Aardvark Letterpress Offers Art Series

Unique original fine art collection is based on Loteria game cards.

aardvarkletterpressfinearteditions.com - May 30, 2008

(PRNewsChannel) / Los Angeles, Calif. – Aardvark Letterpress, one of the last remaining traditional letterpress companies in Los Angeles, celebrates its 40th anniversary by moving in an unprecedented new direction with the production of original limited edition fine art works, making Aardvark one of the few, if not only, exclusively dedicated letterpress operations in the world to take on such a project.

Aardvark Letterpress Fine Art Editions has been created to showcase the potential for merging a pre-Industrial Age craft with the 21st century’s art technology.
           
The initial edition will be based on the centuries-old Mexican Loteria game, merging the concept of the game cards into new, original images created by contemporary Los Angeles artists.  A set of 18 works in the initial offering will be followed by two additional sets, eventually replicating the number of cards in a complete Loteria game.

"From the time my dad bought this store, we have been a meeting place for our customers, artists and artisans from all over this city,” says Cary Ocon, a co-owner of Aardvark.  “That’s why we deliberately reached out to the entire spectrum of the Los Angeles artistic community.”  Co-curator Lisa Jane Persky says,  “The artists represented are famous and infamous, renowned and up-and-coming.  They work in graphics and hip hop, fine art and pop art.  Like the city of L.A., they are ethnically, economically and culturally diverse and represent the democratic feel of day to day business at Aardvark.”

The production of museum-quality art work blending new technology with century-old methods and machinery generates extraordinary results, according to Mr. Ocon. “Our family business relies on antique printing in an extremely contemporary world, yet that medium is perfectly suited to the creation of fine modern art. The computer age has changed the landscape of the art world, but there’s not a digital printer on earth which can match a fine old letterpress for tone or texture or emotional content.  We’re pairing an exceptionally talented array of artists with adroit letterpress artisans.  The results are absolutely remarkable and amazingly beautiful.”

The first series of Loteria cards, each 13” by 20”, will be available as boxed sets or as individual works of art.  Among the Los Angeles artists participating in the creation of the initial Loteria set are Dan McCleary, Greg Colson, Richard Duardo, Andre Miripolsky, Karen Kimmel, Dave Lefner, Cristina Padron, Sammy Harkham and Ed Wexler.  Brooks Ocon oversees production and printing on Aardvark’s vintage presses.  Art Director Rick von Dehl contributed to the over-all design of the project.

Aardvark Letterpress was originally known as Aardvark Typographers and has been in its MacArthur Park location for decades.  Luis Ocon, who began working for Aardvark as a linotype operator in the late 1960’s and became its head typographer, purchased the company in 1978.  Shortly thereafter, he invested in a 100-year old Chandler & Price hand-operated printing press. 
The shop now features several large vintage presses, including three Heidelbergs; it also has an extensive collection of typefaces and a fully operational linotype machine.  Aardvark provides its customers – those, including entertainment luminaries, who desire stylish and artistic letterhead, business cards or wedding invitations and organizations requiring a wide range of fundraising and event invitations  – with hand set and hand-printed materials.

Luis Ocon continues to work in the shop, managing its day-to-day affairs with his sons Cary and Brooks and his wife, Helen.  The entire family, including sisters Kim, Debbie and Francine and numerous grandchildren, are often found in the shop, typically for lunch.

The Loteria series, which also reflects the Mexican-American Jewish heritage of the Ocon family, is being created by Aardvark Letterpress Fine Art Editions, a new division of the company devoted exclusively to fine art production.  The series is the first planned art project for Aardvark Letterpress Fine Art Editions, which is also working with Los Angeles gallery owner Tom Solomon on original art works known as Aardvark Limited Editions.

“From its inception, the concept was to take a 600 year old craft, traditionally relegated to the commercial world, and apply it to the world of fine art” says Cary Ocon.  “We love producing truly unique wedding invitations or business cards which have a style and substance far beyond what a laser printer can produce, but we have always felt that there was so much more to be drawn from the process.  That’s the mission of Aardvark Letterpress Fine Art Editions.”

Production of the Loteria series is in the hands of Brooks Ocon and Aardvark master printers, Bill Berkuta, Jorge Estrada and Adan Aragon.  Between them, the Aardvark press operators have well over a century of experience.
 
“This medium is demanding and difficult.  Getting multiple layers of color to blend seamlessly on a letterpress is truly an art,” says Brooks Ocon.  “Our pressmen accomplish that on machines which are, to be kind, ancient and eccentric.  Every single artist who has worked on the Loteria series has seen their work perfectly produced and they all are awed by the skill these gentlemen bring to the process.”

A 19th Loteria card, commemorating Aardvark’s 40th anniversary, will be included with each full 18 card suite. The Loteria series will sell for $5,000.00 for a complete suite, which comes in a custom made archival box and features the bonus 19th card; only 25 complete sets are available.  Individual Loteria cards cost $300.00.  The press run for the set, and for each of the subsequent Loteria sets, is limited to 100. Complete information about the Loteria project, including sales information, is available at www.Aardvarkletterpress.com.  A new Web site, www.aardvarkletterpressfinearteditions.com, has details about all the artists and their art work. www.Aardvarkletterpress.blogspot.comtracks the production of the cards and features photos of the collection.  A Loteria catalog will also be available.

Editor’s Note:  Brief biographies of the artists participating in the first phase of the Aardvark Letterpress Fine Art Editions Loteria series are attached.

Contact:  WHPR
Phone:  323.730-0233
Email:
Web site:  www.aardvarkletterpressfinearteditions.com

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