I am working on a large mixed media painting of a tricycle and wanted to have some simple graphic-looking grass at the bottom. Painting it on resulted in visual confusion. So I carved a small linoleum block to print it on. The marks were made with a 5.0 calligraphy marker that I twisted as I moved upwards from bottom to top, thus making the marks gradually thinner. I found that the negative spaces were as important as the marks themselves here. I wanted the spaces to be intriguing and playful as well. Painting is almost too direct at times.....i.e. one stroke is almost too bold, too important, too direct. Sometimes the printing medium is what I crave.....that secondary application of pigment that doesn't quite cover everything, leaving a bit of background peeking through. Pure bliss. And, I might add, a fun foray into something different.
