Exquisite Prints

vintage Giraffe IV - US$10.00 (excluding mat)

I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning after my very late night trying to sort out my blog banner. I did promise to tweak out the imperfections today but my eyes are just too tired so those of you with eyes that reflect exact measurements, please forgive me for not fixing them immediately. I think as soon as I finish this blog I am going to lie down on the sofa with my cuddly faux fur throw, a cup of pomegranate tea and a copy of "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. My escape into finding out about "One Woman's Search for Everything" which is the catch phrase used to describe the book. I have had to wait nearly 6 weeks for the library to recover their copy for me, I guess since the movie its become very popular and certainly the last year back in New Zealand with the stress of my mums illness, I have been doing a lot of eating and praying and all the loving has been "maternal" for my boys and my mum.

Today I wanted to share my new discovery, a very talented lady who is printing beautiful early designs of animals, fruits, architecture, flowers and many other subjects onto genuine vintage Dictionary pages, what a unique idea!

photo credited to Pottery Barn

Jean Cody has her art studio situated in Portland, Oregon, and by the way I have discovered that a huge number of talented artists seem to come from Portland, Oregon or are they all moving there I wonder, something must be very special about the city. Jean loves exploring paper, collage, paint and photography and has come up with these beautiful images that are digitally printed onto vintage dictionary pages. Jean has sold 4,399 items to date from her Etsy store with 100% positive feedback.

The designs Jean selects are printed onto salvaged pages from tattered vintage dictionaries. The antique images are altered by Jean before digitally printing onto the aged page. I just love the transparency of this idea, being able to see the dictionary words through the image. No one page is the same and the patina of the vintage page and style of the prints go hand in hand to create a wonderfully unique and affordable artwork.

The size of the works are listed under the individual products on Jeans Etsy site and also shipping costs. If you purchase two or more prints Jean will send you a complimentary surprise print. I truly think these works are wonderful and would make a really nice display if grouped together as shown in the example above.

The prints are unmounted but fully protected with excellent packaging. However, the double mat boards can be purchased through Jean and prices are very reasonable, definitely if you are living in New Zealand cheaper to purchase the mats from her shop.

I don't think I need to do any more talking about this product as you simply need to see them. I have gathered a few pieces together, there are so many I could have spent hours looking at them (like all the wonderful things I discover). I have chosen a few works that I particularly like myself and have chosen more neutral colours, there are more colourful prints and if you are not particularly into animals I advise you check Jean's other designs, please look for the link at the bottom. I recently saw "Water for Elephants" and loved the movie so thought the elephant print appropriate. I also love the smiling Chihuahua because my son has a little Chihuahua who looks just like this one. I also had a dog, "Tug", who used to smile when she greeted us, it was hilarious. She was wonderful and I miss her so much... another story to blog about some time as we rescued her as a Kampong puppy off the streets of Brunei in Borneo.

Baby Elephant on vintage dictionary page - US$12.00

sized for a standard 8x10 mat with an opening for a 5x7 print.
I absolutely love the detail of wrinkles in the baby elephants skin.

This page was salvaged for a tattered vintage dictionary, Jean has altered the smiling Chihuahua and added the vintage crown. She has then printed digitally directly onto the golden-aged page. I think this is delightfully charming, shh... I have ordered one for my son, I just couldn't resist. Without mat US$12.00