About Penrose Press

Penrose Press is the creative practice of Brianna Tosswill. It began as a micro-publishing endeavour in Toronto in 2017 and has involved over forty collaborators in different capacities since then. In 2019 Brianna moved to Edmonton with a now ex-partner. In 2020 and 2021 Penrose transitioned away from publishing and towards art, always with an appreciation for the book structure. In January of 2021 Brianna quit her day job (on her birthday) and she has been pursuing art full time ever since. 

Brianna's print work has moved through a number of thematic phases in the last few years. 2021 was all about readers and reading coziness, which evolved into a 2 year long project around comfort. In spring 2023, The Comfort House Project was completed and launched at The Artist Project, Toronto, to rave reviews. Immediately following this, Brianna began work on the theme of friendship which is now in-progress and un-concluded.

Stylistically, Brianna's work is richly coloured but rarely "bright". It is nearly always rendered in linocut via a letterpress. She is a meticulous carver and likes to torture herself with intricate patterns and tiny faces. When she presents her work in person, and in full storytelling mode, she is likely to bring you to tears. It sounds heavy, but it is so so soft.

Over the next few years Brianna aspires to expand her practice to include a podcast and an artist assistant or two. 

Take some time to explore! Here are couple of suggestions for where to get started:

  • Nerd Time with Brianna is where you can really get to know me (Brianna Tosswill) the voice behind the first-person writing on this website and across the Penrose social medias. There is personal/professional history, linocut and bookbinding lessons, and creative excitement in abundance.
  • Collaborators is where you can read about some of the super cool creators that I've had the pleasure to work with so far! Collaborations that involve people through conversation, like in the Comfort House Project, are more private and don't have profiles.
  • Interviews and Reviews is where you can find those two things, plus podcast and video guest-spots!
  • Donations from Sales is a list of money given by Penrose to other organizations (for transparency!) in an effort to foster sustainable community.

 

Thanks for coming over! You can keep in touch via @penrosepress.ca on Instagram, or sign up for the mailing list at the bottom of this page. Don't be a stranger, I'd love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Brianna