Gainesville Magazine, July 2007
Read about Jim Harrison and the Gainesville Fruit Co.
PDF (4.4 MB)
Copyright 2007 New York Times

LETTERPRESS PRINTMAKING

I happened to be looking for a personal project that would relieve some of the stresses of my job as an Art Director, dealing with clients and pressure packed deadlines in the world of creativity-on-demand. My only thoughts were that it would be nice to do something that reflected my love of vintage typography, and perhaps something that would highlight the Gainesville area, which I’ve grown very attached to over the last 20 years.

The Gainesville Fruit Co. was the result.

What followed Patrick’s influence and my idea for the Gainesville Fruit Co. was an intense period of development and research, the same kind of detail-oriented preparation I might undertake when learning about a new client’s widget industry. I began the design process, and purchased a 1950’s vintage Nolan proof press — the kind a newspaper might have used to proof a sheet full of hand-set type before going to press.

The idea of using flat colors, while not exactly the way vintage fruit labels were illustrated back in the day, was well suited to the process. An early idea was to create larger silkscreened versions, and although that plan was abandoned, the flat colors stuck and have become a hallmark of the bold, graphic quality of the designs.

As the drawings and photos below illustrate, I begin with a series of very small (3/4”) sketches, to capture the dynamics and composition of various ideas. From there the leaders begin to emerge, and what follows is a back-and-forth method of designing the art that goes from the drawing table to the computer, back again, with each design finally finished digitally. I feel like this process keeps me firmly rooted in the hand crafted quality of those old labels, whether it’s drawing a bird, or hand-rendering the type.

The first series of prints were created in a small edition of 50 each, and individually hand printed on Rives BFK printmaking paper. Owosso Graphic Arts in Michigan produced etched magnesium letterpress plates based on my high-resolution digital artwork, which I used for the black keyline art (see last few photos). Colors were applied using a special inkjet transfer process that requires an intaglio etching press, and lots of elbow grease.

Undertaking this challenge and going through the entire process was extremely rewarding, as it energized me creatively and fueled the creation of a second series of prints. What I had found by then however, was that I had inadvertently created something very marketable. I was selling prints. Alot of prints. The decision was made to move to Giclee archival prints in an open edition. The letterpressed prints of Series I (Hogtown, Swamp, Hippodrome, Paynes Prairie, Kanapaha, Hotel Thomas) were intended to be the end result of the entire project, but ended up being just the beginning. What was once my printing time has now become “fill out FL state sales tax forms” time... But I’m not complaining.

I still enjoy using the Nolan for printing holiday food labels for my wife’s chex mix or date bread, or other fun stuff like imprinting coasters for special occasions.

Thanks for reading, and more importantly, thanks for your support!