Turning Point Pen Co. recently unveiled a limited run of 33 predesigned pens. The launch of the set builds on the company's custom pen business. (Photos courtesy of Turning Point Pen Co.)

After years of making customized pens, a local company is looking to tap into a wider audience.

Turning Point Pen Co. this week launched a limited run of 33 predesigned fountain pens to complement its core business of individualized one-off or small batches of custom pieces.

The new set is based on a painting called "Horizon Bliss" by New Jersey artist Joanne Rafferty. It's intended to appeal to collectors and expand the customer base in a way that stays true to Turning Point's vision to create special commemorative items, company owner Michael Kahwajy-Hyland said.

"I feel like this is a more solid foundation for the brand to stand on, because we can share our work with a wider audience at one time with this one. This one is going to be much more public. It's going to be much more accessible," he said.

Michael Kahwajy-Hyland

While the new line is considered a more approachable product, Kahwajy-Hyland said the limited run still strives for a sense of exclusivity.

"It's our way of delving into a completely new side of what we do and what we can do," he said. "We were doing only custom stuff for a number of years and that was great. This is kind of an add-on to what we're doing."

"Horizon Bliss" is a semiabstract piece that depicts a sunset, and Kahwajy-Hyland designed the body of the pen to echo the painting's blues, yellows and greens, with a burst of orange largely concealed under the cap.

"When you uncap the pen, it reveals that sunset. It's like experiencing a revelation, or of seeing something in a new way," he said.

Turning Point's newly released set of limited-run pens is inspired by "Horizon Bliss" by Joanne Rafferty.

The pens are made with resin and sterling silver and have 18-karat gold nibs. They're priced at about $3,400 a pop and are being sold on Turning Point's website.

The company has a licensing agreement with Rafferty to use her work in the pens' design, and Rafferty gets a percentage of the sales.

Kahwajy-Hyland designed the pens. Turning Point contracts with artisans across the country to produce its pens, a model the company rolled out in 2022. Kahwajy-Hyland pulled from his network of craftspeople to make the limited run.

The company's custom pens start at $1,000, and differ from the limited-run pens in that the custom pieces involve consultation between Turning Point and the client and personalization with a range of colors and materials.

Turning Point intends to continue to offer customized pens, though there are plans to offer new limited-edition runs similar to the "Horizon Bliss" collection moving forward, Kahwajy-Hyland said.

The company, which is based out of Kahwajy-Hyland's Hanover home and launched in 2017, had done predesigned work in the past but over time came to focus on custom pieces.

Kahwajy-Hyland and Rafferty became connected about a year ago through a mutual contact, the curator of a Sarasota, Florida-based art gallery. The curator thought they would be able to come together and collaborate.

"Joanne and I got together and we were like, 'All right, let's see what we can do.' And she picked the painting and basically I designed a pen inspired by that painting, not only the physical painting, but the message within it as well," Kahwajy-Hyland said.