Who We Are

We are artists and poets who use letterpress printing in our own work. We collaborate with you, and bring our design and artistic skills and tools to your project.

Kim Vanderheiden is the designer. She is a mixed media artist who works in pencil, acrylic and oil paint, letterpress, monotype, solar etching, linoleum cut, enamel, and collage. She has been working in the letterpress medium for over ten years and is the founder and creative director of Painted Tongue Studios. She also manages apprentices, teaches workshops, and does a portion of the printing. A sample of Vanerheiden's work is shown to the left. A web site of her work can be found at www.kimvanderrheiden.com.

Bill Denham is a poet, letterpress printer, and paper sculptor. He came to Painted Tongue Press in 2003 as a student, using the medium to publish broadsides of his work. Over time he expressed an interest in taking a larger role in the studio. He learned the Heidelberg Windmill and became Head of Production, performing most of the platemaking, printing, and trimming done for letterpress clients. An image of his paper sculpture is shown, left, and his broadside work can be found on this site.

Apprentices, Students, and Supporters also play a crucial role in the work that happens at the studio. Apprentices work on projects that help the studio grow in exchange for instruction in letterpress printing, design, or assistance in developing their own art projects using printmaking and other skills. Students of our weekend workshop work on independent projects that advance their personal goals as artists and printers. A few very special supporters have also been known to come to the studio to help us tackle certain tasks, and others provide assistance from their own studios. For more information about our apprenticeship program, or our workshops, see the Studio section of our site.

What is a painted tongue? The painted tongue is a colorful Chilean flower of the nightshade family. This namesake reflects the marriage between image and written word that is characteristic of letterpress work. Vanderheiden chose this name to represent her letterpress and printmaking studio because her artwork reflects a devotion to rich, vivid color and early works were often inspired by travel or literature. Vanderheiden's illustration of a painted tongue flower can bee seen to the left.