Larry Thompson

Larry Thompson, the Merrickville, Ontario based artist behind Greyweathers Press, finds inspiration and graphic black-and-white possibilities in literature across the spectrum: classical epics, medieval legend, the Romantic poets, 20th century noir, fantasy literature and comic books, just to name a few.  He creates bold and graphic prints from relief block, linoleum and wood.

Larry Thompson doesn’t remember much of the ’60s, but that’s only because he was born in 1964, and in Ottawa. However, he grew up in a house full of books with parents who did not recoil at the notion of creativity. He was sixteen years old when he pulled his first printing proof during a high school graphic arts course and thought “Cool!”

It took him a long, long time to get there – 25 years – but ultimately he found his way back to printmaking, graphic design and letterpress printing when in 2005 he bought a 1-ton printing press and a quantity of lead type, and established Greyweathers Press.

Greyweathers Press is founded on a love of beautiful books, featuring elegantly designed typefaces skillfully arranged on a well-proportioned page, graphic linocuts and wood cuts, and handmade bindings.  Larry set out to print letterpress books exclusively, although that ideal has grown.