FLAT FILE FLEX: John Risseeuw of Cabbagehead Press

Ever wonder what printmakers consider the pride and joy of their print collections? Love a nosey look inside the studios of artists? Want to learn more about print shops and meet the printmakers that run them from the comfort of your own home? You’re in the right place.

Welcome to our fourth installment of FLAT FILE FLEX; a series in which printmakers and print shops from all over share a few of their MVP (most valuable prints) from their collection. Today we’re excited to explore the personal flat files of John Risseeuw. You may recognize John and his work from a recent installment of FLAT FILE FLEX in which Jen Ferrell of Star Shaped Press showcased John’s letterpress print (below). You can learn more about John’s work and take an inside look at his studio, Cabbagehead Press, in this Shelter in Studio Video by SF Center for Book Arts.

The Cabbagehead Press has been the imprint of John Risseeuw since 1972. Letterpress, book art, printmaking, and papermaking have been his chosen media and loves for 54 years. Now, he is Professor Emeritus of Arizona State University where he founded the Pyracantha Press, the book art imprint of ASU, in 1982 and taught all of his loves for 35 years. In 1976 he purchased a used Vandercook Model 4 for $300 and it has been his personal press workhorse ever since. His prints, books, and collaborative works, many on handmade paper, have been shown in over 450 exhibitions in 26 countries and have been widely collected. Over five decades, Risseeuw’s art has often touched on themes of political corruption, equal rights, environmental abuse, fascism, illegal wars, the proliferation of landmines, and sheer idiocy.

John shares, “I have to say the obvious here: selecting six prints from the works I’ve acquired over fifty years was not an easy task. I have prints from friends, students, and acquaintances that each has history or joy or appreciation attached and are considerable favorites for different reasons. Here are just a few.”

“Jack was my lithography professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for both undergrad and graduate degrees. I felt so pleased to be able to acquire this print from him — I had absolutely loved it when he first showed it to us. It has simplicity and complexity, mystery and seeming recognizability. When it is mounted on one of our walls, I can always stop and look at it, never tiring.”
Learn more about Jack Damer

Journey to the South Pole by Jack Damer
Stone lithograph
32.5” x 24.5”
1970

“Elizabeth Catlett came to ASU for an exhibition of her work in our museum and we were privileged to work with her and her husband, Francisco Mora, on some quick prints in the Pyracantha Press. She was a marvelous collaborator and it was an honor to work with her. When I suggested that there might be text in addition to the powerful image, she called her friend, poet Margaret Walker, and got permission to print a couplet from one of Margaret’s poems. This has hung in my house ever since.”
Learn more about Elizabeth Catlett

For My People by Elizabeth Catlett
Reduction linoleum print and letterpress
18” x 22”
1987

“Ken was a year ahead of me in grad school at UW and was just a master of pulling out the silkscreens, slapping down some colors, and then topping it with a litho of a collage that made it both sing and make sense. Then, he would add the screened frame and border to formalize the piece. I was so proud to trade some of my art for his. It’s definitely a print of its time but it brings me back there when I look at it.”
Learn more about Kenneth Falana

Kathy by Kenneth Falana
Screenprint and photolithography
21” x 28.5”
1972

“Jen Ferrell is a consummate master at metal typography and knowledgeable about historical printing and design, on which these three broadsides rest so comfortably. She also has a keen and biting wit that speaks truth while delivering it in visually delicious compositions. Since I am an artist who also tackles tough issues, I greatly appreciate an artist like Jen who does that so well.”
Learn more about Jen Ferrell

Suite of LADIES! prints by Jen Ferrell
Letterpress
10” x 20” each
2020

“I always like a vigorous woodcut with caricature (I have cartooning in my past) and when you add some outrageous but on-point text to further jar and poke and prod the viewer, I am all in. It’s crude, but it speaks a truth and I love it.”
Learn more about Martin Mazorra

Shit Sandwich by Martin Mazorra
Woodcut
18” x 24”

“I first met Wayne when I was a grad student and then later worked with him for some years as faculty in the Printmaking Area of ASU. Talk about a consummate master, I have heard him referred to as one of the three top lithographers in the country (Jack Damer, above, is one of the other two). Like many of his prints, this one displays both the finest facility with the details of multicolor stone lithography as well as his sly, quiet humor.”
Learn more about Wayne Kimball

Treein Potatop Timne by Wayne Kimball
Stone lithograph
11” x 15”
1981

With 50 years of print experience and collecting under his belt, we can only imagine the treasure trove of editions that live within the Cabbagehead files. We’d like to thank John for being so generous in inviting us into his studio and for the thoughtful and illuminating sentiments shared with each of these picks.

If you are a print shop and/or printmaker interested in participating in a future FLAT FILE FLEX feature, please email sammi@isprojectsfl.com for more information.