft fairs where you can visit me in person!
Where are you located, and can I come visit your studio?
I work in my private home studio In the Swannanoa Valley just east of Asheville. When I'm not staring off into the distant mountains, I like to keep an eye on the neighborhood bear. My studio is not open to the public, but please contact me if you'd like to schedule a visit.
Can I hire you to print my wedding invitations?
Yes, please check my price list at Over Yonder Press.
I have an idea for a book. Do you want to work on it with me?
Well, maybe. I stay pretty busy with my own book and print projects, but I'm always interested in new book projects. Contact me and we'll talk.
Here are a few things said and articles that have been written about me and my work:
"There was both a somber honesty and an unsullied optimism that damn near brought me to tears."
"It's the good dream you want to remember."
"It's what you'd get if Beatrix Potter crashed into Edward Gorey."
"You works reflects a highly refined sense of absurdity."
"I'm not usually a profound person, but I look at your work and think 'that's profound'."
"This reminds me of Charlie Brown."
Printeresting: Letterpress Now
Felt & Wire: Behind the Book: The Making of Letterpress Now
Poppytalk: Giveaway - Letterpress Now
CNN.com: Ripple Project for 9/11: 10 Years Later (the last image under "The Day")
Asheville Citizen-Times: The Artistic Type
Mountain Xpress: Read the Storyline at Blue Spiral 1
Verve Magazine: One for the Books
Panel Patter reviews: Art School Chronicles