today we're chatting with Carrie Shryock (left) of 1canoe2 letterpress....who recently updated their logo...
old:
new:
what do you think? you may have seen their "state" art prints recently; they have been very popular! remember, we can order any state, we just may not have all states in stock!
how did you get into what you are doing?
Beth and I always talked about running some sort of business where we could sell our creations. We fell into letterpress after Beth's husband bought her a little tabletop press before they got married. We played around with printing our own designs, and then after we spent hours and hours printing a run of about 300 calendars by hand we decided that maybe we'd look for a bigger, motor-operated, press. We found a big Chandler and Price press, brought it home, and never looked back. We now own three presses, which we run out of our barn studio.
what is the story behind your brand's name?
One canoe, two girls - although now there are three of us! We like canoes. There are some really great spring-fed rivers here in Missouri, and there might not be a better way to spend a hot summer day than floating down a nice cold river.
what is your favorite item from your line?
I really like our "People In Your Neighborhood" series. The idea behind these came from a project that I taught in my elementary art classroom last year when I was still teaching. It was fun to develop these characters and see them come to life through letterpress.
where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere. There are beautiful things all around us if you are looking for it, but I find most of my inspiration in the outdoors. When I can spend a couple of hours walking in the woods I come back with a clear mind and usually ideas for several new designs. I really get interested in the details of things...the petals on a flower, the rings on a tree stump, the intricate pattern of a spider web.
who is your favorite artist?
I don't think I could narrow it down to one. I love the playful and lighthearted work of Alexander Calder. The way that Andy Goldsworthy infuses his work into the natural landscape is amazing. I love the graphic patterns of Orla Kiely. I'm also drawn to the work of illustrators with a linear style like Roald Dahl and Carson Ellis.
tell us something about yourself we wouldn't otherwise know?
Well, I'm about to leap into the world of beekeeping. A while back I read the book "The Secret Life of Bees" and became fascinated with honeybees. They are SO amazing! I received a beehive as a Christmas gift from my parents, and I'm getting it set up in my backyard. I will soon be populating it with my very own colony of honeybees. Hopefully later in the summer there will be honey to harvest. We'll see how it goes!
what is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
I think it was about a year ago when I was toying with the idea of leaving my job as an art teacher to focus on 1canoe2 full time. It was a scary and difficult decision, but my dad said to me, "Carrie, just do what is going to make you happy. If you have a job you love you will never feel like you are working." That pretty much cleared it up for me. Drawing and designing and letterpress is what I was happy doing, so I decided to just jump headfirst into making our business grow. I haven't regretted it at all!
if you weren't making letterpress artwork, what would you be doing?
I would probably still be working as a teacher, but I'd still be creating or making something. I feel like creating is in my genes, and if I go for too long without some sort of creative outlet I get a little antsy.
