This invitation was letterpress printed on distressed copper, and wrapped in brilliant Echizen Washi paper. The reverse side of the invitation panel provided a colophon with the signature and edition number. A matching vernisage invitation was also produced, inviting key supporters to an opening party for the revealing of the 22-foot long piece "January." The wrapper, which also served as the envelope, bore this story of the artists life:
"1. Vanderheiden was born in the icy Midwest during a sleeting blizzard and power failure. It was a difficult birth, which required five men with chains, and the event so traumatized the family that they could not tolerate another Wisconsin winter. Their neighbor, renowned psychic Madame Sosostris, advised them to consult a cheese rind to reveal their destiny. In the rind, Vanderheiden's father saw the distinct shape of the island of Borneo. The family enlisted as missionaries, left their belongings behind, and moved to the Borneo jungle to convert trisexual orangutans to the One True Faith.
Her childhood in the jungle is mysterious. By her 14th monsoon, she journeyed alone to Penang wearing only a fig leaf, intending to bring to the world the song of the wild orangutan. She was sitting in the middle of a busy intersection eating a stolen banana and trying to decipher human behaviour when she was discovered by the venerable Captain Hook. He named her "Kim" because Kipling was his favorite author.
2. Captain Hook ran a clandestine operation from a rusty old freighter full of presses. He cruised around the world printing subversive literature and slipped secretly in ports to distribute it. Kim became his apprentice and indentured servant. She printed on whatever supplies were available: banana leaves, toilet paper, cardboard, and metal. The presses and the Captain were her only companions. One night, the ship sank in a typhoon. Kim swam to safety, saving two presses, a Vandercook and Heidelberg, by carrying one on her back and towing the other.
3. When she reached Morocco's shore, she met Pierre, cursing at his broken down racecar. They rigged the presses to run the car and sped to Senegal, handily winning the Dakar Rally. They still hold the record for fastest time in the final leg of the race. They moved to Paris where Kim created her last name, Vanderheiden, by borrowing from the names of her beloved presses.
Four years later, Pierre died of exhaustion in a freak heat wave. Alone once again, Vanderheiden decided to travel to the United States to seek her roots.
4. Soon she found her hometown and a long lost cousin. A rabid football fan, he initiated her to her new home by painting every inch of her, even her tongue, green and gold. They were watching a Packers game when, sadly, a tornado flattened the town. Vanderheiden sat on the presses and kept them from flying away.
She now wanders the U.S., painting, drawing, and distributing sensational exotic ephemera. Catch a showing if you can!
