Cotton Socks Press aquired its name from Andrea's childhood. Her Grandad used to call her
by a nickname - Cotton Socks.
The press is located in Andrea's basement studio in Vancouver, BC Canada. The letterpress is a
Vandercook SP15-21 Proofing Press that was manufactured in 1956. The rest of the studio is
mostly taken up with art materials and table space to create the books, prints, paintings and cards that fill
Andrea's life with such joy - the joy of creating!
As a member of Dundarave Print Workshop,
Andrea also uses the studio space at this
fine printmakers' cooperative at Granville Island, BC. The Print Workshop has 3 etching presses,
an acid area,
hot plate, shrink wrapper, a wonderful gallery space and more. Come and check it out Wednesday-
Saturday 10:30-4:30, Sunday 11-5 or by appointment.
The first book produced by Cotton Socks Press is "The Sea Child" by Eliza Cook. Only four copies are left of
this small chap book produced in an edition of 20 at
Barbarian Press, June 2000 by Andrea under
the expert tutilage of Crispin and Jan Elsted.
The next book, Childhood Summers by the Sea, took three years in the making. In those three years,
Andrea became a professional
fine art printmaker, began teaching fine art printmaking & calligraphy, and obtained the necessary press
and materials to produce the book.
Childhood Summers by the Sea was a huge undertaking
and definitely a labour of love. Bowen
Island is the setting for Andrea's fond memories transformed into poetry and linocuts for this
handbound letterpress book.
Printed in the summer of 2003, the book is being sold through:
Andrea continues to bind the current edition (Childhood Summers by the Sea) and to pursue
printmaking and painting with all her passion for life and art. Books forthcoming are
still percolating through the artist's mind. As soon as there are concrete plans,
they will be posted to this website.
Read an article written about Childhood Summers by the Sea.
the Press
Vancouver Museum
Dear Gallery in the Waterfall Building in Vancouver
and
Ian Fry Gallery at Bowen Island.
Andrea Taylor
contact