This print is a collaboration between Rachel Melis and Derick Wycherly in consultation with the author.

Derick Wycherly is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana, and an artist who specializes in printmaking and papermaking. Derick received an MFA in 2022 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in printmaking and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011. Derick’s prints on handmade paper can be found in Hand Papermaking’s Paper Portfolio #14, “The Language of Color”. Recently, Derick was awarded a LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists grant from the Native Arts and Culture Foundation.

Rachel composed digital Marion type in a circular shape that relates to the cyclical nature of gift-giving evoked by the excerpt while remaining readable. Then the type was printed in a dark reddish-black ink from a polymer plate. Derick created and proofed pressure prints cut into shapes found in nature, wrapped in lightweight paper and taped closed. We arranged the plates with the text to create a sense of movement and abundance. We pulled the pressure prints in a transparent olive-green ink with an eye for details suggesting layers of gift-wrap, and frequent roller-adjustments on a fidgety Vandercook SP-15.

Letterpress and Pressure Prints on BFK Rives Heavyweight Paper

Rachel Melis