Buddy, the Vandercook, and the Heartbeat of the Studio

Every printmaker I’ve ever known has that one piece of equipment that feels more like a companion than a tool. For me, it’s Buddy…our Vandercook Universal 1 press.

When I place a fresh sheet of legion paper through his bed, there’s a certain rhythm, that click-thunk sound that’s become the soundtrack of our printmaking studio.

We didn’t find Buddy at a dealership or through some collector’s catalog. We found him through printmaking friends. A few emails and texts, a road trip to Muncie IN and next thing we know…. Buddy’s here!!

Getting him into the studio was a day to remember. Ratchet straps, a neighbor with a forklift and the occasional “ Oh Crap, Don’t scratch the wall”. Fun Story… our hallways and doorways are 82.5 inches wide. Seems the press was 82 inches wide…. Yep, we had .5 inch room to spare why we pulled a 1800 pound press, on a pallet jack about 40 yards to its home spot.

Many prayers were answered that day…( always remember to measure before hand 😂) so when we finally set him in place, I swear I exhaled happiness. Oh ya, and just for the record… we did scratch the wall 😂

That’s when the real work began, learning his quirks, feeling his pressure, and trusting that I find the perfect balance of ink, roller, and paper. Buddy wasn’t just a new press, he was our new employee, one I cared deeply for.

There’s a unique way to working on a Vandercook. Before each print, I mix my Cranfield Safe Wash Inks

(there’s an article coming on those inks so watch for that), but for now, when I’m done mixing, I ink the press by hand, carefully and deliberate, watching the gleam on the surface of the rollers until it tells me, “That’s enough.”

Then comes the dance….the movement of his carriage is so unique. Every pull i do is its own peaceful meditation. I’ve said this hundreds of times…Block printing teaches patience in the most beautiful way: Buddy only behaves the way I need it to if I behave the way he needs to!!

Cleaning Buddy’s rollers

Some days, everything aligns perfectly…clean lines…solid coverage, and that’s when I pour myself another cup of coffee( I’m limited to 3 cups a day, you don’t want it see me on 4 😂) put on some music to groove to and let buddy perform magic.

Other days, it’s over-inking or subtle registration issues that somehow make me get a little more white in the beard. Those little imperfections, those fingerprints, that’s what separates machine-perfect reproduction with what I do…and I’m ok with some extra white in the beard :-)

My friend Rob talks about the relationship that builds between artist and their press all the time. Buddy doesn’t care if I’m tired or distracted at 7am, He demands focus, 100% of the time. And in return, he gives back something honest, a print thats part of the history of printmaking. And I’m happy to put my signature on it everyday!!

Every Vandercook has a story. I like to think about the decades( born date…1961), before Buddy joined our studio and the type high proofs he once printed or the late 60’s folk concert posters that pushed society to improve, each pulled by hands by people long gone now.

That lineage humbles me every time I carve a new linoleum block and place it in the bed to start printing.

Printmaking, if you think about it, is one of the oldest ways of communicating between artist and press. Owning a Vandercook (it’s an honor, I must say), means joining that ongoing dialogue, and I’m ready to talk. To me it’s about more than equipment…In a world that moves faster every day, this press reminds my 53 year old self to slow the hell down, to remember that art made by hand still matters!!

Each morning I walk in and say “What Up Buddy”!! It allows me to connect, in some weird way, with him. I flip the switch to ON and listen to the sound of his rollers squeak with excitement. In that moment, I’m reminded why I do this….

Both Buddy and I have soul, and we need to share it!!