LEWISBURG W.Va. (WVDN) – Caroline Hertko, a printmaker based in Pocahontas County, has a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. After writing a grant to the West Virginia Department of Arts Culture and History about her mini prints, it wasn’t long until she had funding for three vending machines to distribute her wonderful art. A vending machine for art? Yes! Of course, you’ve seen vending machines with bubble gum, prizes or stickers when walking into almost any store, but have you ever seen one with collectible art mini-prints? Now, you can.
Hertko stated, “I wrote a grant to do an accessible art project. I designed 18 mini prints about the size of business cards and I stocked them into a vending machine, similar to sticker vending machines you see in the entryway to grocery stores that children use. I have the series 1-18 repeating in each slot, so they will not repeat until you have collected them all. For four quarters you get one surprise mini print. The grant bought three machines. I have one machine in the Wild Bean Coffee Shop in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and one in Rivertown in Marlinton, West Virginia, and I am keeping one to bring with me to craft fairs.
“I have a studio at my family farm, in a renovated 250-year-old tobacco drying barn. I share the studio with my mother who is a fine metal jeweler, and my two boisterous small children. My grandmother was a career artist focusing on printmaking and oil painting. When she downsized, she gave me her printing press. That’s when I became serious about my printmaking business.
“My work focuses on my take on the iconography of Appalachia. I am inspired by the culture and landscape of West Virginia. I base many of my images from local lore and stories I have heard from the area. My art is casual and frequently, functional.”
It isn’t news to us that Appalachians will find a way to delight visitors to the state and that they want to share somehow, the absolute beauty and majesty of West Virginia’s entire makeup. These mini-prints would make an awesome gift for anyone and can be found right here in Lewisburg. As Hertko mentioned, stop in The Wild Bean on Jefferson Street in downtown Lewisburg, to snag a collection of timeless press printing at its best.
You can follow Hazy’s Harvest Press on Instagram @mountain.mamma or on Facebook @Caroline Hanson Hertko and her website, www.hazysharvest.com. Here you will find many more beautiful mediums in print on postcards or a journal; greeting cards or invitations.
