Karel Martens

Last Friday, a few friends and I met up for a quick bite + gallery visit. We all get itchy to see something new (and each other!), so when Erin suggested meeting up, we all jumped at the chance, kids in tow.

After dropping (most of) our kids off at school, we met up at Nickel & Diner - a beautiful spot in downtown Manhattan. (The light streaming in made me think of this Edward Hopper painting.) From there, we continued on to the P! Gallery for the exhibit of Karel Martens - the influential Dutch graphic designer. My eye was immediately drawn to his letterpress monoprints, all created on found cards with keen attention to color and form. The one above was one of my favorites. I love the colored shapes overlapping all the different lettering styles.

His methods are slow but very precise—he prints one color per day, waits for it to dry, and prints the second colour the next day. By this method, Martens’ prints may take days or weeks to be completed.

My photos don't do it justice. Linsey got a couple great shots here and here. And Erin here.

The exhibit is now closed, but you can see more images from it here as well as read a bit more about Martens' process.