Catherine Alice Michaelis
May Day Press
May Day Press Prints & Broadsides
This series of broadsides were printed by Zyrna Press - a collaboration of myself, Catherine Alice Michaelis, and Felix Zyrna. They are printed in my May Day Press studio. We are printing in support of queer/trans existence and resistance.
In 2019, months before the turn into 2020, I began a series of broadsides - some of which are seen below. They were planned for a 2020 show in a local coffee shop titled Bitter on the Inside. We all know what happened. The series is inspired by my challenges with menopause, specifically the hot flashes I endured or avoided in direct relationship to my consumption of coffee for several years. Each cup is designed from an actual cup in my cupboard. They are each linoleum printed, some a reduction cut entirely from one block, and some a combination of blocks with reduction cuts on one or two of those blocks. The type is handset.
I am still having hot flashes, still drinking coffee, still printing broadsides.
This is Jistu. Jistu is Cherokee for rabbit. The word is also 'Jistu.' I made this little carving for the tiny bunny print exchange of 2016/17 facilitated by Lisa Hasegawa and Yuka Petz.
They put out a call for an edition of 20 tiny prints (3" x 4.5") with a bunny in it. This was my response.
For me it is important to bring other languages into the mainstream world of letterpress printing in the U.S. - and because I am part Cherokee, I choose Cherokee.
One of my favorite things about this cut is the word 'goodluck' in the upper left corner. Because I can't throw anything away, I pulled out a tiny pile of trim from a poetry book I printed more than 20 years ago, which had this poem ending with the word 'goodluck.' I was only using this paper to proof the cut, but was intrigued by the unintentional narrative the word created next to Jistu. The red diamond was also previously printed.
From Mother Time - Measuring By The Moon - Mandala on Yellow
Five Around Six
Butter Me Up Photopolymer with hand set type.
52 @52 Pressure print with hand set type.
I Don't Carrot All Photopolymer with hand set type.
No Apologies Linoleum cut with hand set type.