Sunday, December 9, 2012

Subscription Prints 2012

Greetings from Twin Vixen Press!  
It is time again for our annual Subscription Print fundraiser. All sales from our Subscription Fundraiser benefit Twin Vixen Press and help us keep our doors open to printmakers in Southern Vermont.  This year we are including a print from our friend, and well-known botanical illustrator, Bobbi Angell (please visit http://bobbiangell.carbonmade.com/ to see some of Bobbi’s exquisite work)

We will be selling all 3 prints (one each by Briony, Helen, and Bobbi) for only $120. Besides the addition of another print to the package, the set up is essentially the same: each print will be a 4" x 6" image on 8" x 10" paper.

We are also selling a set of hand-tinted prints for $150. 


To sign up for your subscription prints: 

1.  Send us an email saying that you want to sign up for this year’s prints. Please make the subject line read, “2012 Subscription Prints”. Don’t forget to send us your mailing address

2.  Pay for your prints: 

  • Pay online: In response to last year’s requests, we have set up a PayPal account that will make it easier for those of you who are internet-savvy.

  • Pay by check: For those of you who like to do things the old fashioned way, our address hasn't changed. Please mail a check for $120, made out to “Helen O'Donnell” and send it to Helen O'Donnell, 7 Small Meadows, Putney, VT 05346.  



 



Bobbi Angel

Briony Morrow-Cribbs

Helen O'Donnell

News From Helen:   

Every time I step into the studio at Twin Vixen Press, with its warm yellow walls and smell of ink and the sounds of the Whetstone brook rushing below the windows, I am immediately grateful for this sanctuary that Briony and I built five years ago. This April we re-opened our doors after a six-month closure, during which the building was rebuilt after Hurricane Irene. It is only now that I have crossed the threshold and begun making and printing new plates – ending a yearlong hiatus that started that dreaded August day when Irene wiped out a good portion of Southern Vermont. Thanks to this dream studio that has been here awaiting my return, I now feel revitalized too!    

This fall, a few young printmakers started renting the space and making prints, breathing new life and creativity into the space. Bobbi continues to be the most dedicated to the studio and for that we are most grateful. I hope to spend the winter working daily in the studio and finish all the plates I have drawn or sketched on in the past year. I am very excited to see where this next body of work takes me.    

In other news, 2012 has been a great year. In June, Noah and I got married on the farm in Vermont, having our dream wedding ceremony and party. In the fall, we moved to The Putney School, and Noah started teaching full time and I started my second year as the printmaking teacher. On the gardening front, I spent the month of March volunteering in another English Garden, Great Dixter in East Sussex, England. I also wrote a few gardening articles for the new magazine Wilder Quarterly. I participated in four art shows this year, at Lucia Douglas Gallery in Bellingham, WA, the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, VT, The Dianch Gallery in Brattleboro, VT and The Faculty Show at the Putney School in Putney, VT. I have been invited to participate in a show next summer called Art Works, a fundraiser for the Asticou-Azalea and Thuja gardens on Mount Desert Island, Maine.   

News from Briony:  

Wow, what a year!   

This May I received my Masters of Fine Art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a journey I started in the fall of 2009. My MFA thesis show was a success and to my delight Helen and my parents came out to Madison to help celebrate the occasion.  Shortly thereafter, with a new degree under my belt and the recent retirement the etching professor, I was invited to teach etching at the UW for the 2012-2013 school year. So far the experience has been excellent: the students are sweet and eager and making some great prints. Along with teaching, I’ve also been picking up illustration jobs here and there. The most current job has been illustrating a compilation of monster stories for young adults. The book will be edited by Neil Gaiman and Maria Dahvana Headley and published by HarperCollins (“Unnatural Creatures” has the projected publication date of Summer  ‘12).   

My continued separation from Helen and our lovely little press has proven frustrating over the last few years but with occasional trips back to Vermont I get enough press time and Helen time to sustain me.  Right now I’m working on interesting schemes to move back and be a part of that awesome community again and ways to reunite with the press.    

As far as shows go, I had the chance to show in several print-dedicated shows this year: an invitational print show at Lucia Douglas; the “Impressed” show in Stowe, VT; the Froggwell Biennale on Whidbey Island; and a print show at Brackenwood Gallery in September. In addition, My MFA work showed at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, WA this summer.  This year future shows appear in several different forms: My MFA work will come back to Wisconsin this March and will be shown at the Artisan Gallery in Paoli, Wisconisn. In January I’ll be in the themed group, “Murder of Crows” at the Artisan Gallery and in February I’ll be in “The Blood is the Life” at the Everhart Museum in Scranton, PA. And finally, this summer I’ll have pieces in yet another group show, titled “The Beast Within,” at the Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, which will focus on art based on tattoos.  

Friday, August 31, 2012

Whestone Studio Party!

Hello All!

Twin Vixen Press, along with the rest of the studios in the Whetstone Studio Building, would like to invite you to come celebrate the grand re-opening of the building. It has been one year since Hurricane Irene destroyed half the building, but now it is open for business and better than ever. The celebration will kick off during Gallery Walk, Friday September 7th, and will go from 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Events will go throughout the weekend, celebrating and showcasing many of the Whetstone studio artists and businesses. Bobbi Angell and Helen O'Donnell will have open studio on Friday evening 5:30-8:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00-4:00 pm (on Sunday they will give printing demonstrations). Please stop by and check it out!

Up Coming News....

Bobbi and Helen will be teaching a Beginning/Intermediate Etching Workshop on Saturday, November 10th, 12:00 -4:00 pm and Sunday November 11th, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.  The cost for the weekend will be $200, and includes materials. In this introductory class students will learn the basics of hard ground copper etching. There will be ample time to print using colored inks, monotype techniques, and chine collé. This is a great way to make cards and gifts for the upcoming holidays.

This year's Subscription Prints will include 3 etchings, one each by Briony Morrow-Cribbs, Helen O'Donnell, and Bobbi Angell! We are excited to include Bobbi in Twin Vixen's annual fundraiser this year as she is one of our most dedicated artists using our press and and she is an amazing artist. This is a great way to help us keep the press alive and well! It’s also a great offer: three prints for the price of $120. All the proceeds go to support the work at Twin Vixen Press. Please let us know if you would like to participate!

Impressed: Vermont Printmakers 2012
Helen, Bobbi and Briony were also recently included in a fantastic show at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, Vermont. The show was beautifully hung and got good press thanks to curator Nathan Suter. It was a terrific opening and a fantastic event. We were all very happy to be included in this show. To see a very nice review, check out: http://www.7dvt.com/2012good-impressions


About us…

After receiving her Masters of Fine Art last May, Briony was offered, and accepted, a one-year position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison teaching etching.  Upcoming shows include a print exhibition at Brackenwood Galleries in Langley, WA this September; an exhibition of UW lecturers in Madison in October and a small solo show at the Artisan Gallery in Paoli, Wisconsin at the beginning of 2013. A new book (of monsters!) is also in the works…more information to follow as it becomes available!


Helen is starting another year teaching printmaking at The Putney School and she will be part of a biennial Art Faculty Show this fall at The Currier Art Gallery at The Putney School. She recently published an article in a new gardening magazine called the Wilder Quarterly. She continues to blog about her gardening projects, travels, and favorite plants at http://anemonetimes.blogspot.com/

Bobbi is enjoying growing, sketching and working on etchings of plants from her garden during the last days of a beautiful summer. Her portfolio of prints is posted at
http://bobbiangell.carbonmade.com/
Thanks all and hope to see you there!!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

2011 Subscription Prints!

Well, they're just about ready to be shipped out. Helen and I have been printing in our respective print studios and are about to reconvene in Putney, VT for a weekend of packing and labeling. Check 'em out! There are a few left in the edition so tell us if you still want a chance to own this year's subscription prints. The price is $80 for a set of B&W prints (one by Helen and the other by Briony) or $120 for a set of hand-tinted prints.

Briony Morrow-Cribbs
2011 Subscription Print
6" x 4"

Helen O'Donnell
2011 Subscription Print
4" x 6"



How to reserve your prints:
If you are interested in purchasing the 2011 Subscription prints please email us at twinvixenpress@gmail.com and send along your name and mailing address. Write a check out to Twin Vixen Press and mail it to Helen O'Donnell, 7 Small Meadows Lane, Putney, VT 05346, and we'll send you a smart little package.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

A Short Video of the Etching Process

Last month a fellow grad school student and I put together this video on the process of making the illustrations for the "Wicked Bugs" book. The video was made as an accompanying component to a digital version of the book. I thought it would be fun to include it here so those of you who were not so familiar with the etching process could see one approach.

Hope you enjoy!


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sign up for the 2011 Subscription Prints!



Hello from Twin Vixen Press! 
Despite our lack of blogging Twin Vixen Press is alive and well, having turned 3 this spring. The press has missed Briony terribly while she has been off working on her MFA degree in Wisconsin, but there is still a good chance that she will return to the beautiful, rolling hills of Vermont. In the meantime we are still offering studio space to other print artists, Helen makes paintings and prints in the studio and the space continues to be a wonderful and productive sanctuary.


In an effort to continue our tradition and raise a little money for the press, we are offering the opportunity for you to support our little venture though participating in our Annual Subscription Print fundraiser. This is how it works: We offer you two prints, one by Helen and one by Briony, for the price of $80 ($120 for a special edition print). The money we raise from the Subscription helps us pay our rent at the lovely Whetstone studios, purchase new equipment for the studio and buy supplies for our classes. This is a great way to buy original prints for a very low price and a great way to help support two young, hard working artists.

News About the Twins…

Helen has had an exciting year, continuing to pursue her dual passions in printmaking and gardening. She has recently been hired as the new printmaking teacher at The Putney School where, for the past three years, she has both taught the evening arts program as well as coached the girl’s soccer team. Starting this fall, Helen will be teaching two academic printmaking classes, two evening activities in printmaking and figure drawing, sponsoring project week and senior exhibitions, and continuing to coach. In addition, Helen will be managing the studio, which is equipped with an etching press, a lithography press, as well as Letterpress! Helen is pleased to find herself in the extremely unique position of instructing high school printmaking with more equipment and techniques available than most colleges and universities! In preparation for her new job, she enrolled in both Monotype and Lithography classes at Two Rivers Print Studio in White River Junction, Vermont as well as a Letterpress class from Bob Metzler in Hannover, New Hampshire. Helen had two shows this year, a one-person show at Works on Paper in Bellows Falls, Vermont and a group show with ceramicist Rob Cartelli and musician Michael Roberts at Through the Music gallery in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Visit Anemone Times to see what
 Helen is up to in her gardens!

Helen has also had some amazing opportunities in the gardening world. After working for three seasons in the garden of Gordon Hayward, a well-known writer and garden designer, Helen traveled to England and volunteered at Hidcote Manor gardens in the northern Cotswolds.  It was a truly remarkable opportunity to live in the manor and work full time alongside a terrific gardening team. After visiting so many incredible gardens and meeting so many wonderful gardeners, Helen to document her experiences in a blog, which she continues to do rather religiously (Visit Helen's Blog! ). Coming home after such a great experience has been exciting and she has been pursuing more garden design and renovation work. She will return to England again for the month of March 2012 to volunteer at another garden called Great Dixter, which happily dovetails with Putney School's March break! Helen continues to live in her cozy barn apartment with wonderful Noah with their two cats in glorious Putney, Vermont.

In May Briony finished her second year as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with her final year visible on the horizon. While the unanticipated addition of teaching to her schedule was a surprise, she managed to make it through the school year in one piece and found herself enjoying the job more than she anticipated. This last spring Briony showed in a variety of venues including the San Francisco Conservatory of FlowersEureka Books in Northern California, Brackenwood Gallery on Whidbey Island, and a botanical show in Thüngersheim, Germany. As part of earning her degree, Briony also put together a three-person show titled, “Beastly Prints: Modern Interpretations of the Art of the Bestiary” that was held at the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin and featured several of Briony’s prints of odd creatures.

May also brought Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects to the bookstands around the country. A sequel-of-sorts to the Wicked PlantsWicked Bugs was written by Amy Stewart and completely illustrated by Briony. In a very short time the book has proven its worth by making it onto the “New York Times Bestseller List” and into an article by Ann Raver in the “New York Times” Home & Garden section.

Briony’s plans for next year are to hunker down and spend her final year at school focusing on her own work. She plans to work large – or at least larger – and continue her work with the monstrous form and portraiture.

Apart from school and work, Briony is still blissfully in love with Ted and will be moving in with him in August. In addition, she has also taken up the new hobby of rollerblading and has many bruises to prove it.

Subscription Details
Prints: 4” x 6” images on 8” x 10” Rives BFK paper
Price: $80 for regular edition, $120 for special edition, hand-colored prints
Edition: 50 regular edition prints, 20 special edition prints

How to reserve your prints:
If you are interested in purchasing our prints at a great deal please notify us by email or phone by July 30th and we will reserve your prints. Write your check out to Twin Vixen Press and mail it to Helen O'Donnell, Seven Small Meadows Lane, Putney, VT 05346.  The prints will be mailed out in the fall. Please make sure to tell us where to ship your prints!


We hope you are all enjoying summer after a long spring. Thank you for all the support.

Sincerely,

Helen O'Donnell & Briony Morrow-Cribbs


-- 
Briony Morrow-Cribbs • 802-236-7697
Helen O'Donnell • 802-282-8722

Twin Vixen Press

Located at:
28 Williams Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301

Mailing Address:
7 Small Meadows Lane
Putney, VT 05346

Helen's Website: http://helenodonnell.com/

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Hot Off the Press: 2010 Subscription Prints!

Helen and I have just had busy and productive (and yet totally enjoyable) month together. During my stay in Vermont we were able to spend some good time together in the studio and edition our Annual Twin Vixen Press Subscription prints. We both ended up creating images from Helen's lovely little garden in Putney, VT and we think they turned out pretty sweet. We pre-sold most of the set but for those of you who would missed the first chance and would like to grow your Twin Vixen Press print collection we still have 10 regular-edition prints available. And for those of you who already purchased a set, thank you! The funds we raise through our Annual Subscription help keep the press alive and well. Thank you.

The price for the set is $60 (that's $60 for two prints!).If you would like to be signed up just email twinvixenpress@gmail.com and we'll put your name down. But remember time is of the essence...there are only 10 left!

Other news for print artists:
Helen and I are brainstorming some ideas for a class in November. We'll make sure to keep you all informed with what we come up with. We're also hashing out rates etc. for renting the studio space starting in the fall. If you are interested in renting our space let us know.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Shows and Openings! Oh My!!!

"Helen O'Donnell Etchings"

at Works on Paper, Bellows Falls, VT
May 28th - July 31st



Briony Morrow-Cribbs
Buffy Cribbs
Bruce Morrow

"A Family Affair"

at the Brackenwood Gallery, Langley, WA
June 5th - June 30th