It had been a while since my dad and I worked on the letterpress. Finally, the stars aligned, in more ways than one, and we spent the week of Thanksgiving 2021 creating another project.
I was ready to create another letterpress project, but I knew I had to think it through. To put it simply: The past several years have been challenging in ways that most of us never imagined, filled with unexpected loss, separation, and hurdles. Our capacities were overwhelmed. Life, family, friends, and loved ones became more precious than ever as we found ways to remain connected.
As an example…
In January 2021, my goddaughters and I hosted a virtual art show—a fun video call with our families, showcasing our art pieces and talking about what inspires us. It was good tonic to be creative and connect with one another’s families after so much time apart.
For the art show, one of my pieces was inspired by my view of the south-southwest sky from the balcony of my home. Although the Texas sun (and mosquitoes) can be brutal, the evenings are downright lovely, with gorgeous views of sunsets, the moon, planets, and stars. The balcony is one of my favorite places to pause. As a tribute to my view, I created a little 2.25” watercolor of the night sky and silver-inked planets and stars.
I carried that appreciation for creating, sharing, and connecting into the year. By September, I was pondering how to convey that feeling in a letterpress project. Could I create something the recipient would want to keep and re-read? How could I let those dear to me know they are remembered? In the beginning, I called it “my positivity card.”
Around the same time, news was percolating about the James Webb Space Telescope approaching launch. With infrared radiation capabilities, the telescope is designed to capture light waves that have traveled across vast distances of the universe. I was fortunate to visit a NASA exhibit about the telescope at SXSW in 2013. After so many years, my excitement returned. The telescope was about to take off and would soon show us unseen wonders.
Observing light across space and time resonated with me. Almost daily from my balcony, I see light in a dark sky—the glow of the moon, the steady light from the planets, and the twinkle of the stars. My positivity card was evolving: “I see your light. Keep shining.”
Since my dad and I were a little rusty, I wanted to create a project that would be relatively easy for us. I decided to avoid a complicated design that could trip us up during the steps of plate making and print alignment.
Drawing from my virtual art showpiece and inspirations, I water-colored approximately 75 cards reminiscent of the night sky. Choosing not to over-think it, I had a blast just mixing, brushing, swiping, and swirling the colors.
For letterpressing, I combined my handwritten “You’re a star!” with stars and planets into a graphic to print over the watercolored night sky.
I named the card design “Skyview,” printing the signature Jubilee Letterpress stamp on the back of these mailable pieces of art.
Buying stamps during the holiday season proved a challenge, with USPS running low on choices. You don’t mail hand-printed cards with a regular flag stamp, and certainly not with Hot Wheels-themed stamps, as offered by the post office clerk. I decided Thank You stamps placed upside-down were worthy of my hand-addressed envelopes.
I dropped them into the mail with love and notes reminding my dear recipients that their lights shine bright, and to keep shining on—like the moon and the stars and the sun.
Side note:
We took this opportunity to update the Jubilee Letterpress Manual, which we’ve been building and updating since our first project. Let me tell you—documenting your process is so important. But equally important is referencing said documentation when you get stuck. More than once, after numerous unsuccessful tries, we would say, “Well, let’s look at the manual…” Sure enough, there was the information we needed, step by step.
