We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tom Virgin. Check out our conversation below.
Tom, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Now that I am officially retired from teaching in public schools, I work every day. If there are no grand kids available for me to hang out with, I will print. Or create plates to print with, or set type with words to print on the press, or work with writers, or just put ink on paper until I get tired. Not surprisingly, I read a lot too. Printing books with writer friends and collaborating artists is high on my list. When I make a book with writers it takes about a year. Printing for and/or with kids is also usually in the mix.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I have been an artist / educator for most of my adult life. I have taught in public schools, colleges, museums, city parks, artists residencies… and studied in those same places. I have taught folks from kindergarten to college and recently, nice kids my age (60’s and up). I love printing and now print on two 1950’s letterpress (Challenge 15KP and Vandercook 4 Proof Press). I especially like to make books. I am the proprietor of Extra Virgin Press since 2015.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
My Mom taught me how to cook when I was about six or seven, a fried egg sandwich. You may know that boys are always hungry. “I am starving,” was a common greeting, from me to Mom. What Mom really did was teach me how to learn. Her trust in me, and careful articulate lessons in frying eggs and making toast for a sandwich, gave her more time to sew, clean, and read. Both of our lives were enriched by sharing that responsibility. I still love to cook, and to cook for others. Got that from Mom too.
When I began teaching in Title I Public Schools at 40, I realized that my kids were teachers too. Their stories educated me in profound ways that allowed me to teach better. They generously helped me teach when my language skills were somewhat limited. Their translation skills multiplied my drawing skills for the kids that did not understand me.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Learn how to listen to others, ask good questions, and pay attention to the people around you. We always have choices. Growing up, I was impulsive. I always knew what I wanted, but I did not always understand the range of choices. I spent a lot of time in books, we moved several times from one neighborhood to the another. The books were always there for me. When I went to college I really wanted to study art. Eventually I did, and to this day I am always ready to take another print or book class. Our peers fill in the spaces that got skipped along the way. I am grateful for their contributions.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A public education brings kids together, ideally kids from all neighborhoods. I always lived in the suburbs growing up. When I became a teacher, I met kids from every neighborhood. I learned things from kids that I didn’t know, that I didn’t know. Teaching people how to see, and tell their stories has been my primary mission in public schools and print rooms for over 30 years. Words and images together are translation utilities for all ages. I hope to spend the rest of my life learning, while I am teaching.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I helped them to see. Teaching drawing and printmaking helps people to be part of the world that they live in. Seeing is the key. Printing lets artists make a pile of work, and share their world with others. They can keep a couple prints, sell a couple and give a bunch away. Printmaking creates an echo of the world on a sheet of paper. The words and images remind us what we care about. Prints keep that knowledge alive for generations that follow us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.extravirginpress.com
- Instagram: @extravirginpress
Image Credits
Head shot by Chantal Lawrie, for O, Miami
