A Little Willard Clark

We got away from the chores today for a bit to head downtown. The folks at the Palace Press had organized an event for the new edition of Willard Clark: Printer & Printmaker, a look at the work and life of Willard Clark. Pam Smith, the former head of the Press and the author of Passions in Print: Private Press Artistry in New Mexico 1834-Present was in the courtyard of the Palace to present the author, David Farmer.

 

Gray clouds circled and the wind whipped up (as it has pretty much every afternoon this week, without anything to show for it) as the talk got underway. David gave a brief overview of Clark's history and time, in a Santa Fe where a guy with a bit of a graphics background could set himself up to be the printer for pretty much every business — including the daily menus for La Fonda — in the small town. He matched the need for quick service with his artistic sensibilities, and turned out work that really transcended its commercial origins. But when the economic realities of WWII set in, he had to put his skills to work in the machine shops of the Manhattan Project, continuing to work as a tool & die maker until the 80s.

By the time the sky opened up and we had the first rain we've had for weeks, speakers and audience were safely under the tent, getting our books signed and meeting the authors. We visited for a bit at the Press, then went to check out the Flux show of contemporary glass. There was little evidence of rain upon our return home, but I choose to believe our new garden got some.