Meet the Artist at Eastern Sun Printworks
Nancy Hamlin-Vogler studied art at Wells College (earning a B. A. in Modern Languages in 1966) and learned the screen printing process while a graduate student in French Literature at the University of Maine (M. A. 1973). The seduction of obscure twentieth century authors gradually gave way to a curious captivation with making a series of identical prints. She established Northern Kingdom Printworks in 1976, exhibited her serigraphs throughout Maine, and created some of the first designs that have become the trademark of her card collection.
“I left Maine and the USA in 1979 for a backpacking trip around the world; I kept extensive journals and sketch books, collected textiles and kitchen utensils, and returned with lifetimes of memories of an experience to be treasured. Realizing that overseas travel could go on indefinitely if left unchecked, I returned after two years, and resettled in Colorado, where I met and married Tom, gave birth to Alexis, and became a Buddhist practitioner in the Karma Kagyu tradition. I reestablished the card business as Eastern Sun Printworks, a name that reflects my interest in the Orient. The three of us moved to St. Augustine in the late 1980’s, where we continue to enjoy the warmth, history, and inspiration of this small city. I create all my artwork in my backyard studio, one block from the Fountain of Youth!”
Nancy prints her own greeting cards using the traditional silkscreen printing method. This stencil process was originally developed in the Orient and came into its own in 1930’s America. It involves separating one’s idea or image into different color areas, then drawing a stencil or positive. The positive is photographically ‘burned’ onto a prepared screen, and the artist pulls the print by hand to deposit each color onto paper stock, as many times as is required for the desired effect. The result is luminous layers of ink, with a multi-dimensional quality which distinguishes this print medium from all others. Each image is thus an original artwork.
Nancy compounds the color effect by blending several colors within each screen to create a diverse gradation of subtle difference within each print in the edition. She manages every aspect of her card business, from choosing unique recycled paper stock with matching envelopes – some containing sugar cane fiber – to silkscreening the identifying labels for her journal books and holiday boxed cards. She designs, prints, admires, folds, and ships out the cards in her studio, surrounded by North Florida greenery, exotic bromeliads, and her husband’s wood collection for his creative remodeling and carving projects.
Hamlin-Vogler is also known for her large mixed medium figurative and abstracted drawings. Theses works are exhibited locally and at juried art shows in Florida. She has won numerous awards, including the highest award for “Extraordinary Artwork” at the 2006 Lake Wales Art Festival, First Place in St. Augustine Art Association’s 2005 Honors Show, and Best in Show at the 2004 Gainesville Fall Art Festival. Her latest series of figurative collages received critical acclaim in her one-person show “Deconstruct This” at The Gallery at Screen Arts in St. Augustine. Her work is in private collections throughout the United States.
Eastern Sun Printworks has received five LOUIE FINALIST nominations, an honor for such a small company amidst the giants of this industry. You can find these colorful cards and journal books in prominent card, gift, museum, and independent book stores nationwide. The cards are hand silkscreened, each a unique work of art to frame or send to a friend. New holiday images are added each year, including an inventive series of tree forms. Nancy’s designs are inspired by her vivid imagination, the infinite qualities of color, natural landscapes of many regions, and her love for Tibet. She welcomes you to join the growing number of people who appreciate and collect her vivid color-scapes: reflections of the inner, outer, and secret worlds we all share.
