Igor Kopelnitsky: From Press Room to Letterpress

I received an e-mail recently from Geoffry Gertz at Sparked.biz in Brooklyn, passing along a letterpress card project with artwork by Igor Kopelnitsky. Gorgeous stuff at first glance, with depth of meaning that brings your eye and mind back to the images seeking greater understanding.

Now, I have been told I’m not the brightest knife in the drawer, and this casual diagnosis of my intellectual prowess was once again proven correct as I pored over the images on the cards: I know this guy. I should know this guy. Who the heck is this guy?

Ding! Well, not actually Ding, but Google.

Igor Kopelnitsky is, of course, illustrator for the Op Ed Page of the New York Times. His whimsical style satirizes societal themes both political and global. In addition to the Times, his work has graced the pages of The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal, among others. Born in Kiev, he originally studied physics; but upon the publication of his first cartoon, Igor left the sciences for cartooning and illustration.

Geoffry said the art card series offers eight humorous original designs printed by Peter Fraderdeus of Exquisite Letterpress on Crane’s Lettra paper. “Each design is a unique and amusing commentary on issues ranging from energy independence to the evolution debate,” said Geoffry. Themes and titles include Play Date with the Devil, Bright Idea, Heavy Thoughts, Don’t be Shy, Balancing Act, Peace Out, Drill Baby Drill, and So Evolved.

Geoffry is the director of Sparked.biz, a new art and design collective, collaborating with artists and illustrators to infuse their unique concepts and visions into well-crafted art products. Geoffry’s work has spanned diverse design markets from international design such as Perry Ellis, Issey Miyake and JOOP!; to large-scale fast fashion for Limited Brands; and most recently, the celebrity influence as the Creative Director for Hillary Duff. His designs have been featured in numerous influential style magazines. He is also a design consultant in the fashion industry and an Adjunct Faculty member at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Make sure you visit Geoffry’s beautiful Sparked.biz website here.

You’ll be glad you read this far. Geoffry has offered to give away four sets of Igor’s art notes to readers of The Crane Insider. To enter for a random drawing, send an e-mail to Geoffry at contest[at]sparked.biz. We’ll let you know who the lucky winners are on April 13.

Good Luck!