sarahmaxey.co.nz

A 50th birthday present for my friend Alan.

Most of my thoughts are weeds, she thought, from the poem Victor by Andrew Johnston

I have just launched the merchandise arm of my studio, entitled Calligram. I'll be selling greeting cards, posters & prints all with an illustrative & typographic bent. Buy here.

Introducing Calligram, my new stationery imprint, launching on Friday 5th April. My first range will be available for purchase from here and a few select stockists around New Zealand.

Over the last few months I've been working closely with the lovely folk at Vic Books at Victoria University to rebrand the shop and café during their transition into shiny new premises in Kelburn, Wellington. February 2013

I have made a huge typographic installation in the central dome of the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui. These large folded striped letters are painted directly onto the wall, and will be on show until the middle of May. December 2012

Exit, pursued by the bear is the most famous stage direction in theatre (from The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare). I drew this as a test piece for my Sarjeant Gallery installation. It was also the theme for my recent talk at We Can Create conference, where I used it as an analogy for the difficulties of producing creative work on commission. September 2012

I was commissioned by the very clever Jenny Grigg to make this cover for Meanjin, Australia's pre-eminent literary journal. I also wrote the copy. April 2012

Some experimental handlettering for a personal project. August 2012

Some experimental blackletter handlettering. Thinking about wolves, and how to keep them from the door... July 2012

The Dowse were re-vamping their entrance area to incorporate a small shop, stocking a few very precious and carefully chosen wares. They asked me to come up with a name for the shop and to handletter it, to be used in their signage, stationery and other merchandise. November 2011

In 2011, the Arts Foundation set up a new bi-annual award for children's book illustrators. They wanted a work on paper that didn't look like a certificate, and was more precious and covetable. I drew this calligram and had it letterprinted in a limited edition of 30 by Shona Gow of Magpie Press. August 2011

The Designers Institute of New Zealand commissioned this piece of work to be used as a pull-out poster in ProDesign magazine, heralding the impending summer holidays. I can't remember who first used this joke in my earshot, but it was probably my uncle, who is an English teacher & who also said to me one Easter: 'Shall I compare thee to a currant bun?' November 2010

A1 poster, screenprinted in dark blue on 170gsm Munken Polar White, in a limited edition of 500, signed & numbered. Buy here.