Limited edition poster designed for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Some insight to the design:

I had my first pierogi when I moved to Cleveland Ohio for college and made a bunch of amazing friends whose last names were all impossible to spell and mostly ended in ski/sky and learned quickly that the Polish and Ukrainian roots run deep - so when they asked me to make this poster for @jasonisbell and the 400 unit, I thought about how I could give a little nod to that community of well established generations of Eastern European immigrants that have so distinctly shaped the culture of Cleveland. I thought about the food - the pierogis and sauerkraut and cabbage rolls - and decided to borrow the crest from Sokolowski’s- an American Polish family restaurant that sadly didn’t survive the pandemic, but represents so much of that great food and culture. The rest of the illustration pulls inspiration from Wycinanki art (Polish/Ukrainian cut paper design) and floral embroidery patterns and colors most often used in their traditional clothing - leaning heavily on the black layer to keep it from looking “christmassy." The type is mostly all hand-carved because I wanted it to integrate into the flow of the design and because I don’t have anything quite like what I envisioned in my type collection (and because I’m insane). I was determined to include all the details I thought were necessary to hit it home, despite the fact that it meant carving tiny leaves through the night and printing in the wee hours of dawn several days in a row (trying to get better about that). In the end - I’m glad I committed to the bit and thankful I made my Polish buddies proud.

12.5" x 18" - 3 color reduction printed on 100 lb cover.