It began like a dream. Master Printer Tracy Mayrello had envisioned opening her own press for years but wasn’t sure just how it would happen. One day in June she received a phone call. Would she like a space in Canopy to do just that?

She already had a handshake agreement in place with fellow printmaker Cordelia Blanchard to use her Charles Brand press in a new space. This new opportunity was kismet. Tracy spent the summer working with Bale Creek Allen to develop his storage space into a separate studio space perfect for launching this new venture – Creekside Studio.

With a lease in the works, Tracy and Cordelia organized a time to move the press from Cordelia’s home in North Austin to East Austin’s preeminent creative space. Between the logistics of the move and getting the space ready to house a press, Tracy worked tirelessly.

On Tuesday August 20th, riggers arrived in Cordelia’s garage, fork-lift in tow to move the press to Canopy. While taking it out of the garage was a relatively painless process, Austin traffic and the hallways of Canopy had other things in store.

After an arduous trek down I-35 in rush-hour on the first day back-to-school, the riggers arrived at Creekside, press in tow. Before it could be installed, the press had to be taken apart piece-by-piece. First, the top roller was removed from the frame. Then the solid steel press-bed had to be gingerly lifted off its frame by four very strong men. After setting the frame in place within Creekside Studio, the riggers brought in the press-bed and lifted it back into place. As a final step, they had to wheel in the top roller – a solid steel cylinder with the ever-important crank attached to it. After re-attaching the top roller, the riggers were finished. The press had found its new home!

Now, it was time to furnish the surrounding space. A wall for pinning prints to dry had already been installed, but lots of furniture is needed to furnish a printmaking studio. From a light-table to flat files, Tracy scoured thrift stores and flea markets to find the perfect pieces to accompany her new press. From a metal table that lived in a correctional facility in its past life to a Nu-Arc light-table perfect for creating transfer drawings, each piece was meticulously selected with function and form in mind.

With the space ready and a pop-up show of Karen Kunc’s work from Gallery Shoal Creek installed, Tracy opened her doors to the public for the first time on September 6th during Canopy’s monthly open studio.

Going forward, Creekside Studio will be exhibiting works on paper as well as using its space as a creative hub for printmaking. In addition to creating editions with local and internationally recognized artists, Creekside Studio and its partner artists will develop their own bodies of work to display and sell.

Stop by Creekside Studio and explore the fascinating world of printmaking! We’re open Wednesday – Friday 10am – 3pm, Saturday noon-4, during Canopy’s monthly open studios, and by appointment. If you would like to be invited to our independent openings and keep abreast of all that’s happening at Creekside, sign up for our newsletter.