Twin Vixen Press

2011 Subscription Prints!

2012-01-05T14:54:00.002-05:00

Well, they're just about ready to be shipped out. Helen and I have been printing in our respective print studios and are about to reconvene in Putney, VT for a weekend of packing and labeling. Check 'em out! There are a few left in the edition so tell us if you still want a chance to own this year's subscription prints. The price is $80 for a set of B&W prints (one by Helen and the other by Briony) or $120 for a set of hand-tinted prints.

Briony Morrow-Cribbs

2011 Subscription Print

6" x 4"

Helen O'Donnell

2011 Subscription Print

4" x 6"

How to reserve your prints:
If you are interested in purchasing the 2011 Subscription prints please email us at twinvixenpress@gmail.com and send along your name and mailing address. Write a check out to Twin Vixen Press and mail it to Helen O'Donnell, 7 Small Meadows Lane, Putney, VT 05346, and we'll send you a smart little package.

A Short Video of the Etching Process

2011-08-09T22:37:00.000-04:00

Last month a fellow grad school student and I put together this video on the process of making the illustrations for the "Wicked Bugs" book. The video was made as an accompanying component to a digital version of the book. I thought it would be fun to include it here so those of you who were not so familiar with the etching process could see one approach.

Hope you enjoy!

Sign up for the 2011 Subscription Prints!

2011-06-18T14:22:00.001-04:00

Hello from Twin Vixen Press!

Despite our lack of blogging Twin Vixen Press is alive and well, having turned 3 this spring. The press has missed Briony terribly while she has been off working on her MFA degree in Wisconsin, but there is still a good chance that she will return to the beautiful, rolling hills of Vermont. In the meantime we are still offering studio space to other print artists, Helen makes paintings and prints in the studio and the space continues to be a wonderful and productive sanctuary.

In an effort to continue our tradition and raise a little money for the press, we are offering the opportunity for you to support our little venture though participating in our Annual Subscription Print fundraiser. This is how it works: We offer you two prints, one by Helen and one by Briony, for the price of $80 ($120 for a special edition print). The money we raise from the Subscription helps us pay our rent at the lovely Whetstone studios, purchase new equipment for the studio and buy supplies for our classes. This is a great way to buy original prints for a very low price and a great way to help support two young, hard working artists.

News About the Twins…

Helen has had an exciting year, continuing to pursue her dual passions in printmaking and gardening. She has recently been hired as the new printmaking teacher at The Putney School where, for the past three years, she has both taught the evening arts program as well as coached the girl’s soccer team. Starting this fall, Helen will be teaching two academic printmaking classes, two evening activities in printmaking and figure drawing, sponsoring project week and senior exhibitions, and continuing to coach. In addition, Helen will be managing the studio, which is equipped with an etching press, a lithography press, as well as Letterpress! Helen is pleased to find herself in the extremely unique position of instructing high school printmaking with more equipment and techniques available than most colleges and universities! In preparation for her new job, she enrolled in both Monotype and Lithography classes at Two Rivers Print Studio in White River Junction, Vermont as well as a Letterpress class from Bob Metzler in Hannover, New Hampshire. Helen had two shows this year, a one-person show at Works on Paper in Bellows Falls, Vermont and a group show with ceramicist Rob Cartelli and musician Michael Roberts at Through the Music gallery in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Visit Anemone Times to see what
Helen is up to in her gardens!

Helen has also had some amazing opportunities in the gardening world. After working for three seasons in the garden of Gordon Hayward, a well-known writer and garden designer, Helen traveled to England and volunteered at Hidcote Manor gardens in the northern Cotswolds. It was a truly remarkable opportunity to live in the manor and work full time alongside a terrific gardening team. After visiting so many incredible gardens and meeting so many wonderful gardeners, Helen to document her experiences in a blog, which she continues to do rather religiously (Visit Helen's Blog! ). Coming home after such a great experience has been exciting and she has been pursuing more garden design and renovation work. She will return to England again for the month of March 2012 to volunteer at another garden called Great Dixter, which happily dovetails with Putney School's March break! Helen continues to live in her cozy barn apartment with wonderful Noah with their two cats in glorious Putney, Vermont.

In May Briony finished her second year as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with her final year visible on the horizon. While the unanticipated addition of teaching to her schedule was a surprise, she managed to make it through the school year in one piece and found herself enjoying the job more than she anticipated. This last spring Briony showed in a variety of venues including the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, Eureka Books in Northern California, Brackenwood Gallery on Whidbey Island, and a botanical show in Thüngersheim, Germany. As part of earning her degree, Briony also put together a three-person show titled, “Beastly Prints: Modern Interpretations of the Art of the Bestiary” that was held at the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin and featured several of Briony’s prints of odd creatures.

May also brought Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects to the bookstands around the country. A sequel-of-sorts to the Wicked Plants, Wicked Bugs was written by Amy Stewart and completely illustrated by Briony. In a very short time the book has proven its worth by making it onto the “New York Times Bestseller List” and into an article by Ann Raver in the “New York Times” Home & Garden section.

Briony’s plans for next year are to hunker down and spend her final year at school focusing on her own work. She plans to work large – or at least larger – and continue her work with the monstrous form and portraiture.

Apart from school and work, Briony is still blissfully in love with Ted and will be moving in with him in August. In addition, she has also taken up the new hobby of rollerblading and has many bruises to prove it.

Subscription Details

Prints: 4” x 6” images on 8” x 10” Rives BFK paper

Price: $80 for regular edition, $120 for special edition, hand-colored prints

Edition: 50 regular edition prints, 20 special edition prints

How to reserve your prints:

If you are interested in purchasing our prints at a great deal please notify us by email or phone by July 30th and we will reserve your prints. Write your check out to Twin Vixen Press and mail it to Helen O'Donnell, Seven Small Meadows Lane, Putney, VT 05346. The prints will be mailed out in the fall. Please make sure to tell us where to ship your prints!

We hope you are all enjoying summer after a long spring. Thank you for all the support.

Sincerely,

Helen O'Donnell & Briony Morrow-Cribbs

Briony Morrow-Cribbs • 802-236-7697

Helen O'Donnell • 802-282-8722

Twin Vixen Press

Located at:

28 Williams Street

Brattleboro, VT 05301

Mailing Address:

7 Small Meadows Lane

Putney, VT 05346

Blog: http://www.twinvixenpress.blogspot.com/

Briony's Website: http://www.brionymorrow-cribbs.com/

Helen's Website: http://helenodonnell.com/

Hot Off the Press: 2010 Subscription Prints!

2010-08-08T12:41:00.007-04:00

Helen and I have just had busy and productive (and yet totally enjoyable) month together. During my stay in Vermont we were able to spend some good time together in the studio and edition our Annual Twin Vixen Press Subscription prints. We both ended up creating images from Helen's lovely little garden in Putney, VT and we think they turned out pretty sweet. We pre-sold most of the set but for those of you who would missed the first chance and would like to grow your Twin Vixen Press print collection we still have 10 regular-edition prints available. And for those of you who already purchased a set, thank you! The funds we raise through our Annual Subscription help keep the press alive and well. Thank you.

The price for the set is $60 (that's $60 for two prints!).If you would like to be signed up just email twinvixenpress@gmail.com and we'll put your name down. But remember time is of the essence...there are only 10 left!

Other news for print artists:
Helen and I are brainstorming some ideas for a class in November. We'll make sure to keep you all informed with what we come up with. We're also hashing out rates etc. for renting the studio space starting in the fall. If you are interested in renting our space let us know.

Shows and Openings! Oh My!!!

2010-06-04T15:00:00.004-04:00

"Helen O'Donnell Etchings"

at Works on Paper, Bellows Falls, VT
May 28th - July 31st

Briony Morrow-Cribbs
Buffy Cribbs
Bruce Morrow

"A Family Affair"

at the Brackenwood Gallery, Langley, WA
June 5th - June 30th

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-31T12:20:00.006-04:00

Dear Twin Vixen Press supporters,

It’s been a year since our last posting and we decided it was about time we share what was happening with the Twin Vixens. This last year has brought many changes to the press but we’re sill going strong, printing and teaching and making art. For the past two years we have offered our families, friends and supporters the opportunity to support our little venture through participating in our Annual Subscription Print Fundraiser. This is how it works: We offer you two prints, one by Helen and one by Briony, for the price of $60 or $100 for two special edition, hand-colored prints. The funds we raise from the Subscription help keep the studio alive and will enable us to purchase new equipment for the studio and buy supplies for our classes. This is a great way to buy original prints for a very low price and a great way to help support two young, hardworking, artists.

What we’ve been up to…
In September Briony embarked on an adventure to pursue her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a full fellowship. In her absence, Helen has picked up the slack and done an amazing job at teaching workshops and maintaining the studio on her own. In November, Helen taught a Beginning Etching class and in March Helen began a new 6-week course teaching more advanced etching techniques to Continuing printmaking students, as well as started an afterschool class for high school students. She is also continuing to teach an etching class every Tuesday at the Putney School. This summer Briony will temporarily move back to Vermont to help with the studio.

Helen has had a busy year working to strike a balance between all the things she loves. As the seasons change so does her focus. In the spring of ’09 Helen moved to the country to live in Putney, VT with her boyfriend, Noah. Having access to a little land, she began building her own gardens for the first time. Throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons she continued working for clients in their gardens. In the autumn Helen coached the girls soccer team at The Putney School for the second year in a row. Once the cold of November hit and all the outside work was finished, she moved into her studio and created five new prints for her December show at Amy’s Bakery and Arts Café. These large format, black and white prints represent a new phase for Helen and reflect her connection with her new life in the country.

In January, Helen and Noah traveled to the West Coast to spend some time adventuring and visiting friends and family. They had a very inspiring trip, spending the entirety of their five weeks along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Presently, Helen is working on a collection of paintings and prints inspired by her west coast trip. This year she has shown at the Lucia Douglas Gallery in Bellingham, WA, the Catherine Dianich Gallery as well as Amy’s Bakery and Arts Café in Brattleboro, VT and Gatto Nero Press in St. Johnsbury, VT. This June, Helen will show a collection of new prints at Works on Paper in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

Briony has settled in nicely to the Madison scene and has begun to understand the intricacies of being a graduate student in a research-based university. Although she often yearns for Vermont, the studio and Helen’s company, she has had an amazing experience at school. The program has given her the chance to focus on her own work and to experiment with working larger and bolder. Simultaneously, she has also taken on the task of working on 50 new illustrations for the upcoming book “Wicked Bugs” by Amy Stewart, the second book in the “Wicked” series. This book will be released in the spring of 2011. Briony has also found a true Wisconsin man, Ted Lott, with whom she has fallen deeply in love.

Although devoting a large amount of her time towards her degree, Briony has also made efforts to show her work in a number of shows across the country. With the publication of “Wicked Plants”, she was invited to show at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden last spring and will have her botanical work showcased at the Bone Room in Berkley this April. In September Briony was invited to participate in a print show in Titan, WA and in January, she participated in “Forward,” a show in Chicago that featured the work of current UW-Madison graduate students. This summer Briony will be showing her more recent work in a family show (Buffy, Bruce and Briony) at the new Brackenwood Gallery in Langley, WA as well as the Froggwell Binnalle at the Froggwell Gardens on Whidbey Island.

Thank you…
These last two years the studio has evolved to become an amazing place for not only Helen and Briony to make art and play but has become an encouraging environment for others – whether they be accomplished artists or a high school student with a craving to work creatively. We’ve enjoyed every aspect of starting this studio up and want to thank you again for all your love and support.

If you would like to reserve your prints and view photographs of Noah and Ted please send a check, payable to Twin Vixen Press, to our NEW MAILING ADDRESS:

Twin Vixen press
7 Small Meadows Lane
Putney, VT 05346

$60 for black & white
$100 for hand-tinted, color images

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!!

Helen and Briony

Summer Schedule, Subscription Prints and Shows!

2009-06-16T18:34:00.025-04:00

Subscription Prints: It's been a while since our last post and our only excuse is that things have gotten a little busy for the both of us. Helen has been out in the wild gardens of Vermont digging her little heart out and I have been plugging away at various projects in the studio and finding myself on mini adventures. On the 5th of June we opened up our studio for the June Brattleboro Gallery Walk. Several people came by and it turned out to be one of the busiest Gallery Walks we have had yet (it helped that the next day was Brattleboro's awesome Strolling of the Heifers parade). We also had a chance to show off this year's Subscription Print set.

Show in Barre, Vermont
This Friday, June 19th, Helen and I will have an opening at SPA (Studio Place Arts) in Barre, VT. The show will be open June 16th to July 25th. If you find yourself in Northern Vermont this Friday and would like to join us for the opening it will start at 5:30 and end at 8:30. (To the Left: "The beautiful old Studio Place Arts building in Barre, VT")

Show in Brooklyn, NY
On the 31st I had my show opening at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The show was beautifully hung in the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery and the event was extremely well coordinated. In addition to showing 30 hand-tinted versions of the images that were used in "Wicked Plants," the gallery agreed to show the accompanying Wicked Plants Portfolio in the display case. Thank you to those of you who made the effort to show up to the opening. The show will be up until September 9th so please take a peek if you are in town.

A few photos from the opening:

Wicked Plants Portfolio in the display case in the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery.

Briony Morrow-Cribbs and Amy Stewart, the author of "Wicked Plants".

The "Desert" pavilion of the Botanic Garden. I just wanted to draw all the cacti.

"Wicked Plants" is in a bookstore near you!

2009-05-05T16:34:00.008-04:00

So, it’s finally out. The book I've been tirelessly working on this last year is now available! The hardcover book titled, “Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities,” written by Amy Stewart and published by Algonquin Books, contains 40 of my slightly menacing botanical illustrations and is now at local bookstores (and online).
The book turned out better than I had imagined. The acid-green cover is compelling and sickly to say the least, the writing is amusing and informative and the illustrations seem to suit the subject and style of the book. Accompanying the release of the book will be a show at the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery in NY and another at Eureka Books in CA that will feature hand-tinted versions of the illustrations. In July I will also be hosting an etching workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With the release of the book I decided to produce a limited edition set of the prints as a portfolio. The “Wicked Plants Portfolio” will contain all 40 of the hand-pulled prints (plus two hand-tinted prints) and will be contained in a clamshell box made by Claudia Cohen. The portfolio will contain letter-pressed introductions by Amy Stewart and myself and will be printed by Rollin Milroy of Heavenly Monkey Press in Vancouver.

The other big bit of news is that after being offered an amazing fellowship I will be attending the University of Madison, Wisconsin for graduate work in printmaking in the fall. The decision to go was easy but the thought of leaving Vermont for three years has been hard. Helen and I have decided to do what we can to keep Twin Vixen Press alive and I will return to Vermont during breaks and summers to spend some time in the studio and help teach classes. (Thank you to all that signed up for our annual subscription this year – this will help keep the press alive through the next year. Your prints will be arriving shortly!)

Vermont is absolutely gorgeous right now. In the past week the landscape turned from various shades of brown to every imaginable color of green. I’ll be ready to test the swimming holes and biking in a week or two.

Thank you to everyone for all your help and support in these various projects that I have taken on in the last year. I have learned so, so much and I really thank all of you that have helped me along the way in some way or another.

Be well and happy spring!

Briony

Where to buy the Book:

Of course you can buy the book from Amazon.com but if you can, please support our local booksellers! Here’s a list of a few in Washington and a few in Brattleboro, Vermont that will be carrying the book. Barnes & Noble and Borders will also carry the book.

Washington:
Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers, 1st ave. Seattle, WA
Moonraker Bookstore: 1st St, Langley • 360-221-6962
Bookbay: Main St, Freeland
The Elliott Book Bay Company: South Main Street, Seattle

Vermont:
The Book Cellar: Main St, Brattleboro, VT
Everyone’s Books: Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT

Upcoming Shows for the Vixens:

May:

Eureka Books, Eureka CA
May 2nd – May 31st
A show of Briony's hand-tinted Wicked Plants

Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, NY
May 31st – September 6th
Briony's big debut in NYC! The opening at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be on the 31st of May. There will also be a joint book signing with Amy Stewart and Briony on this day.

June & July:

Lucia Douglas Gallery, Bellingham, WA
June 13th – July 25th
Helen and Briony will have a few pieces at the Lucia Douglas Gallery Print Invitational this year.

Studio Place Arts, Barre, VT
June 16th – July 25th
Work by Helen O’Donnell and Briony will be on exhibit at this awesome historic Vermont building in Barre, VT. Please come join the Twin Vixens for the reception on the 16th of June.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Etching Workshop
July 25th
There will also be a joint book signing with Amy Stewart and myself on the 25th of July.

July & August:

The Froggwell Gardens Forgery Show
Froggwell Gardens, Freeland, WA
July 31st – Aug 2nd
Briony will make an attempt to forge a great print master...shh

Party Time!

2009-04-06T09:53:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone!

It's PARTY TIME!

Twin Vixen Press is turning 1
and
Helen and Briony are turning 27!

Please come help us celebrate our first (and very successful) year!!!

April 10th starting at 6:00pm
at the Whetstone Studios.

We'll have live music!
Wooden Dinosaur with special guests
food and drinks and
tons of framed and unframed prints for sale.

Directions:

From Main St. in Brattleboro: Turn onto Elliott St. and drive until you reach a 5-way intersection. Take a Right onto Williams St. The Whetstone Studios will be a large teal-colored building on your left, #28.

From HWY 91: Take Exit 2 into Brattleboro. Take a left onto Western Ave. Take a Right onto Union St. At the bottom of Union St. at the 5-way intersection take a hard right onto Williams St. The Whetstone Studios will be a large teal-colored building on your left, #28.

For questions call either Briony at 802-236-7697 or Helen O'Donnell at 802-282-8722 or shoot us an email twinvixenpress@gmail.com.

Visit Helen's awesome new website: www.helenodonnell.com

It's Helen's Birthday today! Happy Birthday, Helen!!!

HAPPY SPRING!

2009-03-25T08:01:00.008-04:00

Helen O'Donnell
Color of Winter
Oil on Canvas
16" x 20"

Happy Spring! I am posting some of my new prints and paintings that I have been dutifully working on this winter. I have also been spending lots of time setting up a website, which will be up and running in a couple of weeks.

Twin Vixen Press is doing well. We are continuing Wednesday night Open Studio indefinitely and have a Beginning ETCHING WORKSHOP coming up the weekend of April 18th and 19th.

We also are having our ANNIVERSARY PARTY (and Birthday Party) on APRIL 10th, starting at 6 pm. Our friends Mike Roberts and Katie Trautz of WOODEN DINOSAUR will be performing that night in our studio. Drinks, food, and etchings will also be highlighted!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our Annual Print Subscription, we really appreciate all the support! The offer is still available to anyone who would like some great prints at an affordable price. Click here to read about it.

Spring is officially here, though you wouldn't know it with the cold weather the past couple of days, but there is hope and lots of bare ground. We hope that Spring is treating everyone well and we look forward to hearing from you!

Helen O'Donnell
Noah's View
Etching with Aquatint
5 1/2" x 5 /1/2"

Helen O'Donnell
The Red and Black
2 plate color etching with Aquatint
5 1/2 " x 5 1/2"

Helen O'Donnell
The Sea
Etching, Aquatint, Dry point, Roulette
5" x 4"

Helen O'Donnell
Four White Pines
3 plate Color Etching with Aquatint
12" x 14"

Twin Vixen Press Annual Subscription

2009-02-27T12:10:00.003-05:00

Do yo have an itch for some low-priced hand-printed etchings by Helen and Briony? Here's your chance!

Last year Twin Vixen Press put together the Aquatint Box Project, a subscription-like project that helped us raise enough money to purchase a rosin dust box for the studio. The project was a success - we now have our lovely aquatint box installed in the corner of our studio - and we decided to offer a similar opportunity to raise money to keep our studio alive and well. Our next big project is putting together a ventilation system for the studio space. We also have our eye on some new blankets for the press and a shop vac! Lastly, in our current financial times, this is a really affordable way to support the arts and artists like Briony and Helen!

2009 Twin Vixen Press Annual Subscription details:
Prints: 4” x 6” images on 8” x 10” Rives BFK paper
Price: $60 for regular edition, $100 for special edition, hand-colored prints
Edition: 60 regular edition prints, 10 special edition prints

If you would like to participate in this year's subscription please email us at twinvixenpress@gmail.com and we'll sign you up. The prints are expected to go out at the end of May. Last year we sold out quicker than we thought so email us as soon as possible if you would like a set.

Prints of last years subscription will be posted soon!

February Etching Workshop

2009-01-19T12:45:00.003-05:00

We've been enjoying teaching our etching workshops so much that we're going to do it yet again this February. For all those who couldn't make the last class, please sign up for this one, it is a lot of fun! This time we will be using our new Aquatint Box and teach the authentic aquatint etching process.

Beginning Etching Workshop
$160 (includes material fee)

Saturday, February 7th and Sunday, February 8th 10 am – 3 pm

In this class, students will learn the various techniques of etching on copper, including Hardground etching and Aquatint (with our new Aquatint Box)! Students will also try various printing techniques. This class is open to all levels, including experienced printmakers. Please sign up, it will be tons of fun!

Botanical Sute 2008

2008-12-21T20:50:00.005-05:00

Plants illustrated: Trout Lily, Jewel Weed, Fiddlehead Fern, Milkweed and Roundleaf Sundew

Portfolio, Title Page, Hand-tinted Prints, and Colophon

This December Briony released her third, annual Botanical Suite. Every year Briony creates a collection of 5 botanical images, package them in a nice portfolio and gather them with a letter-pressed title page and colophon. This year the images focus on plants that are native to Vermont. The suite can either remain as a whole, in the portfolio, or be divided, the images framed and hung individually. As in previous years, there will only be 20 copies of the suite available.

2008 Botanical Suite Details: The suite will consist of 5 hand-colored etchings on white Magnani Pescia paper. The images will be a little larger this year, 4” x 4” images on sheets of 8” x 10” paper. Each suite will come in a lightweight portfolio with a letterpress printed title page and Colophon (printed by Rollin Milroy of Heavenly Monkey Press). The price is $300 per suite. The suite will be a limited edition of 20. I still have a few left so contact me if you are interested!

Please e-mail Briony at twinvixenpress@gmail.com or call Briony's cell: 802-236-7697

Edition: 20 per etching
Etchings hand-colored with watercolor
4” x 4” prints on 8” x 10” paper.
Price: $300 per suite

Open Studio Class

2008-12-18T23:44:00.002-05:00

After our last Beginning Etching class we decided that it would be great to have one evening a week where we would open our studio up to our students. The idea is that the Open Studio Class allows printmakers to use the studio and facilites as well as have fellow printmakers around to converse with. This is what we came up with:

The Open Studio Class will be an opportunity for printmakers to work independently on their own work with full access to the press and equipment of the print studio. Each student will be required to take an introductory class at Twin Vixen Press or attend a one-hour introduction to the Twin Vixen Press studio. During the class, Briony and Helen will be available for questions and technical support in the studio. The class may choose to do group critiques and discussions on individual work.

The Open Studio Class will meet for 15 weeks from December 3rd to the last week in March (taking 2 weeks off for Christmas and New Years). We will meet Wednesday nights from 6 to 9 pm. Students have a choice of purchasing a 10-class card or a 5-class card (or both). There will be a drop in fee option as well. If we have to cancel a class for any reason (weather, vacation etc.) we will offer make up classes.

10 Class Card:
$250.00

5 Class Card:
$150.00

Drop in Fee:
$35.00

Toxic Blue Green Algae

2008-11-23T22:14:00.003-05:00

Just last week I finished my last plant illustration for my 'Wicked Plants' book project. The 40 botanical illustrations took me nearly 8 months to complete. The project has been a huge learning experience for me in so many ways. It's probably been the hardest thing I have done in my life so far but it has also been extremely rewarding. The book, written by Amy Stewart and published by Algonquin of Chapel Hill, will be on the shelves sometime in May.

The last plate I worked on for the book was Toxic Blue Green Algae. This plate was by far the most challenging to figure out how to illustrate. I also ended up doing a fair amount of research to complete the plate. Finding a whole fish in Vermont is a lot harder than I thought it would be...

Wooden Dinosaur Album Cover

2008-11-20T09:34:00.006-05:00

This summer Twin Vixen Press had the chance to collaborate with Wooden Dinosaur to create a CD cover for the first release of "The Hum of Your Valved Voice". The Album cover was created by both Helen and Briony (simultaneously drawn) and was printed in a limited edition of 50. The project was a great learning experience and turned out really well. The press is currently working on two more album covers: one for Sudan, titled "Edo No Hana" and another for Heavy Winged, titled "Spreading Center". Both albums should be finished by early December.

Fall at Twin Vixen Press

2008-11-17T14:36:00.017-05:00

Helen and I have had an exciting, action-packed fall so far. For Halloween we decided to momentarily change our name to Twin Skeleton Press and dress up as glow-in-the-dark dancing skeletons. It was quite fun but by Saturday we ready to return to our normal Vixen roles.

This weekend Twin Vixen Press put on its second Beginning Etching Workshop. The class was absolutely a blast. From ten to three both Saturday and Sunday we prepared plates, etched and then printed like mad. There were 7 students and they turned out to be a great group of artists who all made beautiful prints. We had a great time and now have a few new friends who are obsessed with etching like ourselves!

This last class was so great we've started thinking about hosting an 'open studio' class on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 so that people can keep working in the studio. Stay tuned for more details. . .

Things are moving along. We finished a CD design this late summer and are working on two more designs that will be finished by the end of November. We will post them when they are complete.

We are gearing up for this December's Gallery Walk where the Whetstone Studio Building will be featured. Our studio will be open for a party, with music, friends, and some framed prints.

A few photos from our weekend workshop:

• Lauren and Ruth discussing their plates • Helen helping Terri register her plate on the press

Joan stopping out her aquatint • Lunchtime!

UPCOMING EVENTS!

2008-10-23T16:42:00.017-04:00

Beginning Etching Workshop

We had such a great time teaching our etching class last spring and are going to teach a similar class again this November. For all those who couldn't make the last class, please sign up for this one, it is a lot of fun! This time we will be using our new Aquatint Box and teach the authentic aquatint etching process.

Etching Workshop
$160 (includes material fee)
Saturday, November 15th and Sunday, November 16th 10 am – 3 pm

In this class, students will learn the various techniques of etching on copper, including Hardground etching and Aquatint (with our new Aquatint Box)! Students will also try various printing techniques. This class is open to all levels, including experienced printmakers. Please sign up, it is fun!

November shows in Vermont

This Holiday season Helen and Briony will both be participating in a number of shows. Here are a few coming up this month:

On Friday, November 7th, during Brattleboro's Gallery Walk, Helen will be showing her etchings and some small paintings at Amy's Bakery and Arts Café with her friend and painter Jill Auerbach. The show will be up for the month of November. Please come and check it out.

On Saturday, November 1st, Briony will be participating in a miniature show at Haymaker Card & Gift in Morrisville, Vermont (just a few miles north of Montpelier). Some of her smaller prints will be on display. If you are in the area, come check it out through the holiday season.

Holiday Miniature Exhibition:
A Group show of five artists working in small sizes

November 1 - December 24, 2008

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 8th, 5-8 pm

• Autumn Fahey (abstract acrylics, Morrisville, VT)
• Briony Morrow-Cribbs (etchings, Brattleboro, VT)
• Omri Parsons (mixed media, Peacham, VT)
• Jennifer Ranz (pottery, Greensboro, VT)
• Julie Ruth (oils on canvas, Montgomery Center, VT)

Haymaker Card and Gift Gallery: 84 Lower Main St., Morrisville, VT. For information call 802-888-2309 or visit Haymaker Press on the web.

Twin Vixen Press at the Langdon Street Café

2008-09-04T15:57:00.006-04:00

You are invited to join us for an artists' reception and musical performance on September 13th in Montpelier Vermont at the Langdon Street Café.

On display will be works by Briony Morrow-Cribbs and Helen O'Donnell. Briony will be displaying prints from her Wicked Plants illustration project and Helen will be showing paintings and prints from the past winter and spring.

Musical performances include Magdyn Osh, a five piece psych folk band from Brooklyn, NY followed by Wooden Dinosaur celebrating the release of a new CD "The Hum Of Your Valved Voice." The new CD features limited edition hand printed sleeves done by Twin Vixen Press. Knotty Pine, a northern Vermont new time old time band finishes up the evening with raucous fiddle tunes and sweet ballads.

The Langdon Street Café is a live music hub located in downtown Montpelier with beer, wine and food available.

When: 7pm Artists' Reception
8:30pm Music by Magdyn Osh, Wooden Dinosaur and Knotty Pine

Where: Langdon Street Cafe, 4 Langdon St., Montpelier, VT

For more information on the Langdon Street Café visit www.langdonstreetcafe.com

'Bellingham Bay'

2008-08-14T13:20:00.005-04:00

'Bellingham Bay' by Helen O'Donnell

Hey to all the loyal Twin Vixen Press fans. This is my newest three color etching! This came about because my dear friend Terry Turville got married to my dear friend Gary Hallowell. Terry was trying to figure out what kind of present to get for her wedding party and she came up with this great idea... She commissioned me to make a brand new piece of art work and she gave it to her people. This was the print that I came up with and luckily she was happy with it.
I also got to deliver it in person and join in the celebration. It was a terrific wedding and I got to see all my people on the West Coast. It was the best.

There have been lots of things happening this summer, lots of changes in the air, projects, work, moving to a new apartment, teaching art camp, getting ready to coach soccer in the fall and to teach a printmaking class during the upcoming school year. Vermont is beautiful and I think that I am sticking around for awhile! Briony and I are still great friends and business partners and we think that our studio is the greatest place on earth.

Dentated and Dentiguated teeth

2008-07-19T10:58:00.021-04:00

It’s hard to believe that Twin Vixen Press has been up and running for six months. At times it feels like we’ve hardly gotten going and then we have moments where we look back and realize what we’ve accomplished. The studio is in great form right now (and fairly tidy since we just did our 6th Brattleboro Gallery Walk). Tools seem to have found their resting spots and, for the most part, we have everything we need to maintain a fully-functioning etching studio.

These days I manage to get up early enough to get to the studio before 9am. And then…I jump right into my etchings. So far I have completed 15 plates out of 40 for my “Wicked Plants” book project. My goal has been to etch at least 2 plates every week (and this is just minimum...I should be doing 3!). Mostly, this plan has worked just fine but it’s hard sometimes to stay exactly on schedule every moment of the day: to have breakfast, go on a bike ride and be on top of sketching and etching for the rest of the day.

I’ve had a funny sensation the last couple of weeks: Every time I make my walk down to the studio I can’t help noticing the leaves and flowers on the plants I pass by. I often find myself thinking, “Well look at that! A leaf with Doubly Serrated teeth next to one with Denticulated teeth! I must pick both for my collection.” Unfortunately the Latin names have a hard time sticking. I kind of love being a pretend botanist. Maybe I should go back to school.

I have also started to hand-tint some of the botanical etchings for a few shows I have in Washington at the beginning of August. This is a print of Rosary Pea. It's an awfully sneaky and malicious little thing.

This Friday Helen, Jesse and I will head out to the West coast for our collection of art and wedding events. If anyone is around, the Froggwell art show will be held on Whidbey Island from 10 am til 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday August 2nd and 3rd. The show will feature the work of 14 printmakers, sculptors and bookbinders and will be held in the beautiful Froggwell gardens. I’ll also be exhibiting my work in the Karlson/Gray Gallery in Langley, WA for the “1st Annual Handpulled Print Show” which will open the whole month of August (www.karlsongraygallery.com). And lastly I will have a small show in conjunction with the RISE Benefit for Hedgebrook on the 7th of August. The evening will be a fancy evening of cocktails and probably a several-course dinner. It will also be the unveiling of the Hedgebrook wine for which I made the label! Wahoo. If you want to come to the dinner, tickets are $1000 per person.

That’s about it. We’re all trying to stay cool in this intense humidity. What a shift from the dry air of Washington coast summers! It will be good to visit my home and parents for a few weeks but I can also imagine missing the studio and Vermont in such an intense time of beauty. Well, actually, I haven’t yet experienced a time where it hasn’t been knock-your-socks-off beautiful. This is an amazing place.

Pluto Comes 'Round Again

2008-06-24T23:16:00.009-04:00

So it’s been a while since our last blog posting but things have been moving along at quite a clip at Twin Vixen Press. Since the beginning of May the vixens traveled to Maine for a little work and play, I started to pack in the hours on my Wicked Plants illustrations, Helen began to paint like a fiend for her show in September, a beginning etching class was taught and the Aquatint box finally arrived.

The etching class, which was held last weekend, June 19th and 20th, was a huge success. We managed to fit 5 students in the studio with plenty of room. The class started with a hardground project and from there moved onto spray-paint aquatint and softground techniques. Everyone finished at least two plates and came out with a handful of prints. Helen and I found out that we taught well together and only contradicted each other once in a while. We’re looking forward to our next class, which will most likely take place in the fall.

The Aquatint box showed up on our doorstep on Monday morning. Since the box had traveled from the Netherlands to Boston to Chicago and back to Vermont we really weren’t expecting it to arrive so soon. Our upstairs studio neighbor helped us move it into place. We haven’t yet had a chance to use it but we’ve already started to practice turning the handle.

Helen and I have also finished our Aquatint box fundraiser plates, which we are calling our ‘Spring’ plates. We’ll spend the next week or two printing these up so that we can send them out to all of you who have contributed. The plates were executed in the usual manner: Helen went wild and turned out a beautiful, lively plate and I spent hours drawing miniature circles. We’re both very proud and excited to share them with you all.

Tulips and Sombreros

2008-05-06T11:52:00.008-04:00

Today Briony and I are sitting on the porch making plates and writing emails and we decided to take some lovely shots of us with the tulips. We are working on a plate together and when one of us gets tired the other one picks up the slack. It is going very well. A pheonix rising out of invasive weeds.... you'll see.

We had a lovely walk in the retreat woods in the early morning and came out onto a dew drenched corn field....
We had a good weekend that started off with a good Gallery Walk. Briony and I both sold a thing or two and I sold a small painting that Briony quickly photographed before the new owners took it to its new home. It was painted at Hart's Pass, Washington when Briony and I went camping with Tom and Pam.
Unfortunately we do not have any photographs of our exciting adventures with our new buddies at the Motorcycle Swap, a trip to Margaritas (where we won free sombreros), the leather store, and a terrific gas station called Mort's, but I am sure no one can imagine a more perfect Sunday.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Aquatint Box Project. We have officially ordered one and it is on its way from the Netherlands... yeah!

The Crooked House

2008-04-21T20:21:00.005-04:00

While Briony has been up North, I have been working hard in southern Vermont. Since she has been gone I have learned to shoot a gun and operate a sawmill. I have also started some gardening jobs and it has been good to get back in the dirt. It never seems to take very long for gardening to find me again. I am working on some botanical illustrations for a friends book of trout lily and bloodroot (and blood root happens to be unfurling its sweet little leaves outside my doorstep as we speak). The weather has been amazing, I already went swimming in a very cold rushing brook. Life is pretty terrific these days, hope you are all finding spring sweet.

Here is one of my newest prints with spray paint aquatint. Thanks to all that have donated to our Aquatint Box Project- I am very excited to be acquiring a real box in the near future.

Hard at Work

2008-04-15T13:10:00.006-04:00

I'm still up at the Vermont Studio Center. I've had a great time so far and have met a lot of new friends as well as getting a lot of plates done... It will be hard to leave VSC on friday and all the awesome people I've just met but I'm also starting to really miss my dear little business partner, Helen, and Jesse and my new home in Brattleboro. I can't wait to see what summer is like in Vermont!

Hard at work in my studio

Filling the plate in with numb fingers

Close up of "Castor Bean" proof

Briony at the Vermont Studio Center

2008-04-11T16:19:00.027-04:00

Since March 29th I've been staying at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT as an artist in residence. There are about 50 artists/writers staying for a full month at VSC. Basically we eat all our meals together (which are DELICIOUS. Yes, the meals are so good that they deserve both capitals and italics) and in between we scurry off to our various studios to spend time on our paintings/prints/poems. Everyone is incredibly kind and curious about each other's work. Last night the artists opened the doors to their studios and marched around to each other's spaces to see what had been produced in the last two weeks. The best part was matching people's work to what you knew of them already, matching their work to what you knew of their character.

So far I have been focusing on the 'Wicked Plants' project, an illustration project for Algonquin Books, written by Amy Stewart. The first illustration, to the left, is an etching on an 8" x 9" plate of Monkshood or Aconitum napellus. My intention is to make the illustrations look menacing or somehow a little dark and haunting. It's hard however, to make some of these beautiful plants look anything but delicate and sweet.

My studio is located in the Barbra White Building which used to be an old school house. There are about 5 studio buildings for artists and I think there are another 3 studios for writers. Upstairs in the Barbra White building there are about 8 painting studios and downstairs there are 4 studios, three of which adjoin the Printmaking room and are reserved for the three resident printmakers. There are also a few studios in the basement which are for resident staff members - residents who decide they like it so much that they work at VSC in exchange for room/board and a studio space.

The Print Studio is a lovely space to work in. There are two beautiful presses to work on, a Charles Brand press and the other is a Martech Etching press (a brand of press that I've never heard of before but works very well). The space has good light and my studio mates, Jacklyn from Wisconsin and Catherine from NYC, are very charming and easy to share the space with.

My personal studio is also quite comfortable. There's way more space than I would ever need but I'm quite content.

I've lined my walls with copper plates ready to be etched. It's a little intimidating to have them all stare down at me throughout the day, but I know I'll eventually get them all done. Tomorrow I will start in on an etching of Ricinus communis! Wahoo!

There is so much more to tell about this place and the awesome people I've met but I'll have to do it in future blog postings. This place is wonderful. I imagine it will be a time in my life where I look back and think, "Holy Cow, that was one cool experience."I promise to post more etchings as I make them.

Off to dinner. Cod with Red Pepper Pesto. Yum.

Tresspassers

2008-04-10T19:54:00.004-04:00

This is Helen's most recent print.

Spring/Summer Etching Classes!

2008-04-10T19:48:00.003-04:00

Here is all the information on the classes that we are teaching this spring and summer. We hope you all can make it and get your friends to sign up too!

Beginning Etching Class
$160 (includes material fee) Saturdays 1 pm – 4 pm (3 week session, May 24, 31 and June 7)

This class will be an introduction to the basic techniques and concepts of intaglio printing. Students will cover the basic steps of monoprinting, making a drypoint plate, applying hard ground, etching a copper plate, and making a proof. This class is open to all levels, no previous experience is required.

Beginning Etching Workshop
$160 (includes material fee) Saturday, June 21st and Sunday, June 22nd, 10 am – 3 pm

In this class, students will learn the various techniques of etching on copper, including Sugar lift, Softground etching and Hardground etching. Students will also try various printing techniques. This class is open to all levels, however, prior printing experience will be helpful.

First Friday

2008-04-03T19:19:00.002-04:00

So tomorrow is First Friday of the month which means it is Gallery Walk. Twin Vixen Press will be open from 5 to 9 pm and would love for all those in the area to stop by! We will have some new work on the walls and will be recruiting students for our etching class in May.

I spent this week working out two new etchings- one is a three plate color etching and the other is a single plate with lots of spray paint aquatint. I am excited because they are the first etchings made since I moved to Vermont. I will post the images when they are dry.

I think today officially marks the first day of spring (it was so beautiful) and who cares if it supposed to snow tomorrow....
I am missing Briony and hoping that she is having a terrific time up north at the Vermont Studio Center. Making lots of work and eating well!

Yellow Ochre Blues

2008-03-28T08:56:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we were working on our print job for Tom Wood. The only thing that is a little tricky is trying to match the color to the original print. The original print has a lovely warm and creamy golden yellow and so we are mixing yellow ochre with white, raw sienna, hansa yellow, easy wipe, and transparent base. (Don't worry Tom, we are really close!) To help us along, we were listening to a cd of old and rare American folk and blues music, and we got inspired to write a little blues song of our own.... This is the first (and probably the last) song from Twin Vixen Press. We think it is pretty hilarious and hopefully you will too....

Today it is snowing like the devil, we have quite a few inches on the ground. Briony heads to Johnson on Saturday to begin her artist in residence at Vermont Studio Center. We are preparing ourselves for the month long separation.

Studio Shots

2008-03-23T11:55:00.004-04:00

Here are a few photos we took this morning at the studio. Happy Easter!

Flat files, Presses and Shelves, oh my!
(Our fabulous new shelving unit was made by Daniel Wheeler)

Ms. Helen O'Donnell in her Pre-print Power Stance

Our Awesome Work Benches

Ms. Briony Morrow-Cribbs
Check out the new Muck boots!

Helen's Etchings

2008-03-21T17:07:00.007-04:00

So this is the prelude to a website and a way for all those curious to see my most recent prints. The color prints (with the exception of Orcas Tree's) are multiple plate etchings (each color has its own plate) and most are done using aquatint. Thanks for looking.

"Under the Persimmon Tree"

Etching

"Il Duomo"
Etching

"Egg Yolk Sun"
Etching

"Late August"
Etching

"Orcas Trees"
Etching

Briony's Etchings

2008-03-21T15:07:00.006-04:00

for more images visit brionymorrow-cribbs.com

"Beetle Fish"
Etching

"Accessorized"
Etching

"Cricket Meeting"
Etching

"Two Fish" From 'Iskandariya'
Etching

"Buzz McCain"
Etching

2008-03-16T17:01:00.001-04:00

Hey we have started a blog.... More to come. We will post projects pictures and maybe even some new work....