The journeyman years (Wanderjahre) is a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. After completing their apprenticeship craftsmen went on a journey of working lasting three years and one day. This way of additional training was widespread in crafts like roofing and carpentery but also in the visual arts like masonry, painting and in goldsmiths. These artistic jounrmeymen made a …
The studio is one of many stops at the rural Art-Route in our region featuring artists’ studios, arts&crafts workshops and museums. Infact there are five routes and The Fork and Broom Press is stop 16 on route No 5. As of this year there has been an upgrade, so to speak, which was in the making for quite some time, …
Those past three and something years have been hard at times but overall it was fun. My boss is very sensible. I could convince her that while evening school might be good for most dogs, for me homeschooling is far better. With homeschooling there are treats and I love treats. And homeschooling meant I could learn at my own personal …
This is a video of me working on my KORREX proofing press. It was made in 2010 while I was printing the sheets for “Mir fehlt ein Wort” my artist’s book on Kurt Tucholsky. Back then the studio was located in the south of Germany. For one day my workplace was turned into a film set. Sven Löffler and his …
The schedule of events in August is finalised. There is much you can choose from: Open Studio, an exhibition of artist’s books, readings, guided tours. During the “tales in the barn” there’ll be readings from a choice of my artist’s books accompanied by the stories how the books came into being from a first glimpse of an idea through to …
In 1999 I started making books in my own studio. What I had at the time was one proofing press and some metal type and a lot of enthusiasm. I went to a number of bookbinding classes. Two decades on from then I have two proofing presses, a number of smaller platen presses, some estimated 10 tons of metal type …
There are two Open Studio events coming up this year!The first will be on 15 March celebrating the first anniversary of artistic printmaking techniques being awarded cultural heritage status in Germany. We’ll be open on the Friday from 3pm to 8pm giving visitors the opportunity to have a go at one of the presses. More on this event and the …
My name is Lotta and I’m the new apprentice at The Fork and Broom Press. I’ll be training to become First Assistant. The studio’s pressroom is a very nice place, particularly that blanket in the spot of afternoon sunlight. My boss said I can start training on the job straight away subject to the condition that I go to evening …
My first press was delivered in November 1998. It was a KORREX Hannover, an entirely manual cylinder proofing press. This press is a rather unrelenting teacher, I can tell you. I very much treasure it. The press came with its standard inking unit (carriage). There are three rubber rollers, one of them with a pin on to which a handle …
This is me: Annette. I’m a bookish girl. How could I possibly not end up in the book arts?
This image was taken at a colleague’s workshop, at Heinrich Buser’s Greno Printing Office. I was assisting with printing at his Heidelberg windmill which was, I admit, a very special experience. I myself don’t own such a magical machine. My presses are all manually operated, and that is perfectly fine with me. I got serious with printing in 1998 – that was when I bought my first proofing press, a KORREX Hannover. I am into wood- and linocut, letterpress printing using metal and wood type, and I’m into bookbinding. I’m a member of The Fine Press Book Association, the Oxford Guild of Printers and the BK (Bundesverband Kunsthandwerk).