This week Miranda speaks with journalist and author Holly E. J. Black to talk about her wonderful new book, The Story of Printmaking: A Global History of Art.

If you've ever wished there were a single book that told the story of printmaking, from its origins in East Asia to the contemporary artists pushing the medium forward today, this is that book. Holly manages to tell thousands of years of history without losing sight of what makes printmaking so compelling in the first place: the people, the processes, and the stories behind the prints.

Holly isn't just an art historian or an author. She trained as a printmaker herself, and that practical knowledge comes through on every page. They talk about why printmaking is so difficult to define, the forgotten printers and publishers who shaped art history, Renaissance lawsuits over copied prints, propaganda, politics, Paula Rego, Robert Blackburn, Atelier 17, and why understanding how a print is made is often just as important as understanding why it was made.

They also end up taking a detour into AI, journalism, and why there's something deeply satisfying about reading a book written by someone who clearly spent years in libraries, archives, and print studios rather than asking a chatbot to summarize the internet.

Holly's Substack

Holly's Website

Holly's Instagram

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This week Miranda speaks with artist, educator, community-builder, and all-around creative force Ben Beres.

Ben first joined the podcast way back on episode six of Hello, Print Friend (née Pine | Copper | Lime), and in this episode sits down face-to-face in Chiang Mai, Thailand with Miranda while he was here for a residency at Hello Print Friend Studios.

A lot has happened since 2019. A global pandemic, major shifts in the art world, the loss of loved ones, new creative obsessions, and the inevitable perspective that comes with getting older and staying committed to a life in the arts.

They discuss growing up as the son of a pastor, building community through art, teaching the next generation of artists, and what it means to keep making work when art is no longer just something you do, but something that has become the fabric of your life. They dive into his recent fascination with paper marbling and vitreography, the evolution of his practice over the last several years, and the role that travel, experimentation, and collaboration continue to play in his creative life.

They also talk about his time in Thailand, the prints he created during his residency, finding inspiration in unfamiliar places, and the ways different cultures can challenge our assumptions about how life is supposed to be lived.

This is a conversation about art, grief, curiosity, aging, friendship, and the strange privilege of getting to spend decades doing the thing you love.

Ben Beres' Website

Ben Beres' Instagram

The World's Largest Woodcut

Hello, Print Friend Documentaries

Hello, Print Friend Residency in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hello, Print Friend YOUTUBE

Hello, Print Friend MERCH

Hello, Print Friend WEBSITE

Hello, Print Friend INSTAGRAM

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This week Miranda speaks with Elizabeth Hawley, owner and director of Gallery No. 85 in Seattle, Washington.

Gallery No. 85 now occupies the historic home of Davidson Galleries, one of the most influential print-focused galleries in North America. After fifty years under the stewardship of founder Sam Davidson, the gallery has entered a new chapter, and Elizabeth is the person carrying that legacy forward while building a vision entirely her own.

Elizabeth's path into the print world is anything but conventional. Trained as an art historian and working professionally as an attorney, she brings a deep appreciation for the stories that surround works of art: their creation, collection, preservation, and eventual place in history. In this conversation they discuss everything from her graduate research on world’s fairs and to art law, estate collections, and the emotional relationships people form with the objects they live alongside.

They also talk about the unique challenges and joys of selling contemporary prints, the educational role galleries play, and what it means to inherit a respected institution while trying to build something new. Throughout the conversation, Elizabeth returns to a simple but powerful idea: that art is ultimately about connection: between artists and audiences, objects and histories, and people and one another.

Gallery No. 85 Website

Gallery No. 85 Instagram

The World's Largest Woodcut

Hello, Print Friend Documentaries

Hello, Print Friend Residency in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hello, Print Friend YOUTUBE

Hello, Print Friend MERCH

Hello, Print Friend WEBSITE

Hello, Print Friend INSTAGRAM

Hello,Print Friend PATREON

Hello, Print Friend SPONSORS

Legion Paper