An interview with Justin Miller, BOUND STAFF PRESS.
My first contact with Justin Miller was through the photo sharing website, Flickr. At the time, I had just acquired a Dick Blick Masterprinter SignPress and was in search of others who may have posted photos of similar presses. That’s when I ran into Justin’s Magnetic Sign Press tutorial. I found the tutorial interesting, but it was actually the artwork he was printing that caught my eye. With precision and control, it was clear that he had mastered the linocut technique and the art of printmaking. I later invited Justin to participate in the Love + Letterpress {February 2010} coaster exchange, and his 4″x4″ piece of art did not disappoint. The following is a look into the world of Bound Staff Press.
HI JUSTIN. TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.
I am an artist and teacher living in southeastern Colorado with my wife and four children. I grew up not too far from here in Kansas and am the most comfortable when I can see for miles and miles in every direction. I love to travel in the mountains, and throw rocks into lakes and rivers with my kids. We try to hug and wrestle and play at every opportunity.
My dad is now and has always been my hero. He was a studio photographer, and also ran a print shop for a local community college. However, I was pretty sure I wanted nothing to do with cameras or printing presses. Instead, I spent my time drawing and reading comic books and Hot Rod. When I took my required printmaking course in college, I found out that all the smells and processes from my dad’s shop mixed perfectly with my love of drawing. I’ve been printing ever since.
SO YOU REALIZED YOU HAD INK IN YOUR VEINS AFTER ALL. DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING WHAT YOU DO TODAY HAD YOU NOT TAKEN THAT “REQUIRED” PRINTMAKING CLASS?
It is hard to imagine life without printmaking, similar to asking the giraffe if he ever considered being a lion. I am drawn to the richness of ink I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. While I enjoy working in photography, drawing medias, digital graphics, and silver, none of these allow me to communicate my ideas as easily printing ink. My training was in hand drawn lithography and intaglio, but now I work primarily in relief using linoleum and movable type. I cannot help but believe that at some point I would have discovered printmaking.
SO HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME BOUND STAFF PRESS?
When I was still attending college, many if not all of my images were connected to shepherding. Most of the figures I drew held staffs or canes. At the same time, I discovered book binding, and makers marks and a whole host of other cool stuff. In an effort to “brand” myself and my work, I combined my printmaking my imagery and my love of craft to make Bound Staff Press. I have been using this name since 1998.
WHAT TYPES OF LETTERPRESS EQUIPMENT DO YOU OWN?
I work primarily in linoleum, and originally printed using an etching press. At the school where I work, I happened upon a small tabletop letterpress. As I researched, I found that it could print linoleum better than my etching press, so I disassembled and restored my Craftsmen Superior. I also have a Magnetic Signpress that functions as a proof press and can print images as large as 8 x 10.
My most recent acquisition is a Chandler and Price Craftsman 10 x 15. It arrived a few weeks ago, and I have been working to repair and prepare it for hand feeding. In the process, I’m learning to braze cast iron. This press became a necessity as my work increased in size. The tabletop press simply cannot print an 8 x 10 image. The C&P was retired by a nearby newspaper, and I managed to pick it up for little of nothing. I expect to be printing on it in the next few weeks.
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WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE PROCESS OF “BRAZING CAST IRON” INVOLVE
If I knew, I’d have my newest press repaired already. Seriously, brazing involves heating a broken piece or two separate parts to the point where brass can be melted in between the iron molecules of the heated part, and pooled around the break or joint. I love restoring, and repairing equipment. Learning to braze is the next logical step. In the next few weeks, I’m going to be making arrangements for someone to come and teach me this technique.
YOUR CRAFTSMEN SUPERIOR PRESS ACTUALLY HAD QUITE AN INTERESTING PAINT JOB BEFORE YOU RESTORED IT. THE BRIGHTEST (AND BOLDEST) ONE I’VE SEEN YET. DID YOU RUN INTO ANY CHALLENGES WHILE TAKING APART AND REASSEMBLING YOUR PRESS?
Yes, when I found my tabletop Superior, it had a yellow and red motif with barber pole stripes on the handle. I still call the press Stripes. In addition to the paint job, the press had been poorly treated. It had a broken casting at the bottom of one of the roller rails that I intended to repair. While stripping the paint from the press, I learned some valuable lessons.
Apparently old plastic Rubbermaid trash cans can not support the weight of cast iron. In a moment that will live in infamy (in my garage at least) one of the pieces fell, and broke. I tried to have it repaired locally, but it did not turn out as well as I had hoped. As a result, I bought a replacement part from Don Black. I repaired the broken rail using some threaded studs, and sculpting a repair out of Quick-steel. Eventually I replaced the rollers, and all is well.
I’M ACTUALLY A FAN OF YOUR WORK, WHICH I’VE PERUSED THROUGH ON FLICKR. THERE SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING THEME IN YOUR ART. WHAT ARE YOU MOST INFLUENCED BY?
My artwork is an outgrowth of my personal spiritual journey. I worked for some time on a series called “Birdhouse in My Soul” where I explored the idea of the Holy Spirit inhabiting a person. As I struggled to explain to myself how this could happen, I drew pictures, and made prints. More recently I have been creating work which includes factories and birds. I don’t yet have words to explain easily these concepts. For some time I have explored the imagery of towers, ladders and smoke stacks. These are often symbols for man’s attempts to reach God. I try to develop what I call an artist’s visual vocabulary, then combine different elements of my vocabulary to create new compositions. It is rare that I sit down with a developed idea, and grind out a finished piece. More often, I draw and re-draw elements of my composition until I find it visually pleasing.
YOUR WORK IS VERY INTRICATE WITH LOTS OF DETAILS. HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU TYPICALLY SPEND, START TO FINISH, ON YOUR LINOCUTS AND THE FINISHED PRINT?
On a 6 x 9 block, from inking my design with Sharpie until I pull my first proof, I usually carve for 30 – 40 hours. I print a few impressions on quality paper right away, then print on demand after that.
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OIL, RUBBER, OR SOY BASED INK? WHAT WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR IN THE TYPES OF INK YOU USE IN YOUR SHOP?
I was trained with and use oil-based ink for most of my work. I like that I can leave oil-based ink on my mixing slab in my studio or classroom for a couple of days and it will remain open, but dry very quickly on paper. My understanding is that rubber-based ink reacts similarly. I have recently acquired a couple hundred pounds of rubber-based ink, so I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough. In my classroom we used water-based ink and found that the advertised “easy cleanup” was considerably more work than what was required for oil. I did experiment with Faust brand water cleanup inks, and was very pleased, but have not purchased ink since that time.
A COUPLE HUNDRED POUNDS OF RUBBER-BASED INK? ANYONE THAT HAS PRINTED ON A PRESS KNOWS THAT A LITTLE INK GOES A LONG WAY. WHAT A SCORE! HOW DID ALL THAT INK END UP ON YOUR LAP AND WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO WITH IT?
When I purchased my C&P press, the seller kicked a stack of boxes, and said, “If you buy the press, you have to take these too.” The boxes were full of ink from a newspaper shop. If I recall, the oldest ink in this batch was a 10 pound can of 1953 Safeway yellow. Shortly after I took possession of the first set of ink, my dad received word that the college he had worked for was going to scrap out the offset shop he ran. As a result, I acquired the entirety of this ink collection as well. It was markedly newer. The print shop had flooded in 1993, and all of the inventory had been replaced at that time.
I’M ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR GREENER WAYS OF DOING THINGS. MAY I ASK WHAT YOU CURRENTLY USE TO CLEAN THE INK OFF YOUR PRESSES?
Cleaning up ink is not my strongest “green” area. When I moved my studio to it’s current location, I became the owner of a 50 gallon barrel of mineral spirits. When I run low, I’ll investigate another method, but for now, this works.
WHAT TYPES OF CLASSES DO YOU TEACH AT YOUR SCHOOL?
I am the only art teacher in a shrinking district. As a result I have the opportunity to teach all manner of media. In 2D Art, my high school students explore painting and drawing and silver solder jewelry. In 3D Art, we experiment with clay, wax, wood, cast silver, and stone. For the past few years, I’ve also taught Advanced Placement Studio Art where students have the opportunity to create a large portfolio of work to be judged for college credit.
My classroom also includes a small forge and foundry. At some point, we will likely cast small aluminum or bronze pieces, as well as make some of our own tools. I have also had the opportunity to lead the stagecraft team. Next year, I will also be teaching 7th and 8th grade students. It will be a great advantage to my program to increase the number of years that art is offered in our district.
WHAT IS THE “STAGECRAFT TEAM?” SOUNDS INTERESTING.
Stagecraft is the class where we build the set for our school’s drama productions. Each year we complete a large musical set in the fall, and a smaller set for a play in the spring.
YOU’RE THE ONLY ART TEACHER IN YOUR DISTRICT? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
Of course this is a disappointment to me. In my first years here, I worked with two hugely talented women. Ms. Lopez taught at the middle school level, and Mrs. Cuckow taught with me at the high school. Due to budget cuts, personal and family situations, and the shrinking of our district, the choice was made to eliminate these positions. I personally think it was a mistake to decrease the amount of creative training our students receive. I would give most anything to have either or both of these two women back on staff. They each did so much to spur on the development of aspiring artists. I still count Mrs Cuckow as one of my greatest mentors, and can only hope to have a similar impact on students.
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ANY INTERESTING WORDS OF ADVICE FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO GET INTO THE ART OF PRINTMAKING OR LETTERPRESS?
Anyone who wants to make art should start hanging out with other people who make art. This may be at a shared public studio space, or a college class or workshop, or even online. Seeing others create drives people to be more creative themselves. If you don’t have your own press, tell everyone you know that you want one. If you are patient, you’ll have more presses that you know what to do with.
BY THE WAY, THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE LOVE & LETTERPRESS COASTER EXCHANGE. WHAT WAS THE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN?
I just wanted to play with the idea of a lonely branch growing without any visible protection. Sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
AS THE ONLY ART TEACHER IN A SHRINKING DISTRICT, SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE QUITE A BUSY GUY. I ACTUALLY CONSIDERED MY ART INSTRUCTORS FROM JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL AS MY MOST INFLUENTIAL (AND FAVORITE), SO THANK YOU FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO, AND THANKS FOR SHARING A BIT ABOUT BOUND STAFF PRESS.
I have been blessed by having many heroes. My dad Fred Miller is one, my high school art teacher Cal Mahin is another. These two men gave me a great example of what a teacher and a man should be. Of course, as a teacher, I cannot help but share with others. Thanks for the opportunity.
BOUND STAFF PRESS
La Junta, Colorado
blog www.boundstaffpress.blogspot.com
shop www.boundstaffpress.etsy.com