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(m) John pours paint over a screen. (n) Ben
Paley, Crispina’s son, age 13. (o) Sofia’s daughter
Lily Rose Hughes, age 6. The kids started out by doing the designs for
their birthday months, but took on more duties as they got older.
“Sometimes we
advise the grandchildren on technical matters, but
they’re always free to do
what they please artistically,” John says.
(p) Primm at work.
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The Dolphin Studio calendar, like many family projects, begins with a talk. “We
decide who wants to design which months, then everyone does what he or she
wants,” John says. Primm cuts all of the stencil films, one set for each color,
and John, also known for his ceramics, prints the pages, one printing for each
color. Every design is an original print, suitable for framing.
The
ffrenches’ custom of highlighting family birthdays and anniversaries on the
calendar pages sometimes causes confusion. “Once I marked Ben’s birthday,
November 23rd, with particularly elaborate numerals,” Primm recalls. “A customer
assumed the 23rd was Thanksgiving, and she invited her family and friends for
dinner on the wrong day.”
“Making the calendars is a wonderful way of
keeping the family together,” John says. “We’re lucky everyone lives nearby.”
Felicitas, who has a law degree from Stanford, and Sofia, a teacher, live in
Stockbridge; Crispina has her own studio, Fuchsia, in an old mill in Great
Barrington.
Although each calendar requires months of painstaking labor, the
ffrenches seldom fight, even when faced with daunting deadlines. “We don’t
disagree about artistic matters—just about everything else!” Primm says with a
hearty laugh.
The Dolphin Studio produces ceramics, jewelry, and other one-of-a-kind items,
but is most known for its annual calendar. (h) Primm’s one-color
portrait of Lily and Ben from ’06 was “easy to print, but hard to cut.” (i) Ben drew
this family portrait when he was about 8. (j) Crispina’s idea of summer fun, from
July ’06. (k) A pair of late-summer owls from the current calendar, drawn by
Lily. (l) Another nature-loving design from John, also from the
’06 edition.
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