Joe Public Press: Joe Cox

Last Updated 7/12/2022 • Posted in Village Market Pop-Up Fairs

Joe Public Printing Press ran by Joe Cox is to set up as a guest at the Village Market Fair Saturday July 16th in Huntington W. Va.

Joe Cox

Joe Cox is a print making artist. His passion for art and graphic design inspired him to look for different ways to do printing press designs. Beyond working at Brand Yourself, a local graphic design and t-shirt making company, Cox has his own personal business, Joe Public Press.

What is Gyotoku?

Gyotaku dates mad to the mid-1800s and is a Japanese style of art that involved printing fish. This is a form of "nature printing" that was once used by fisherman to track what fish they caught. While many of Cox's work is fish (as seen on the right), the style is not limited to just fish, but also includes prints of all types of sea creatures.

Why Gyotaku?

Cox said he chose the Gyotaku style to print because it's something he's feels familiar with and likes doing, as he used to historical marking rubbings.

"This kind of was right up my ally when it came to being outside and still producing art," Cox said. "The journey of going tp those places is a part of the process for me. When I did the historical marking rubbings, it was a really fun thing to do."

Local art that's locally caught

Cox's art is unique not just because of the Japanese style, but also because the fish he prints are locally caught. Cox said he goes to a few local places in town, one specific place near a local barge, and he also fishes at his dad's farm in Barboursville. To learn about where he catches these local fish, you'll have to come to the event and ask him yourself!

What can you expect at the Saturday Market Fair?

Cox will be making and selling his Gyotaku prints on t-shirts. You will find at his booth t-shirts, mainly white, with the black Gyotaku print ready to design on it. Cox says black is traditional to the Gyotaku printing style, so he wants to keep that tradition alive during Saturday's event.

Check out Joe Public Press's Facebook page today and message Joe if you're interested in his work. Come down and see him in action at the Village Market Fair and purchase a Gyotaku-style t-shirt Saturday July 17th from 10am-4pm!