We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Hubbell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeth, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
In the early 1990’s, after returning home to the SF Bay Area following a 1-year stint teaching English in Japan, I found myself adrift, not knowing which path to take. I’d studied German Literature in college and entertained the idea of going to graduate school but felt a vague stirring for something more creative. Meanwhile, I’d been working unfulfilling temp jobs in/around SF and taking literature classes at USF. It was in the library there at USF that my interest in letterpress was piqued – there on the library wall, a letterpress broadside caught my eye. Inky words pressed onto beautiful textured paper with a floral linocut. The colors and textures mesmerizing. Fast forward a few years later, living in LA, my dear friend Wanda Wen (of Soolip Paperie) and I enrolled in a letterpress intensive course at the Armory Center in Pasadena. There I learned the wonders of typography, typesetting and letterpress printing. I was hooked. The ink, the smell of the letterpress studio, the papers, the beauty of beautifully set type on handmade papers – all of it. I felt at home there. I worked with Wanda at Soolip for a year before starting my own letterpress studio, here in Berkeley, California – founded in 1997.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I love working with these old machines – from another time. My printing press is 125-years old and it works very simply. As long as I oil it regularly, it works. My Chandler & Price printing press is a thing of beauty – solid cast iron, weighing hundreds of pounds, it sits there in my studio and does what I need it to do – that is, print 🙂 The paper cutter in my studio is another beautiful, old machine. A guillotine cutter from the 1920’s, it cuts through sheets of fine paper. Founded in 1997, my studio (Elizabeth Hubbell Studio) is a one-woman show (moi) and I specialize in fine letterpress stationery (wedding invitations and special event invitations, announcements), limited edition prints and packaging illustration. All of my work is designed hand-printed here in my Berkeley studio. I especially love combining letterpress with watercolor illustration.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Sometimes we don’t know what we want or need or where we’re going until we start our journey, maybe we’re well underway and then we see a pattern emerge. Paying attention to what we gravitate towards, the seemingly small decisions we make day to day, they begin to show a way, or direction. I didn’t set out to become a letterpress printer/illustrator. It was through a series of serendipitous experiences that I realized my love for it. It’s like embarking on a journey, following the steps and not really knowing exactly where it’s headed but knowing in your heart that the steps along the way are right and fulfilling. Trusting one’s instinct is important. And intuition – going with what speaks to you and deeply listening to yourself. These are important things.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents have provided unconditional love and support throughout my life and career. Always. Unflinching. Their love is like a springboard for me – enabling me to jump into unfamiliar waters and places. Embracing adventure. Following my passion. They’ve been ever encouraging and I am forever grateful to them for this. They are loving and generous, big-hearted people.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: elizabethhubbellstudio
- Linkedin: elizabeth hubbell studio
Image Credits
Elizabeth Hubbell
