Have you ever heard of letterpress printing?
If your answer is no, then you’re not alone.
That’s probably because the technique was developed in the mid-15th century and has since been replaced by modern printing technology.
But for Idahoan Angela Stewart, the letterpress is still in.
“I fell in love with letterpress a long time ago,” Stewart said.
However, love is one thing — figuring out how to use a 1900’s cast iron printing machine is a whole different animal.
“There’s not somewhere to go to school to learn to letterpress, so I used old high school text books, I had a friend who helped me, I got on the internet, I cried…” Stewart said.
But now, Stewart is the owner, designer and press operator at Ladybug Press. The Boise-based company creates functional art that’s made to be used and enjoyed.
“We definitely have a culture that supports things that are handmade. I love seeing people go back to supporting the things that are made in this country,” Stewart said.
Her online store includes shirts, tea towels, cards, art prints, notebooks and wine bags.
“I always joke that I have two children, the Ladybug Press and my son. I think they both demand time,” Stewart said.
And for Stewart, time with Ladybug Press is time well spent.
“I do this because it’s what I want to do. I want to be able to make things,” she said.
“In high school I was told to get a math degree because artists don’t make money, but I make money,” Stewart said.
And that’s a lesson Stewart wants to pass on to the next generation.
“This is definitely something that I can teach my kid; that he can go out and do the things that he wants to do,” she said.
Click HERE if you’re interested in checking out Ladybug Press and Angela Stewart’s artwork.
