Working

I have been making a few new linocuts for the holiday season...I love carving them and always seem to be amazed that a little pile of shavings can produce such an unbelievable result.

Inspirations from nature once again...but with a little geek undertone.

I will be adding color to them by hand and hope that someone else will fall in love with them too!

Sorry about last nights post, the seduction of the wine and cheese made me swirly and not wanting to talk really. I ended up peeling my contacts out of my eyes and settling into a HOT bath then slid into bed...all toasty inside and out.

I don't do that very often, but might change that up too.

It was a yummy change.

Night Out and About

The gallery full of people when I left at 8pm

Well last night was great! A gallery full of people and great conversations.

The Printmaking group I belong to divides up the task lists and everyone takes a roll in the annual event. This year I signed up for all the stuff that needed to be done at the beginning, as I knew I was going to be tied up with my own show stuff. So when it was time to bring in art, and hang the show all I had to do was bring in my art and wait for the opening night.

I try and stay away from the gallery when the group hangs the show, I like to be surprised. I don't look at what people turn in and I don't want to see where my stuff might be hung.

So when opening night comes around, I have a set of new eyes on the event just like everyone else.

The show looks great, I am always amazed how several people working in several different mediums, in separate locals all seem to make a cohesive body of work. Our folio pieces look amazing!

the set of work for the limited folio

my folio piece " A Stitch In Time"

The show was a success and I brought my cards for my upcoming show and put them on a table next to a bowl of nuts...their first public debut! People had them, and were asking me questions....

I also saw a lot of people hanging around my work....

*****WARNING THIS IS TOOT MY OWN HORN TIME ****

a group had gathered

the trio with sunsets glare

people were talking about my work and how they related to it and it reminded them of x y or z.

It felt nice.

A new Ink Friend

Emerald Bay at Dusk by Michelle Murdock @ Quail Lane Press

I took a little break last week to get some R&R with the hubby....we went to join some friends at the Serene lakes in Northern California. It was heavenly...

Before we headed up I did some research to find out who was making what, up in that part of the world and found the AMAZING printmaker Michelle Murdock

Feeling a bit like a mild stalker we made plans to attend Truckee Days this last Thursday and meet her.

We were not disapointed, while my hubby bought some homemade pie to take back to our friends at the lake I met the talented artist!

Her booth was overflowing with color and beautiful images!

Michelle makes work about the enviroment that does not harm the enviroment!

She works in Linocut and Letterpress and often combines them both!
Being an artist who loves to find new non toxic processes she was a new friend in the printmaking world instantly.

Michelle produces her prints using a a small rotary press in her studio on Quail Lane on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. A lot of her prints come out of her daily life in Tahoe-Taking walks with the dogs and looking around the forest at the trees and birds. She uses the reduction method which allows her to create multiple color editions with a single linoleum plate.

We were lucky enough to purchase a Lino poster that she had for sale, that I had also spocked out in the Etsy shop and now it hangs in our home!

Sailors and Sirens

I love her work and am so glad that I went to the art fair to meet her, it had me buzzed for at least an hour afterwards. It is thrilling to meet another printmaker, another woman printmaker at that!

Forrest Haze, Summer

 

Laundry

Special order for "dinner party" cards

I have been seduced by linocut...I love to make them!

I love the process of carving and then after hours and hours of chipping away at time little bits of linoleum it is time to ink and see the image come to life....magic I say.

So when it was time to settle in and think what I was going to contribute to this years Inkspots Director Series Folio...Linocut was the first thing that came to mind.

We are a group of 12 women and this year 8 of us are participating in the folio.

We try and create a folio to accompany our annual show.

We create a limited number of folios and then package them all together and sell them at the show.

The buyer gets an example of each artists work all packaged up into a pretty presentation package.

This years show is in September and called "Think Ink!"

The show will have work from each of us as well as the folio.

This years folio is going to be less expensive but just as impressive, each of the artists are talented in their own right and we all have VERY different styles so it makes for a great show and interesting art.

I wanted to make a linocut that reflected a memory from childhood...

I created "A Stitch In Time" two color linocut with sewn detail.

Submit to the submission

I am submitting an edition to a printmaking show and have been stressing about it for a while...I have been trying to find the right subject, imagine the image and then make it.

It has been rough going.

This morning after much sweat and stomachaching, I actually heard the ticking of the deadline.

I realized then... 

I was over thinking it, I simply needed to pick an image I wanted to make and have fun.

So with Mexico playing France today in World Cup and the conversation I had with my hubby about the amount of DRAMA the two teams are known for it came to me!

Artist proof of image, color to come next

Thank goodness Mexico was the bigger drama queen and won or this would have all been silly.

World of color!

cupcake print

handprinted lino with added hand coloring

Big work today; lots of assembly and packing for next weekends big gig....hopefully someone will want these items and I won't have to do the walk of shame back to the car with all the same goods I took from it hours beforehand.

I added color to the prints and I really like how they look, just waiting for the mats to arrive next week and they will be packed and ready to roll.

My newest set of prints of the cowboy seem to be really growing on me.
My nerves might get the better of me and I will make more new linos before next week
These little flags came out great...or at least I like them.
Hopefully they will be a big hit too.

cowboy flag

Conversations with myself this week

Incoming storm clouds from my patio

So this week has been kind of weird, and I think it all started last weekend....

I had every intention of simply staying home and printing all weekend long. The forecast called for rain and I love the hermitting that rain causes for me.

Like a Sunday morning, laying on the couch reading the newspaper with a cat curled up on my lap encourages me to nap. Simple as that.

Well I got off to a rough start and it bumped along that way the rest of the weekend!

Friday night I did my gallery crawl with the hubby. The first Friday of the month is open gallery night and all the galleries stay open late, SB does it on Thursdays....well this last Friday had a an opening I wanted to see. The VITA Art Center had their March show that focused on the achievements of women. It was a great show and really well attended. I always love to see what people do with a theme (I didn't get my act together in time to meet the deadline for the show)

Art quilts, paintings, assemblage it is all there and beautiful!

The Avenue was buzzing with people at the galleries, I was most struck by the quiet of the panaderias after dark. So lovely.

nighttime Mexican bakery

Saturday got away from me distractions and all...and that afternoon I was headed to the Spring Art show, and the sky opened up and it started to pour! I meandered off to Summerland, but I really just wanted to hermit.
I had an opening to attend so I went...
but as I left I saw a partially naked man walking up the street in the freezing rain (well cold for CA) and I tried to take a picture all casually, but I think he saw me and then he was watching me and it freaked me out...so I locked the doors on the car and drove away.

nearly naked man

I mean he was on a public street and mostly naked for goodness sake! What else should I have done.

Another well attended gallery show at Montecito Frame and Gallery, even on a wet afternoon

I mean water was falling from the sky people!

I spent the rest of Saturday working on my latest Lino under a UV light and continued Sunday morning...then spent all Sunday afternoon printing artist proofs that became an edition.

My latest Linocut, I think I am calling it "Irving"...but that might change as it sits with me.

This is the third in my new series on Fading Memories I am feeling happy with them so far.

Sunday night was Oscars and I stopped working so I could watch. I invited a friend over so we could have a
loud and open dialog with the television and critique the fashion on the red carpet and speeches.

Wheat beer with lemon

Monday kind of sucked, so I got a beer after work with the hubby and some co-workers.

The bar served popcorn with drinks and although I am usually not a fan of popcorn

(I am a little OCD about the whole kernel thing)

It tasted good with the fresh beer and I went with it.

On the way back to the car, I passed a homemade Virgin of Guadalupe shrine.

I love this element of my local culture, although I do not ascribe to the same beliefs, I respect and love these homemade tokens of love and protection.

Miss Gabirella

We got to take our Goddaughter to school this week.

We got to hear her tell us that "I'm really not that awake yet" and listen to her sing and laugh as we passed yawns back and forth.

Dropping her off at school was sort of sad....it will be several days before I get to see her again.

But it made me realize that my week was gonna get much better.

January is on Auto Pilot

" People wish to be settled. Only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The month seems to be flying by and all sorts of new things are settling into place.
I have been recording some of the month and making note of the beauty and humor of my everyday life:

A fresh cut on my newest Linocut

Cheering on my nieces first school preformance

shopping at my favorite Asian market

Watching my goddaughter tend the garden

Remember a life before digital cameras

Watch for our long awaited winter rain.

day 17...I have fallen but I am getting back up!

OK OK I messed up and forgot to post on Sunday and then last night I was suppose to post about Sunday...
Well I am gonna give it a try again:
Day 17 offers new hopes for my month of blogging!

Sunday was a lot of bouncing...and sugar

It was a celebration of my nephews 2nd time around the sun!

I am so lucky that I get to make the birthday cake...it makes my heart full and happy.

plus when I see this It makes all the world stop and laugh!

blue teeth, red teeth, fingers....clothes.

It was a lot of fun and I spent a good bit of time bouncing in the huge bouncy house in the middle of the back lawn with squeeling skreeching little clowns!

I was a little deaf and rattled by the end of the party.

***

So that brings me to yesterday.

I had also spent all of Saturday printing.

I set a goal to submit again to the LAPS (Los Angeles Printmakers Society), the process means you submit work to a jury that reviews (only two times a year) it and decides if you are really a printmaker. I was given a lovely,rejection letter eariler this year telling me that they did not see enough "hand of the artist" in my solarplates. I was hurt, but I got off the pity party train and submitted again. This time I entered new work, in different printmaking styles:

a collagraph called "sweet pea"

a linocut called "Harriet & Rae"

and a solarplate with chine colle

called "Searching For "

Hopefully I will get a different letter in the mail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I am off to start sewing....Thanksgiving is around the corner and I have things to do!

On the 14th day, it smelled of ink and latte

I am working still on my submission to LAPS, I am down to the wire and because of that I am multitasking!
I am working on the linocut the most...I think I will be up late, tired is the new cool look for me.
I am also making cupcakes for my Nephew's 2nd birthday party...I am thrilled and hope that it can become a tradition for us.
But that is later....here is my progress so far on the linocut:

Back to the blades....

12- work in progress

I am one to set goals for myself, and being an artist who works from home mostly and depends on my hard working husband to make sure we can still pay bills on a regular basis...I feel it most important to not look or act like a freeloader.
I am currently working on my newest submission to the LAPS (Los Angeles Printmakers Society) again.
I got rejected earlier this year; their reason was that I did not demonstrate enough "hand of the artist" in my work...
So typical of me, I am acting to the extreme and submitting new solarplate work as well as the newest linocuts I am working on...ideally.
Hopefully I can get two of them done by Monday so I can mail them to meet the dealine for judging.
Keep your fingers crossed for me: