#printoctober: linocut

It started with the missing brayer. I don't know exactly when I lost it. I saw it often when I didn't need it, and hadn't needed it in years. And then I started with monotypes and thought how handy it would be to roll the brayer over the top of the paper to print. But I couldn't find it. So I was using a spoon. True story.

My husband in a show of support went out to buy me a brayer and found a small intro to linoleum block printing kit, with a brayer included. Somewhere I have wood block carving stuff, but I haven't even tried to look for that and now here's this kit. And it #printoctober. And you don't need a press for linocuts. So here we are and what am I going to do with this?

Block printing is very graphic and my work just isn't at this point, but I came up with a plan. Keeping with the small landscape idea and to use a blend. (of course now I'm thinking I need multiple blocks...)

inadvertent ad for Speedball

I was thinking of this piece to recreate. I drive by this spot often and I really like it.

copse

Here's a bit of the blend: violet, white and brown. I found clearanced ink at Michael's and was thrilled that there was magenta and yellow, but no cyan. Violet would have to do for now. And since I had to get the violet, and there was no green either, I got brown. And red.

the blend

the inked block

the print. 

It's not a great print. The 4" brayer is a little narrower than the 4" block. hmm... Bigger would be better here. And I was a little too delicate with the carving, so I will be reworking this in the next few days and reprinting. The thicker linework shows very well, but the rest gets lost, so I need to bump up all of the cuts to the next size blade.

in the studio

This week was full of #art365 landscapes as I am now working through the #paintseptember project on twitter. A painting a day for the month of September. Big paintings are on hold right now. I am getting ready for Intimate Persuasions: Small Works opening Saturday. I've got a lot of figuring out to do, as far as what will be included. Adding in new pieces each week is counter productive, really. Oh well. 

This week began with 2 pieces based on a friend of a friend's photo. I was not actually in Vermont. Then a few of the prairie. insert is north of 80 heading east. pleasant view is a cemetery I visited on the road trip last month. Also this week, I made 5 small encaustic paintings. You can see those here.

west woodstock, vermont, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

treeline, proper road, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

goldenrod, acrylic on paper, 5" x 5"

sunflower prairie, acrylic on paper, 5" x 5"

insert, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

pleasant view, old lincoln highway, acrylic on paper, 5" x 6"

sunlit, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

Friday was the opening of TEXT:Louder Than Words at Studio 659. seneca was part of this show, and I didn't bring a camera, so I have no pics. I did meet another artist, Arlene Tribbia, who is also a writer. Two different people commented how much her work looked like mine. Unfortunately, her work in the show isn't on her website (and again I didn't take any pictures...) There is a lot of really good artwork in this show. The show is up through Saturday, September 28.

Next up: This week I'd like to get back to some drawing, as well as the continuation of #paintseptember. 

Intimate Persuasions: Small Works by Brabant Lenting and Dawn Diamantopoulos opens Saturday, September 14 4-9pm at Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond. 

in the studio

This week was full of #art365 landscapes. It began with a continuation of the field outside Crown Point but got sidetracked by some high contrast. Then further sidetracked while I worked through a couple of ideas on a sliver of light at sunset and the glow of sunrise on fog, and finally back to the field.

field I, acrylic on paper, 5" x 5"

quiet, acrylic on paper, 5" x 5"

roadside glow, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

early sunset I,acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

early sunset II,acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

early sunset III, acrylic on paper, 5" x 5"

morning fog I, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

morning fog II,acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

early sunset IV, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

field II, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6"

In other news: I've joined #paintseptember on twitter and will be making a small landscape every day. This easily ties in with my #art365 project of making art every day, I just have to have something completed every day for this month. 

seneca will be part of Studio 659's TEXT: Louder Than Words exhibit which opens this Friday. The following week, there will be an opening featuring a large selection of these #art365 landscapes at Paul Henry's Art Gallery. Details to follow.

in the studio

This week was mostly spent on drawing, although I did manage to do one little #art365 landscape after a trip out to Wolf Lake in Chicago. Wolf Lake straddles the state line, and while I often drive by on the Indiana side, I'd never been over to the Illinois side. It was quite peaceful.

wolf lake from chicago, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"
available for purchase here

I finished up four drawings: other people's kindnesses, maybe this, semantics, and silver lining. This is all the drawings I had started. I am loosely calling this series of drawings conversations in my head. Loosely meaning, it is subject to change slightly in wording but not in idea. I really feel like these pieces work in conjunction with my recent large scale paintings, stylistically. 

It would be great to be able to have several drawings up around a large studio where I could work on several in quicker succession. The drying time on washes does test my patience some days. I would like to do these drawings larger as well, but for now I am limited to materials on hand. Sewing paper together may be in order. I do believe there will be more of these drawings, but I have 3 medium-sized canvases which were given to me and they are going to make a new larger piece at 34" x 90". At least that is the plan for now. I want to go back to painting.

other people's kindnesses always catch me off guard. I never expect them.
other people's kindnesses, watercolor pencil, ink, conté on paper, 30" x 23"

maybe this was all in my head.
maybe this, watercolor pencil, ink on paper, 30" x 22"

finding the silver lining always makes me sound like a bitch.
silver lining, watercolor pencil, ink, conté on paper, 30" x 23"

semantics does not excuse your words.
semantics, watercolor pencil, ink, conté on paper, 30" x 22"

Just a reminder: the good karma giveaway deadline is Monday June 24th at 4pm and the postcard swap deadline is Friday July 5th. Be sure to sign up for these if you're interested!

in the studio

this week began with an #art365 landscape 

dappled, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

and then I started a whole new series of drawings. I started thinking about this while I was painting seneca. I just couldn't tackle it then because I had to finish work for the show. I imagined figurative abstracts, messy, with a lot of different media: ink, charcoal, conté, watercolor, pastel... I've started 3 pieces this week. All starting with watercolor pencil, then ink washes and some masked out text. silver lining also has additional conté and ink washes on it. And I feel like it is heading in the right direction.


let me tell you a fairy tale of mediocrity: this is as good as it's going to get. 

mediocrity, 30" x 23" work in progress

finding the silver lining always makes me sound like a bitch.

other people's kindnesses always catch me off guard. I never expect them.

other people's kindnesses, 30" x 23" work in progress

I'm still looking for a few more likes on my facebook page for the good karma giveaway. So if you're on facebook, I'd appreciate it if you clicked over and liked me!

On my to do list for next week is etsy. My work is for sale through my website, but I think the #art365 landscapes could use a wider audience. Have you shopped on etsy? Do you have a shop on etsy? If you have any feedback and/or suggestions about it, let me know!

in the studio

This week in the studio, time was mostly spent on the #art365 project. 5 new pieces

5.6.13 wicker park through the oaks

5.7.13 above

5.8.13 merge

5.9.13 pear II

5.11.13 lincoln highway

I also worked a bit more on this was only a dream for a couple of days. Here's where it is tonight. Still a bit wet in the upper left in this shot.

in the studio

Just a quick follow up of what I've worked on in the previous week. The first half of the week, I was working on spirea. There are a crazy amount of layers in this piece. It's closer to done.

 The second half of the week, I painted a lot of #art365 landscapes. Two of the days got double paintings. You can see that spring has finally made it to northwest Indiana.

5.2.13 magnolia petals scattered, 5" x 7"

5.2.13 pear, 5" x 7"

5.3.13 violets and redbud buds, 5" x 7"

5.4.13 flowering oaks and maple I, 5" x 7"

5.4.13 flowering oaks and maple II, 5" x 7", SOLD

5.5.13 ridge road, 5" x 5"

If you want to see these as they come out, you can follow along on google+, twitter, facebook,  pinterest, or my website. Yes, a lot of links. Someday I will have an assistant to do these things for me.

Live Art!

update 4.7.13: Photographer and blogger Wes Bushby was at the opening/event Friday night. You can see his blog post here. He shoots at lots of local events, not just in NWI but in Chicago, as well.

This Friday I participated in a Live Art Show at Studio 659 in Whiting. There were 10 invited artists, each was asked to bring one piece which would be hung at the start of the event. Then we were to create a brand new piece while visitors could watch us work, to be completed and cleaned up all at the end of the reception. The newly created piece was  to be hung at the end of the night. I brought renewal with me, framed. And a whole portfolio full of the rest of the #art365 landscapes.

renewal, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7"

During the evening, I created 2 new larger landscapes based on a local park.

wicker park willows, acrylic on canvas, 10" x 10"

wicker park willows II,acrylic on canvas, 10" x 10"

And, happily,  sunrise over the ridge sold. The first sale of the month! 10% of all my sales this month are being donated to NAA-NWI, the local National Autism Association, for Autism Awareness Month.

sunrise over the ridge, acrylic on paper, 6.25" x 4.75"