About the press

Woman smiling at a booth in a busy indoor market, with books, cards, and art prints displayed on the table, in front of a sign that reads "Deconstructed Artichoke Press".
A woman at a booth with a sign that says 'Deconstructed Artichoke Press,' surrounded by books, pamphlets, and colorful paper products.

Nikki Thompson prints with letterpress, silkscreen, and inkjet. She uses innovative structures and materials to reflect the book's content. Each book is handbound. Production occurs in her 1923 garage or studio at Broad Room.

A woman with curly hair, glasses, and a colorful headband smiling while wearing a black apron with the letter P and the number 3, standing in an art studio with shelves and art supplies in the background.

About Nikki Thompson

Nikki Thompson is a book artist (aka Deconstructed Artichoke Press), poet, and happily failed architect. She fled Southern California for UC Berkeley, where she earned a degree in architecture and remained in the Bay Area to earn her MFA in creative writing and book arts from California College of the Arts in 2002. In addition to almost winning prizes for her poetry (a runner-up for the Earl Weaver Baseball Writing Prize and a nominee for a Pushcart Prize), her art explores architecture, feminism, and the politics of work through the mixed media of bookmaking, printmaking, and collage. Her work has been awarded First Prize at Gallerie Renee Marie and a Purchase Prize at 23 Sandy Gallery. She has also received the College Book Arts Association Project Assistance Grant. She currently resides in Sacramento, California, with her husband and daughter. Her work can be seen at www.deconstructedartichokepress.com, on Facebook at DeconstructedArtichokePress, and at Twitter and Instagram @d_artichoke.

Want to schedule a class?

Birthday parties, Bar Mitzvahs, Girl Scout Badges, and more. Availability is on weekends and during the summer months. Also one-on-one classes on cased-in binding available.

Choose from:

  • Book from a single sheet: traditional book, accordion, accordion with two hidden pockets, more elaborate structures

  • Pamphlet stitch

  • Link stitch

  • Japanese side stitch: traditional stitch, hemp stitch, tortoise shell stitch

  • Accordion: traditional, envelope accordion

Online or in-person
Pricing: $30/hour + cost of materials
(materials: single sheet-$3/person,
other books-$10/person)

Tools:

  • Book from a single sheet: bone folder, awl, X-acto knife, ruler, cutting mat OR popsicle stick and scissors

  • Pamphlet stitch, Link stitch, Japanese side stitch: bone folder, awl, needle, X-acto knife, ruler, cutting mat, small binder clips, scissors

  • Accordion: bone folder, awl, X-acto knife, ruler, cutting mat, scissors, glue (recommend UHU)

For in person classes, I have all the above tools. For online classes, either you’ll provide the tools or I’ll lend them to you for a returnable deposit of $50.