"Eastern Span," 36x36" mixed media by Vanderheiden
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.kimvanderheiden.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. His fabulous paper sculptures adorn the ceiling of our studio. An image of one is shown left, and his broadside work can be found on this site.
Tamara Gronet – Tamara is an experienced designer who has worked with private and corporate clients including Leap Frog and HP. She joined us in the fall of 2007 to learn about letterpress printing and designing specifically for letterpress. Her designs easily carry the crisp clean look that is a trademark of Painted Tongue Press, and she has provided design work for the studio on a number of occasions. This year, Tamara assumes the role of lead designer for custom letterpress projects, as well as client coordinator. Tamara designed the invitation section of this site.
Bettina Pauly – Bettina is a book artist and printer who came to us in June of 2008 while studying at the Academy of Art University. She quickly showed a good business head as well as a strong aptitude for working quickly and skillfully with the presses. She left a career in management in the hospitality industry to participate in the arts, and thus comes to us with excellent leadership and organizational skills. Bettina is now both a printer and a production coordinator, who helps keep the studio on task and guides apprentices through daily projects.
Jenny Seiler – Jenny began in January of 2008 as a student and quickly learned design and letterpress skills. Soon after, she took a part time administrative role in the business, and then added an apprenticeship commitment. Jenny spent a great deal of time in the studio and learned quickly about all aspects. She began working on card designs last spring, under Vanderheiden's art direction and has made a number of top sellers. Jenny’s apprenticeship ended in October as she had her baby, but she has since resumed work on card designs during moments when her little one sleeps, and she still finds time to come to the studio to assist with business development, with a special interest in the card line.
Apprentices – Apprentices join the studio at various times throughout the year, and make a 1 year commitment of 10 hrs per week. They receive additional training at the Sunday workshop as they work on their own projects, and have full access privileges to the studio. Our apprentices include:
Liz Merolla: A letterpress printer, calligrapher and crafts artist who would one day like to open her own retail shop.
Mitsuko Baum: A calligrapher and meticulous book binder who began letterpress studies at Painted Tongue in 2004.
Peter Pham: A design and printing student from Academy of Art University. Peter has also interned at several design firms.
Rebecca Fenton: Newly graduated from University of Miami in Ohio, focusing on printmaking and writing for the arts.
Tory Van Wey: A recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University, with experience in silkscreen tshirt design and production.
Anna Edwards: Painter and owner of Anna Edwards Gallery in San Leandro, CA, assists in printmaking and planning.
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.
Kim Vanderheiden
"Curved Beak" paper sculpture by Denham
Bill Denham
"Love is the Irresistable Desire," 4.25x5.5" letterpress print designed by Gronet
Tamara Gronet
"I know you know how much I love you," 35 page cloth covered box and tunnel book by Pauly
Bettina Pauly
"Mesa," (detail) 4.25x6" paper collage by Seiler
Jenny Seiler
Painted Tongue Flower
Peter, Rebecca & Liz