When my friend Heather said she’d love to use this photograph for her upcoming percussion recital, the gears started turning.

After lunch I got with Tom and we decided to try pushing some ink through a screen using the image. (He did all the hard parts, I just tried to be helpful and complained we didn’t have enough shop towels.)

A few hours later we had a handful of off-center posters with minor alignment issues. Overall? A big win. Very excited. And looking forward to Heather’s recital!

And last but not least, hidden in the corner, a little picture of one of Heather’s kitties, because cats make everything better.

We’d like to think she’s resting somewhere peaceful now, in a perfect spot of sunshine, with a belly full of something delicious she just stole off the counter.

We’ve been working with Chris for a while now, helping him with interface bits for his website and you might even remember that Nice Tweets shirt we made. (On that note, there are only a few sizes left but we’re thinking it’s time to throw it back on the press.)

I remember Chris from Singled Out on MTV, but he’s been pretty busy of late: hosting Web Soup, appearing on Attack of the Show and Chelsea Lately, and on stage doing stand up. Now he has this new podcast and the guest line up has already included the likes of Jon Hamm, Rob Huebel, Adam Carolla, Drew Carey and Tom Lennon.

He’s hurting my link making finger.

We’ve got some new goods coming down the pike real soon in conjunction with this fine gentleman. Real soon! We’re excited.

We had an old IKEA table top sitting around. I found the clamps I bought three years ago and mounted them to it. Next I burned a screen with our mission statement (which will be a future entry) and another screen with a pattern I found online. Being that this was going to be an experiment, I didn’t worry too much about registration issues. I simply taped a right angle to the print station.

After digging through a storage closet I found the gigantic sheets of paper I had leftover from my own wedding invite from nine years ago (yes, I do hoard art supplies).

With a bit of Speedball water-based ink and a squeegee it was show time. The biggest difference between the water based inks and the plastisols that we commonly use is the speed at which water-based ink dries… which happens to be very quickly.

After an hour of playing around we ended up with a stack of prints. Overall (despite the color options) I’d say this little experiment is going to open up some doors for future efforts. This experiment also left me asking a couple questions: What are good water based inks for printing posters? What is a good paper choice for screen printing? Drop me a line if you have any suggestions! Have a great weekend.

Here’s what we’ve got in the queue right now:

CHRIS SPINS:

Four Tet – There is Love in You
Whenever someone plays Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) at the studio I always ask, “Who is this?” because it’s got great energy; totally good-for-working music. This new release adds another solid mix to the library. Good in whole doses.

Ox Tails: Songs from 2009
I admire Khoi’s aesthetic and perspective in design, so it was a pleasure to see him post a collection of favorite music from 2009. There were several songs on the list I already knew and loved, but the real joy was discovering new artists.

Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Bright, layered pop that I’d say mixes a bit of Queen with Jellyfish and Scissor Sisters; a guilty pleasure I listen to on headphones.

JOEL SPINS:

Know Better Learn Faster – Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
The quintessentially fun album. Sometimes when I come in to the shop and am feeling down, I put this on and it completely gets me in the mood to be positive….and when I’m happy, it makes me happier. Complete with an appearance from Andrew Bird and catchy hooks, this album keeps the foot tappin’ and mouth whistling.

Dosh - Dosh
The first album from a man that constantly amazes me with what he can do with two hands and feet. Electronic program beats meets organic loops and a propensity for improvisation. Dance numbers meets the odd time signature. This is a super chill album that makes you forget that what he’s doing IS complicated.

Flight of the Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky
Normally, I dislike pop music and parody albums for the most part. I rejected the idea of even listening to these guys due to their being parody/comedy musicians. That was until this album. The songs on this album REALLY nail the style that is being parodied. From R & B songs about a girl with a lazy eye that lost her epileptic dog in the park to dance tunes about ladies wanting a taste of Jermaine’s sugarlumps. Hilarious.

TOM SPINS:

Aidan Baker – Liminoid/Lifeforms
Just got this in. Already my favorite solo release from Nadja’s Aidan Baker. Slow and evolving without getting lost. A perfect soundtrack for the snow covered ground outside.

The Antlers – Hospice
Loving this indie rock album. Sounds like Grandaddy and “Deserter’s Songs”  Mercury Rev go on a camping trip.

Boston Spaceships – 0 to 99
I am a huge Guided by Voices fan (check out the video for Soundburger for some evidence). After a long time (and test of hopefulness) the sound that I love is back. Super hooky and loaded with many earworms. This combination of Pollard, Slusarenko, and The Decemberists John Moen is a pleasure and relief. A+.

WENDY SPINS:

Middle Cyclone – Neko Case
During these snowy winter days, I need to find something that has a mellow sound that pairs well with the soft snow, but doesn’t lull me to the couch for a long nap. This album strikes that happy medium. Plus, she mentions killer whales, which are really big around here these days.

* Wendy gets a pass on recommending three albums since she’s generally under a pile of children demanding to watch Noggin.

When a friend called asking us to put in a bid on a project for the local senior center, we knew we had to be a part of it. As a small public entity that strives to remain affordable for the entire senior community, the Senior Center had few funds to develop their brand. When they won a small grant, they had limited means with which to reestablish their identity.

With some hard work and a fantastic working relationship, we were able to develop an identity, collateral, and signage. What was most exciting about this project is that it involved several skills we tuck under our creative umbrella. Not only did we design all the materials, but we were responsible for all the photography used in the collateral.

Oxford Seniors officially launched their new identity last week at a lively party with nearly all their members in attendance. The seniors, who had been a part of the design process, were excited about their new brand. “There’s new excitement in the air—you can just feel it!” one person commented.

Gone is the kiln and insulated wall surrounding it. We’ve added a big storage unit in the back and moved a table to be front and center, allowing for collaborative work sessions in front of the windows. We’ve already had a few impromptu sessions there and it is fantastic to see the season in full effect outside (even if it is dang cold and the trees are bare).

Next up we try and figure out a few more surfaces, get our books and LPs in order and figure out some more chairs. Heck, we might even hang up some artwork on the freshly painted back wall.

We’re excited.

We used to keep the studio frig stocked with bottled water. It was an easy way for us to stay hydrated, and we always had a drink to offer visitors.

But then Earth Day rolled around, and we began working on a few shirts to celebrate the day.  As we were researching ideas for the shirt, we started evaluating how we ran our office. We’d all been pretty environmentally-conscious folks, but we definitely saw room for improvement.

One of the most obvious things to change would be our water bottle habit. In fact, it was such an obvious, well-publicized idea that it didn’t even make it onto the shirt. But it became the first change we made in our office, installing a water filter on our faucet. Everyone has mugs or refillable travel bottles. We estimate over the course of the year this saves, at the minimum, 1,000 plastic bottles.

This works great for us, but I always get a bit nervous when it comes time to offer a visitor a beverage. Offering a bottle of water does seem to have this air of civility to it, as opposed to simply turning on the tap. But nearly every time, when I hand over a glass of water and explain the change we’ve made, our visitors comment that they’re making similar changes in their own world, too.

Barb is one of the most talented children’s photographers in the world, and will be traveling from her native Australia to conduct 12 retreats in four different locations in the United States. Three of the retreats will be held on our farm in the Wire & Twine studio!

The 2½ day retreat will cover photographing children and their families for both private and commercial commissions. You’ll learn photography techniques, lighting, composition, marketing strategies, pricing, and post-processing in Photoshop. Registration is limited to 12 participants per retreat.

We cannot wait to play host to our friends from down under and to photographers from across the country! We anticipate loads of fun and creativity, and thousands of shutter clicks.

Visit JinkyArt if you’re interested in attending a retreat in the United States or Australia.

All photos in this post were taken by Barb Uil, © JinkyArt Photography