Fright Week (month)

Shocking   mixed media on paper   34.5 x 22

"Shocking" is a mixed media work on paper that I enjoy so much during October, fright month for me.  For the past several years I have set up my own film festival at home during which I enjoy thrillers (especially the psychological ones), mysteries and a few flicks of the horror genre.  I am certainly old enough to recall films wound on large disks and stored in metal canisters...the kind we watched in school that would inevitably break, spin around incontrollably and cause interruptions in the story, chaos in the classroom and anxiety on the part of the instructor.  Those little sprocket holes on the edges of the film were the inspiration for this border design which was carved on a linoleum plate and printed onto the paper.  I shot photos of some family members and friends and had ever-so-much-fun arranging and drawing them on the paper.  One of my favorites is Cheryl, on the very bottom.  She was at that time our town postmistress. I am in the upper right with hands completely covering my eyes.  Too frightening to look.  Shocking.  Such fun.

Silver Lining

Folk Art Star   linoleum print 6 x 6

I think that artists are quite good at delayed judgment, realizing that the notion of pure good/pure bad is a false one, and that all creative endeavors lie somewhere in that indefinable "gray area". Sometimes we are unable to confirm an opinion for quite a while. Sometimes there is a silver lining where we find that we actually love that we had originally shunned. Two years ago, I offered a summertime class where we utilized reduction printing to create holiday cards. The papers, inks and ideas abounded in diversity. I was the only one to use an oil-based ink as well as the heavy paper Lenox. I wanted to cut out my prints and use them as ornament-type greetings. After all of the labor, I was distressed about the heaviness of my prints.......the ink seemed to have too much texture and the design that I had made seemed too complex. They were stored away for 2 years. I recently opened the box and found that my opinion had changed to supreme delight as I cut out the shapes! The heavy ink seemed to have melded into the paper and was actually perfect for my ornament idea. The feel is almost like a heavy cloth. What an amazing surprise! Let that be a lesson..................don't be too quick to judge!

Commitment

Checkerboard Band   watercolor/mixed   29 x 21

I continually hear from artists taking my classes that this painting or that will just go "into the box", never to be seen or considered again. It is indeed difficult to decide when to let go of a painting if it isn't going easily or well. But, I believe it is the transcending of these problems that just might take a work of art into something really special. Or..............not. Time spent on a work does not always equal success. In watercolor class, we attempted a set-up involving musical instruments on a full sheet. That is difficult. We spent two sessions on the set-up. That wasn't enough. We all moaned and groaned about our lack of progress. At home, I looked at the painting and felt disgusted. It unnerved me. However, one of my resolutions is to carry a work as far as I can, even though I am not getting those "happy, successful feelings" that result from the rare painting that seems to paint itself. I used block printing and watercolor pencils to take the painting into a new realm. "Checkerboard Band" is the result. I am certainly not 100% satisfied, but I did what I could. And I did honor the commitment.

Paying attention

Veiled   mixed on paper   19.5 x 14

I pay attention to things that thrill me. I love strong line. I love simple. I love spontaneity. I love imperfection. I love the searching. I love fabric designs and patterns, although I still love simple. I love finely detailed work, but only in certain passages. I love primitive art, although I know that is not who I am. And I love the paint quality that results only from printing, that which can never be achieved by direct painting. Up until now, I have tried to achieve the qualities that thrill me by painting only. Watercolors remained watercolors, oils/oils, and drawings/drawings. I seemed to enjoy the mixing of mediums, but felt that results were so often murky, and seemed to have lost intent. That is just my opinion, of course. Recently, I have been combining charcoal drawing and simple linoleum printmaking to create patterns, colors and textures. I love the results! I haven't experienced a thrill like this in quite a while.

Regrets for the Road Not Taken

Honey Bee  AP   linoleum print

I am always a bit sad when a work is finished....I guess it is because the excitement for the project is over and I see how things may have been finished in a better way. (I call this the "pancake theory", as the first few are always not quite as good) After day 1 of the bee prints, I was so excited to add the veil-like orange color that I quickly tried one as a practice before I made the next day's cuts. The next day, I cut more away from the honeycomb border, thinking that breaking up the forms would make the print more complex, more colorful. In looking back, this one practice print is one of my favorites and my error, in the print process, was making things too complex. Printing is about simplicity of form. My painting is not. I will try to remember...."keep it simple, stupid". I am already looking forward to my next prints...........perhaps a spider.

Complex Color

Is there anything more complex than color relationships? (oh yeah, human relationships) On day 4 of my reduction print, I started using a violet-black mixture for the bee body. After all, that is what they look like. I guess that for me, reality is great starting point, but quickly loses speed when measured up against the power of color harmony. I found that by adding more red to the mix, the overall color harmony seemed more pleasing and I seemed happier. However, when the red mix became more red-dominant, rather than black, it seemed that the bee was less powerful, less dominant. So, throughout the rest of the run, I tried to temper the red-black mix into the right (for me) combination. Hard work. Lots to learn. Lots learned. The result is shown here and is 1/67 AP of my run.

The Stages of Creation

On day 3 of my reduction print process my joyous delirium came to a halt. It is the same with painting for me. The beginning of a new work offers up a veritable smorgasbord of possibilities and the excitement is practically uncontrollable. Then............reality sets in with the limitations and imperfections inherent in every work. That happened on day 3 with the application of the light violet. Cut marks that were unintentional showed up everywhere. I like a few accidental marks, but I always want them where I want them. Oh dear. Imperfection. I must learn to love it.

Re-Seeing

Second Day of the road trip............feeling good. Doing this print project has provided so much excitement and a great release of energy.....just like vacation. Seeing things new helps to see things old in a different way. The application of the second layer(orange) was a challenge and also full of fun. I wanted a "veiled" application.....one that would provide a transparent feel, or the feel of something old and peeling. (the opposite of opaque and hard-edged). I experimented like crazy and felt that I had something good going on after about 30 prints. I used lots of extender, lightly sprayed the rolled out plexi where I rolled the ink, and even sprayed the block that had already been rolled with ink. I used a piece of mat board between the baron and the paper and the rubbing was done lightly and incompletely, avoiding edges. I was delirious with delight! Yes, vacation is a good thing.

Road Trip - Reduction Printing

Road trips are really good for everyone. Life in the studio can get pretty intense. The more you work, the more you immerse yourself and the more you don't want to leave. It is hard to separate yourself from the work. I am a painter. I am taking a road trip into reduction printing. I love the qualities that can only be achieved through printmaking....an ink quality that can only be achieved by such an indirect method. Printmaking is meticulous and must be planned carefully. I am excited. As a painter, I am largely driven by color. As I don't want to create many plates, I am going to use the reduction method whereby the block is gradually cut away for each subsequent color....in the end, the block is destroyed and cannot be used again. I am shooting for a limited run of 50 prints, so I am starting with 80 prints. Many will suffer from smudges, mistakes, and probably dissatisfaction as I wind my way through several colors and application techniques. My subject is the honey bee. On the first cut, I only cut away the parts that I wish to remain white, or the color of the paper. It was a solid application on which to build. Yes..............we are on our way.