Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson are a wife/husband, illustrator/writer duo. Everything they do creatively involves the combination of Matthew’s drawings and Robbi’s words, whether they’re making books, printing letterpress broadsides, or giving talks on collaboration and creative entrepreneurship. They run two small publishing companies out of their home/studio/barn on Queen Street in Chestertown. One of them, Idiots’Books, publishes odd, commercially nonviable picture books for adults. The other, Bobbledy Books, publishes picture books and music for kids. In partnership with their friend Jodi Bortz, they also run a design studio called Haywire Letterpress. Haywire offers custom invitations, announcements, and family trees in addition to a line of products that includes cards, calendars, and art prints. The studios will be open during the RiverArts Studio Tour, October 24-25 and November 1-2, 10am-5pm; save lots of time since there is so much to see.
From Idiot Books – 500 stories.
Robbi began drawing when she was a kid and took painting lessons from Marcy Dunn Ramsey when she was little. Robbi got her MFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Matthew started writing poems in high school and found fiction in college. It wasn’t until they started putting their work together back in 2003, that they discovered how much they loved the idea of making art collaboratively. If they hadn’t found each other, they might not still be making art today.
Robbi worked for a few years as a designer/illustrator for a communications firm in Baltimore after graduate school. Matthew worked at the same firm as an account manager. They left their jobs in 2006 to move to Chestertown and start their small press Idiots’Books. A year later, the firm hired Matthew back to work as a remote, half-time communications consultant and writer. “I’ve been doing it ever since. I love getting the chance to have a professional life as a writer while getting to fulfill my artistic dreams with Robbi. I get the best of both worlds, and it wouldn’t be possible without the technology that allows me to work remotely.”
This 1921 Chandler & Price platen press is a gorgeous piece of living history, which will be on display during the studio tour.
They distribute their books by subscription, so their “customers” are all over the country (and world). They’ve done books with major publishing companies such as LB Kids (NYC) and Chronicle Books (San Francisco). They’re often asked to speak and run workshops on collaboration, creative entrepreneurship, and running a small press at conferences, universities, libraries, and kindergartens. They’ve spoken at Rhode Island School of Design, Maryland Institute College of Art, Parsons, New York University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Fordham University, Williams College, Washington College, and others. They’ve spoken at ICON7 (The Illustration Conference), Alt Summit, and will deliver the keynote at the Society of Illustrators Educators Symposium this coming October.
Robbi studied printmaking in college, focusing on etching and lithography. Not long after they moved back to Chestertown in 2006, she learned how to use a letterpress by taking a class from master printer Mike Kaylor at Washington College. Over the years, they’ve done a few projects for their Idiots’Books series using the presses at the Rose O’Neil Literary House. But they’ve always been interested in getting their own press, so that they’d have the ability to really hone their skills and to print a lot more stuff. As the publishing world grows ever more digital, they remain committed to the printed page, and Haywire Letterpress gives them a daily opportunity to celebrate the origins of print. According to Matthew, “We love the tactile nature of letterpress printing, the mechanical nature of the process, and the texture of the finished product. It transforms a nice design into a truly beautiful object—a work of art. Having this press allows us to express ourselves in an entirely new way.”
As much as Robbi and Matthew loved the idea of having a letterpress, it was never possible because they were just too busy with Idiots’Books and Bobbledy Books, but about a year ago they learned that Robbi’s childhood friend Jodi Bortz was moving back to Chestertown and was looking for new opportunities. Jodi is an artist—a truly accomplished flute player—and a businesswoman, which seemed like the perfect combination for someone to partner with on a new creative business venture. Robbi and Matthew are the creative arm of Haywire, and Jodi provides the business brains. She’s also their printer, following in the footsteps of her father’s 30-year printing career. She uses his ink knife to mix colors for their presses, which occupy the space where Seiko Behr spent 30 years making her pottery. As they start this new venture, they like to think they’re carrying on the proud traditions of their remarkable parents.
The two presses will be on display for the studio tour. Their 1921 Chandler & Price platen press is a gorgeous piece of living history. They also have a 1948 #4 Vandercook proof press that is owned and operated by friend and fellow printer Jim Dissette. Studio Tour visitors will get the chance to hand-print their own, limited edition Chestertown-themed souvenir broadside and browse their latest creations. To get a sneak preview you can goto www.robbiandmatthew.com, www.haywireletterpress.com,
www.idiotsbooks.com or www.bobbledybooks.com
Brenda Lyons says
Shouldn’t the second sentence of this piece read “Matthews words and Robbi’s drawings”?