A couple of folks at Etsy sent me a link to this video about Maryink out of Nashville and i’m so grateful that they did. I’m constantly amazed by the number of people out there creating amazing and inspiring stuff. I love the prints that these guys do and I love how they are pushing the envelope of what screenprinting can be. The designs vary from the wonderfully layered and complex to the blessedly simple and straight forward.
Mary Helt and Chris Sittel of maryink met at a party while visiting their families in Nashville. At the time, Mary was living in New York City working as a photographer’s stylist and Chris was working in Florida at a silk-screen studio. They started visiting one another, having t-shirt parties and coming up with new project ideas.
After a few years of living apart, they finally moved to the Virgin Islands to start their original silk-screen design company, maryink. While Mary is the designer behind maryink, Chris functions as the steady hand behind the printing process. Mary’s designs have a 1970s Scandinavian and folk art influence, and she also incorporates elements of embroidery, weaving and bitossi pottery. The shop is known for its interesting designs, silk screened votive candles, jewelry, tote bags and t-shirts.
Even though living in the Virgin Islands was paradise, running a business proved difficult. Chris and Mary soon packed up and headed back to Nashville, where the low cost of living allowed them to dedicate themselves full-time to maryink.
