must be some kind of old trading stamp from the 70’s

Robert Louis Stevenson lived in Calistoga, California. This map was drawn for the San Francisco Chronicle, travel section cover.

I was poking around today looking through my old Steelcase file cabinet and ran across this. 25 years ago or so, I had the ambition to be an engraver (wood & steel). Perhaps a foolhardy goal for sure, but a lot of fun it was.

Here is an engraving done for a photographer named ‘Fowler’. The engraving was cut in end grain boxwood and is cut into a block 2″x3.25″. The image I’m posting is a ‘proof’ print much magnified and the surrounding wood is left on the block to make it easier to print on the Vandercook No.1 (letterpress printing press)

Through the years I produced thousands of linoleum, wood, copper and steel cuts and engravings.

The printing press and tools have been retired now for ten years.

They say one gets wiser with age…

Glock 19
Vector line drawing (by Elvis Swift)
Husqvarna Designer SE
100% wool felt
Sulky rayon thread

Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition-Europe

When applying to attend Minneapolis College of Art & Design in 1973, I asked about a clay or pottery class. They informed me that they had no such class as that was considered ‘a craft’ and we don’t teach such things. Oh well, I always loved clay and worked with it anyway. Here are recent illustrations for Middlebury Magazine. The article was about a Middlebury intern who was in China during the May 12, 2008 earthquake. (Elvis Swift drew the bird for me)