Pine Tree Pop-up Makers Series: Printmaking in the Instagram Era with Mindy Schumacher
Pine Tree pop-up logo
Hi Everyone! I’m excited to share another installment of the Pine Tree Pop-up Makers Series. Through this series Elena Sarni introduces us to amazing makers across the country.
Mindy Schumacher is the printmaker behind Follysome Prints based in Rockford, Illinois. Elena met Mindy through Instagram in 2017. They bonded over a shared love of the Folly Cove Designers --- the historic, Gloucester-based, mostly all-women printmaking group that Elena is writing a book about.
“I love Mindy’s work. We have a shared love of printmaking and textiles. I admire her greatly for balancing being a mom and a #womenpreneur. As an artist she has such a diverse range of work from textiles for the home to apparel and toys. She is a perfectionist and it shows in the quality of her work. Every stitch is perfect. I am so excited to meet her in-person when she comes to Boston to teach this weekend.”
Mindy will be co-teaching three workshops in Boston, May 3-5, with Elena and the lovely Susana McDonnell from Livocave Prints. The workshops have been arranged to help celebrate Print day in May. So fun!
Enjoy the interview! And join us next time when we'll continue our conversation with Mindy, talking about what it's like being a female entrepreneur.
Hi Mindy! You grew-up in a creative family. Can you tell us what that was like and how your family has influenced you?
My family and my husband are from Rockford, Illinois. I’m the second youngest of four sisters… all raising our families near each other. My dad consistently encourages us in our creative pursuits, and most importantly, he leads by example. He is an accomplished musician and loves to continually learn and pass on the joy of learning. Now in his 60s, he has taken up painting for the first time. We tease that he misses out on a lot of television; he just doesn’t want to waste his time on it.
My mom is a public speaker and a missionary. Her gifts are so varied. I recognized early on that my family wasn’t typical and that was okay with me. I married my husband for this same reason. He comes from an artistic family and is the quintessential do-it-yourself-er. I’ve always admired his drive for self-empowerment. Since we’ve been together I feel it too...probably through osmosis. I think that’s a gift of falling in love with someone.
While you majored in philosophy in college, during those years you also had some exposure to printmaking. When did you start pursuing printmaking and what was that journey like?
I graduated from Bradley University in 2005 with bachelors degrees in psychology and philosophy. My roommate was an art major and we liked to hang out in the printmaking lab. I loved carving and took to it. I didn’t realize then that I could use printmaking to create beautiful textiles and that the craft didn't require a press. Those were personal revelations that I made many years later.
Several years ago, I decided to design my own fabrics for craft projects. I’ve always wanted to be a designer. Being blessed with a daughter in 2014 reignited this passion and it clicked that I had the materials and the skills to start block printing. It was an accessible form of design and didn’t require expensive materials/equipment. Fortunately, a few friends who make children’s clothing asked me to collaborate with them on a number of projects. That propelled me to get on social media, start a real practice, and ultimately to start my own business.
I’m grateful for the generous and supportive people out there who foster different parts of our creative journeys and freely give encouragement. We all need more of this and I hope to be this catalyst for others.
Ink and Brayer
Since so much of your work is printed on fabric, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask how you learned to sew. You are really an excellent sewist!
Thank you! I have public school home economics classes to thank. My parents still have the guitar-shaped pillow I made for my dad during that time period, which I hope to redesign some day. My mother-in-law is a very talented seamstress and has gifted me sewing machines through the years. I’m so grateful for her influence! She is always good for a brand new handmade outfit for my daughter GG. The outfits are always hand-dyed with coordinating pieces. I knew I had to buckle down and improve my skills when my daughter was born, and that’s when she gave me my current machine, which I love.
You also teach piano and love to travel. How do these interests influence your work?
Each interest influences the other. My love of music definitely feeds into my love of patterns. I like how you (Elena) wrote in your UPPERCASE magazine article about the Folly Cove Designers that pattern has a narrative nature. That is just brilliant and rings so true. I’ve always been aware of the rhythmic nature of pattern --- it’s relation to the body and sound. Music came very naturally to me, just like reading. I can get lost and carried away in both, effortlessly.
Design and layout are skills I’ve developed over the years as I've worked on graphic design, but creating my own visual art didn’t come as naturally to me. I’ve never taken a formal art class in my life. I suppose there is always some apprehension of the blank page. It was definitely the tactile, rhythmic process of carving that drew me in.
Turning to travel, I’m passionate about it because I love history and story telling. I believe our understanding can grow exponentially when we change our perspective.
I hope to travel to India one day, to get my hands dirty in the art form with traditional methods and see the cultural heritage first-hand. I guess on the horizon is some cross-pollination of my particular interests that are unique to me and new. I can’t quite see it from here. My goals aren’t set in stone. I’m keeping my eyes peeled and heart at peace for when that grand vision reveals itself.
Mindy playing piano
Can you tell us a bit about what inspires you and your process?
No doubt the Folly Cove Designers inspire me. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to hear about all of your research into them, Elena, and to see the actual pieces in the collection at the Cape Ann Museum. What a treat! They just seem to me to be humble, cobblers of a creative virtue.
One thing my dad says about my work is that it isn’t immediately obvious what time period it was created. I really enjoyed this insight into what I create. Photographs are a major source for my imagery, and in studying a photo closely enough to carve it, I’ve learned much more about how to create composition and balance. Visual inspiration is indeed everywhere:architecture, nature, shadows. I like to begin by capturing inspiration in a photograph and studying it, combining elements to create a design. I really wouldn’t enjoy carving from someone else’s photograph, though.
Magnolia print
You have a huge Instagram following of almost 35K. Did Instagram play a big role in building your business?
My following is still surprising to me. It should be attributed to the great printmaking community. There is a lot of enthusiasm for printmaking’s timeless appeal. I feel so grateful to have stumbled into some great people because of printmaking!
And yes, Instagram has been a major factor in growing my business. It’s also been a great hub for sharing with other artists and learning while doing. I first opened a personal Instagram page in 2014 and I started sharing fabric prints and clothing I made for my daughter. I got brave and opened a business page in 2016, becoming Follysome Prints in 2017. As soon as I made that last step and had a solid direction, things took off. My page grew from 500 followers to 1k the next month, 5k, to 15k a year later.
I didn’t set out with a formula for staging or posting, but after months of posting I could look back and identify the style I had developed. Something worked and I was able to be seen and shared. Having a consistent look that is unmistakably yours is a key. To be truthful, it does feel good to grow a following, but I am not striving to grow the number. Having an engaged following who want to support your work is an honor I don’t take for granted. It allows me to work from home within the limits of my season of life and motherhood.
Follysome Prints Instagram feed
Follysome Prints. Can you explain the meaning behind that name?
What is Folly to Some can reveal the depths to the Other.
It is inspired by biblical statements. That things of the spirit can only be discerned through the spirit and will appear as folly to the world. Solomon, who often distinguished between the foolish and the wise, in the end said everything is folly under the sun. It reads as a statement of nihilism. But I believe we can find a higher meaning in our little folly under the sun.
You've launched a number of online printmaking initiatives with Susana McDonnell of LinoCave Prints, including #reductiongrid, #linocave_u, and #printersolstice. Tell us a bit about that?
Ah, Susana, her humor and wit made her a quick and easy friend. We’ve exchanged fabric printing tips for some time and eventually found ourselves expanding the printmaking community on instagram. We did this by creating these online challenges, and now in real life through workshops. I’m lucky to know her, she’s insanely talented and generous.
Dolly Parton Print
Tell us about being a Speedball ambassador and how that came about?
Their team reached out to Susana and I for some special projects. We created content for them to use to document various fabric printing projects. They ended up asking us to be part of their pro-artist network. They’re great supporters of our workshops and online initiatives, generously supplying ink and other materials. I’ve used their products for years so it was an easy fit and I was thrilled to add one of their etching presses to my studio this past year.
And in fact this weekend - the first weekend of May - you will be teaching a number of workshops in Boston to celebrate Print Day in May. Tell us about it and why readers should sign-up!
Print Day in May is the first Saturday in May. It is an international initiative founded to celebrate and share print. Susana and I felt it was the perfect time to meet more of our printmaking community and form in real life connections. We are hosting the workshops at her studio and people can find course descriptions and sign-up on the Linocave Print website.
We have many great workshop options. There is something for all levels. We have Block Parties schedule where we will enjoy wine and pattern play with traditional, Indian wood blocks. There is a session to draw, carve and print your own design and create a tea towel. And then we have a very special presentation by you, Elena, as you share an in-depth study of the Folly Cove Designers.
About the author: Elena M. Sarni
Elena M. Sarni has a BA in English and an MA in History and Museum Studies from the University of New Hampshire. She worked as a curator at art museums and held fellowships to study folk art collections early in her career. Upon moving to Maine she worked as a freelance art reviewer for several years, managed a local arts association, and took positions at a few small museums.
She organized her first fine art and craft pop-up shop in 2015 and is currently planning her sixth show, which will open this November. She branded the business as Pine Tree Pop-Up in 2016, naming it for Maine's state tree.
She takes pride in supporting local artists and promoting the creative economy.
Want to know more about Elena? Read this post she wrote