A big hearty thank you to “House Beautiful” for including one of our prints — 

Constellation Explorer: Compass to the Northern Sky

— in its Dec/Jan 2014 issue on newsstands this week.

An image of one of our star charts is featured in the mag’s “Master Class” column on page 24, where each month prominent decorators offer insights into the products and techniques that inspire their work. New York decorator Thomas O'Brien  – renowned for his tasteful modernism, fusing old and new together to create a timeless elegance – was interviewed for the column by Meeghan Truelove.

In the column, Mr. O'Brien tells of a 1940s star chart that he found on an antiquing trip that has become a cherished possession, and links to our Compass to the Northern Sky print for a similar chart.

In fact, it was upon seeing Mr. O'Brien’s Rand McNally map some years back that we became enamored with finding a star chart of a similar size for our own walls. After scouring the market for years to no avail, we commissioned a mapmaker to lay out and design a new chart from scratch with the most up-to-date astronomical coordinates. We printed it in 3 ft x 3 ft in both black and dark navy, and it quickly became a touchstone for us, one of our most popular and beloved pieces.

We feel privileged to be included in such illustrious company. Mr. O'Brien’s extraordinary good taste and formidable design talent are a source of constant inspiration. His latest book, released in early November — Aero: Beginning to Now — is already one of our favorites.

I’m delighted to introduce our new series “Central Park Sketchbook by Adrienne Wong,” a collection of limited edition silkscreen prints celebrating the public architecture of Central Park.

I had wanted to release a series for the kids market for years and had been looking for the right subject. While walking through Central Park last spring, it occurred to me that the park would make a fantastic subject for a series: to a child, Central Park is one enormous playground, with idyllic sites and attractions built just for them. The park’s symbolic power also appealed to me: it represents a charming childhood of model boats and carousel rides and Great Lawn picnics, the stuff in which happy memories are made.

I commissioned Adrienne, who had built a long, multi-disciplinary practice in the city as an accomplished artist, designer, printmaker and shop owner, to illustrate the multi-part series. The designer of the original turquoise & brown MarieBelle Chocolates packaging, I had admired her talent and range of style for years.

For the art, Adrienne drew inspiration from classic children’s book illustration of the 1940s, and worked to capture the warmth and charm of the sites. With much of the kid wall art category looking computer generated these days, she illustrated in a sketch style, and I chose to print in silkscreen to achieve an authentic “printerly” quality. 

Currently the series consists of five prints: Belvedere Castle, the Carousel, the Conservatory Water, Gapstow Bridge, and Wollman Rink, with additional prints planned for later release based on the success of this initial run. Each print is signed and hand numbered by Adrienne and measures 9 in x 12 in on heavy card stock. They were silkscreened by The Half & Half, a silkscreen studio based in Columbia, South Carolina.

A long believer in the importance of giving back, I will donating 5 percent of the sale of each print to the Central Park Conservancy, which is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the park.

The series was a year in the making, and I am proud to see the project realized here online. Adrienne and I hope it inspires the same level of sweet nostalgia in these cherished landmarks that it does in us.

Regards,

Sheldon W. Yeager

Founder and Creative Director, The Municipal Prints Company