Hands-on art is ageless
Letterpress printing and Dungeons & Dragons have something major in common: both are timeless. As a teenager, Eric Woods and his friends role-played as wizards and warlocks. While his friends were focused on the gameplay, Eric found himself intrigued by the board game’s artwork and character design. Forty years later, Eric now runs the Firecracker Press, a letterpress studio, in St. Louis.
“Dungeons & Dragons led me to art school,” Eric says. “[Art] is a refuge for me and a place where I can express myself.”
Woods attended high school classes at the Kansas City Art Institute where he learned about computer design. After graduating, he found himself in New York City, where he designed book covers, but something was missing. Placing titles on pieces of paper felt redundant. He needed more than computer design to feel fulfilled. Since he appreciated the physical art from Dungeons & Dragons, he wanted to work with hands-on art. This led him to explore printmaking in college.
Letterpress printing has been around for centuries. Despite technological advances like computers, printing is still a hot art form. It all starts with lead or wooden letters, ink, paper, and blue-collar work. It is so historic that technology cannot replicate it, but Woods found a way to enhance it. Woods now combines technology and art in his work. He creates digital designs and prints them onto stencils while also using traditional typographic forms.
“I really pushed toward graphic design, letterforms, posters, and how color communicates to people,” Eric says. “I was finding the connections between [graphic design and letterpress]; they really talk together through history.”
Eric returned to the Midwest and decided to create his own letterpress printmaking business. He and his wife settled in the heart of St. Louis where he created Firecracker Press. The company has now been in business for 20 years. Eric’s wife, Laura Woods, is also in the creative field. She is an art teacher and loves connecting with Eric over their shared interest.
“He shows his passion for art by always innovating and trying new things,” Laura says. “He likes to push himself to the limits artistically, whether it was from his early days of painting on reclaimed wood with screen printed elements to today when he prints with LEGO.”
“As long as there are people that are interested in operating these machines, and they still exist, I think it’ll last quite a while, despite what happens on the technology front,” Eric says. “It is nice to be able to use these old machines to produce modern stuff; it’s so fascinating.”
Eric can be hired for custom commissions for items such as invitations, posters, and stationery. He can also be supported through the purchase of one of his posters or cards. Eric’s designs can be obtained at firecrackerpress.com.
