Chong received a BFA in painting and printmaking from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Following graduation, he worked for a Massachusetts company making embossing and hot stamping dies for several years. Combining his die-making experience with his art training he moved to Maine and opened Island Designs to produce his own designs embossed on paper and copper. To accomplish this, he draws a design, then carves it in reverse into a 1/4" thick brass or magnesium flat plate, using self-made chisels, to make an embossing "die" He casts fiberglass into the (concave) die to create a convex image. Judi attaches the metal die to a heat plate on their 1929 converted letterpress with the counter opposite on the press platen. The metal die is heated and a paper or copper sheet is pressed between the die and counter to produce a raised design. Color is added to the paper with watercolor, brush pen, pastel and roll leaf. Patina, flame painting and oil pastel are used to color the copper