Russell Maret came to Rome to document and study diverse epigraphic lettering styles as source material for new digital typefaces which he will use in his limited edition books. Below are images of Roman inscriptions and the typefaces they have inspired, as well as photos of his studio walls.
Inscription in the portico of S Maria in Trastevere with the typeface inspired by it below
All photographs by Annie Schlechter.
Inscription in the cortile of the American Academy in Rome with two typefaces inspired by it below
Inscription in the stairwell outside of S Agnese fuori le mura with the typeface inspired by it below
Inscription on the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum with the typeface inspired by it below
Inscription on the tomb of the baker Eurysacis with the typeface inspired by it below
Inscription in the portico of S Maria in Trastevere with the typeface inspired by it below.
The south wall of studio
The east wall of studio
The north wall of studio
The west wall of studio
Born 30 June 1971, New Rochelle, New York. Russell Maret began studying letterpress printing in 1989 in San Francisco. Initially studying with Peter Koch, he went on to be Resident Printer at the Press in Tuscany Alley and to continue his studies at Firefly Press where he worked as a Monotype and Linotype compositor, as well as a pressman. Russell returned to New York in 1993 and began printing at the Center for Book Arts where he was Artist in Residence in 1996. In 199 he set up his own studio and has been moving it around ever since. At some point in the mid to late 1990s, Russell became disillusioned with the printed, typographic book as he had been approaching it and proceeded to spend the following ten years devoted to the study of geometric and pre-typographic alphabetical form. These studies, combined with his drawings made in the intervening years, have recently led him back to the printed book.