Q&A with Jessica Brousseau & Ian Martin Gregory, Founders of Feast Letterpress

I was first introduced to Feast Letterpress after my boyfriend Evan took a tour of their studio in 2018. After a quick browse of their site, I instantly fell in love with their work. Over the past few years, I’ve enjoyed following their updates on Instagram, seeing them at local art markets, and hanging out during drink and draws at local breweries (pre-covid times). Feast is comprised of Jess and Ian, two creatives running and operating three letterpress machines out of cSpace King Edward. From custom wedding invitations, to experimental collaborations, Jess and Ian are always creating sophisticated, yet playful work. I was curious to learn more about their process, their favourite projects and what’s inspiring them these days.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourselves and your backgrounds?
Jess: My background is in graphic design and I graduated from the BDes program at AUArts in 2011. Ian has always had a passion for photography and we love to incorporate both of those processes in our work in the studio as often as we can. We both love to create and delving into the letterpress process felt like an exciting way to learn something new together and start a creative small business.

When did Feast Letterpress come into fruition? What is the story behind your name?
Jess: Ian and I met traveling in Nepal in 2013 and spent a lot of that time scheming about what we would do when we settled somewhere. After meeting a couple in Tasmania who ran a letterpress shop we got so excited about the idea, we drove from Calgary to Indianapolis to buy our first press in 2016. On the way down we were pouring over letterpress books and pages of potential studio names – Feast just stuck :)

What was the learning process like when starting on the Letterpress?
Jess: A combination of very satisfying, exciting and tedious. We didn’t know much to start, save for some tips we’d got from the previous owner of our press and everything we could glean from books and the internet. It was a steep learning curve, but we got so much satisfaction from going through the process step by step and seeing our skills grow. We are constantly learning as we work and adding or refining techniques is so rewarding.

Do you do other work that doesn’t involve the press? What does that look like?
Jess: Our studio days are a mix of printing, design and photography and we love having that variety of work. We are currently working on updating our website to encompass some of the broader design work that we offer as a studio which feels like a long time coming. I love to sneak letterpress into as many design projects as I can, like some recent label designs for a brewery client where we have been hand carving and printing lino to use as a part of the designs.

Do you have any plans of expanding your letterpress collection? Would you branch into other print processes?
Jess: One day we would love to have the space to add a Heidelberg Windmill to our press lineup, making it possible to do our own die-cutting and hot foil stamping.

On your website you offer workshops, what do those entail?
Jess: We do! At this point we offer private workshops to folks who want to learn the letterpress process by doing. It caters well to designers or illustrators who have a design that they would love to have on the press and be very hands on for the whole process. They can be full or half days and we cater them very specifically to what each person is looking to work on or learn.

Who is your dream collab to print with?
Jess: We have a long list of local designers and businesses that we would love to collaborate with – so hoping to see some of those come to fruition soon. If we’re really going to shoot for the stars, maybe a letterpress vinyl sleeve for the new Bahamas album?!

What was the most memorable/meaningful project you’ve printed?
Jess: In line with the last question, the projects we get really excited about are ones were we get to work with other small businesses and designers who are just as excited about the letterpress process as we are – like the prints we recently did for designer Sumin Choi, book wraps for independent publishers Hingston & Olsen and some upcoming custom postcards for the bookstore The Next Page. We love printing work by other talented folks as well as work we have designed in house.

[For Ian]: The photos on your website are beautiful and show off your work so perfectly. Did you go to school for photography? What types of photo projects do you do today?
Ian: Thank you! I went to school for music technology, but photography has always been a passion that has grown over the years. These days I love to shoot landscape photography and portraiture as well as working more with event and wedding photography alongside friend and collaborator Emma Palm as &Reverie.

Postcards for the 2019 Calgary Folk that were designed and printed by Feast. Photo: Feast Letterpress

The studio at C Space. Photo: Feast Letterpress

[For Jess]: What projects and crafts outside of Feast are you working on?
Jess: Outside the studio I’m currently doing a lot of sewing, mostly clothes because I’m obsessed with linen and trying to tackle some more complicated jacket projects. I’ve also been trying to teach myself to weave on a small lap loom, and I love the satisfaction of learning a completely new process.

What’s it like working with your significant other? What are your challenges?
Jess: Oh, a combination of blissful and intense? Haha, it felt very natural and sort of inevitable to start working together, and something we wouldn’t have any other way. It can mean the line between work and home is pretty blurry, so we’ve attempted to have an 8pm no-studio-talk cut off but it’s not always abided by :)

Do you have any inspirational people/artists you’d like to mention?
Jess: We are so grateful to the larger letterpress community, which we feel very lucky to be a part of. We’ve experienced so much generosity with time, tips, talent and general enthusiasm to share the craft and support of each other. Some of our favourite letterpress printers are Clawhammer, The Aesthetic Union, Saint Gertrude, Everlovin’ Press and the letterpress shop that started this idea for us in the first place: Deciduous Press.

What you are listening to? What is on your bookshelves?
Jess: Sometimes it feels like we are in a Spotify black hole, but on repeat these days are Laura Marling, Bahamas, Still Woozy, Moses Sumney and always Joni Mitchell. We’re also avid podcast listeners and the top of a long list of favourite is This American Life. On our bookshelves currently are Intimations by Zadie Smith and Pressing Matters Issue 12.

What does the future hold for you two?
Jess: Hopefully the opportunity to continue to do the work that we love – experimenting in the studio and flexing our creative skills is such a pleasure that we definitely don’t take for granted.

Where can people find you?
Jess: In the studio! We love visitors (albeit these days with covid precautions like masks and hand sanitizer please!) and we also love having people follow along on Instagram @feastletterpress and via a very occasional newsletter that you can sign up for on our site feastletterpress.com

By: Tori English & Feast Letterpress