Lynda Sherman on the Power of Reclamation and Collaboration

Lynda Sherman is the sole owner and operator of the incomparable letterpress design and print studio, Bremelo Press. Based in Seattle, Bremelo Press acts as a studio for Sherman, as well as an archive of the history and legacy of analog printing in a post-net world.

The following is a conversation between Lynda Sherman & Sierra Stinson.

Q: How did Bremelo Press come to be?

The first time I stepped into a letterpress print shop was the first time I felt my feet hit the ground. I had to figure out a way to always be printing, and that’s Bremelo Press.

Q: If you didn’t include above can you share with us the origin of the name?

Thinking of a press name, I reclaimed a derogatory word that was flung out a car window at me when I was 12. I was born in Bremerton, WA and a Bremelo is a combination of Bremertonian and buffalo. I had just become an aunt to two little girls, also born in Bremerton, and I wanted them to know they could be anything regardless of what anyone else said.

Spencer Jacket and Raven Dress

Q: What are your daily or weekly rituals that are of importance?

My 45 minute walk each way, to and from work, is essential. I also reserve one day a week as Pajama Day. It is just as it sounds.

Q: Your work is very much about collaboration both with clients and artists – Who are your favorite collaborators?

My favorite collaborators are people who are curious. I am lucky to work with curious people as we seem to find each other. The clients I work with are often proprietors themselves and are excellent adventurers by nature. The artists I work with will ask me to do something I’ve never done before and I love it when that happens.

Q: You just had a residency with Penland, can you tell us a bit about that experience?

Penland has a long history of supporting creative lives, and teaching there is to join in that mission. Having the opportunity to work uninterrupted for an extended period of time with a group of self selected hard workers produces amazing and unexpected results. It’s great to be a part of that process.

Crane Shirt

“My favorite collaborators are people who are curious. I am lucky to work with curious people as we seem to find each other.”

Mid A Frame Hoodie

Q: What are you looking forward to in the near future?

I’m looking forward to working with people I’ve yet to meet. Everyone brings their own experiences to the press and I enjoy getting to know someone and making something that resonates with their lives. It’s always a surprise.

Q:Who and what inspires you?

Conversations inspire me. Lived experiences inspire me.

Q: Who are your style icons?

Phoolan Devi. Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind. Janelle Monae. Catherine Deneuve for her hair.

Q: Tell us about a creation that has stuck with you – either of your own or by someone else.

To say it’s a privilege to work with the people I do is an understatement. To collaborate is to share and be vulnerable and to trust. Years ago I printed a memorial commemoration for someone’s husband who was taken too soon. I had never met either before I got the phone call. It was intimate and expansive. I can’t really tell you what happened, as you may say I was collaborating with someone who wasn’t there. Late last year I got a phone call from the surviving partner. He was getting married and asked if I would print the invitations. Dear reader, I said YES. Love wins, always.

Mid Spindle

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