News / color

Framed Prints

Framed Prints

I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since I started making hand-printed greeting cards to sell! Since the very beginning, I've gotten the same wonderful compliment so many times: "Your cards are so beautiful, I can't send them! I just buy them to hang them up on my wall!" And the same question again and again: "Can you make a bigger print to hang on my wall?" (The answer to that question has always been "Sorry, no!" The nature of old-fashioned analog printmaking means that I create a relief plate to print the cards and they all come out just the same size.)

SO... by popular demand, I am finally offering FRAMED PRINTS to hang on your wall! Yay! These are high-quality digital reproduction prints, which means they can be larger than the greeting card sizes. The frames are simple and beautiful, sustainable hardwood with a rich walnut veneer. These look soooo lovely hanging in your living room or make a gorgeous and thoughtful gift for any occasion - housewarming gift, Mother's Day gift or birthday gift, for starters. 

I'm so happy with the quality of these, I'm adding more and more designs to the collection. I started with the Hooray Rooster design, which is always one of my most popular card designs, and the one that has most often been requested in a large-size print. It's such a perky addition to your kitchen's breakfast nook, or a sweet housewarming gift for someone who's bought their first home. Then I added the Green Gardens print, which is another of my most beloved card designs (and which I originally designed as an illustration to hang on my living room wall, so it's kind of come full circle now). I've also created a framed print of the new "Dream" design - so perfect for a bedroom wall, right? Or any place in the house where you might like to sit and daydream. I'm working on more prints every day, so I will be adding more designs to the gallery day by day! I'm also feeling inspired and starting to work on some original watercolor and collage designs to add to the gallery, and I will definitely share more about those as I complete them!

The Conservation Series frame is made from solid wood claimed from socially and environmentally responsible forests. It has a clean and contemporary 0.75" wide x 1.25" deep profile with a smooth veneer finish. Premium shatterproof acrylic protects the face of the art print, while an acid free dust cover on the back provides a custom finish. Includes wall hanging hardware. Framed fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality.

Framed reproduction prints are not made in my studio, they are professionally printed and framed in the USA and will be shipped separately from other items. 

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madelocalmonth: COLOR

madelocalmonth: COLOR

        

#madelocalmonth day 8: what’s my favorite color? ALL OF THEM! 🌈 but especially purple. 💜 I can’t resist the urge to make everything purple. Or violet, lilac, periwinkle, raspberry, mauve, maroon, lavender, heliotrope, grape, orchid, fuchsia, magenta, eggplant, amethyst, indigo, thistle, plum, every possible hue and shade of purple. Even my kids are dressed in purple, haha! 

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Behind the Scenes: Mixing ink colors!

Behind the Scenes: Mixing ink colors!

You know what's one of my FAVORITE parts of this job? Mixing ink colors!! Most all of my colors are mixed by hand, by eye... I always start with big buckets of primary colors... Pour out some colors in a jar and add a few dollops of this and that... Magenta, Blue, Yellow, Black, White, Transparent, maybe a few drops of water... Usually it's a lot of this and a bit of that and at least three or four different ingredients that make the magic combination of hue and shade and saturation. Every drop of color added is a bit of a guess, as I have to mix it in to find out just how it will change my color. Mix, mix, mix... dab a smudge on a test swatch of fabric... adjust with a few more drops of this and that. Often the ink color changes a bit as the ink dries, so it can be a time-consuming project to get the colors adjusted just right. But it's always a labor of love! I might be a color mixing fanatic. Every jar of ink is a bright cup of potential, waiting to do something beautiful!

image: mixing ink colors for Hand printed Blue Flowers organic cotton canvas tote bag, $54.

image: matching colors for Grey bamboo scarf with Blue Waves pattern, $36.

image: mixing purple ink for Soft grey bamboo scarf with hand-printed purple Mayflowers pattern, $36.

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New Postcard

New Postcard

Here's a new postcard I made up for the New England Made wholesale show. It was nice to have these in the booth for visitors to grab as they wandered past. It's a big show with lots of wonderful things to see, and it felt good to give people a little something to remember me by. I've also found they're great to set out on my table when I do craft shows - people love to learn more about who made their gift and have something to tell about the business they are buying from. And lately I've started adding a card into each of my mail-order packages too. I'm happy to share these - let me know if you'd like one! If you are a wholesale buyer, let me know when you place an order and I will pop a stack of them into your package. I know some shops and galleries like to share a bit of information about the artists and craftspeople they are representing, and this makes a nice tidbit to include in the bag when someone purchases Morris & Essex goods.

It was a fun project for me to work on - cleaning off my work-table, setting up the photo and trying out different options for the front layout turned out to be a long afternoon's work, but it was a nice time and I loved the result! 

Here's the text from the back side:

MORRIS & ESSEX • hand printed in Maine

Morris & Essex produces colorful and original hand-printed paper and textile goods in a farmhouse studio in Limington, Maine. Our high-quality products are all designed by artist Eliza Jane Curtis, with a passion for color, pattern and function. Each one features colorful handmade patterns, textures and motifs inspired by a love of the natural world, geometric patterns, and vintage designs. Everything is hand-printed here in Maine. We use natural and sustainable materials and processes, and focus on positive, sustainable, business practices and supporting talented local artisans. We love what we do and we hope you will love it too!

www.morrisessex.com | eliza@morrisessex.com

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