Buffalo Light, Reductive Linoleum Cut, 6″x8″, 2012

This is a small print that packs a punch!

I love to morph people and animals together and try to incorporate the twins whenever possible. I am not sure yet if the ‘light’ is negative. But by the expressions on the creature’s faces it is a bit menacing. It always amazes me how much depth you can get out of the exclusive use of primary colors.

I used Akua inks. Waterbased and Eco-Friendly. Diarylide Yellow, Crimson Red and Thalo Blue. The paper is Rives Heavyweight in White. It was hand printed and pulled (barren used.)

Forever Twins, Linoleum Block Print, 12×16, 2012

               

I love everything about this print. The yellows are rich and the black is slightly distressed and velvety. I kept some of the ‘chatter’ visable to evoke movement and sound. The blacks aren’t solid and its perfect. If I wanted solid blacks then I would have done a screenprint. I hate it when ‘purists’ try to tell you what a print has to look like! Look, I know how to make a solid, dont always have too. The problem with color block relief printing is that sometimes it ends up looking like a screenprint rather than a multiple processed color linocut. Process is important to me. I want the viewer to see the journey I have taken. The yellow was run through the etching press. A solid yellow made sense. The black was hand printed with a barren. I stopped the rubbing process right before a solid. The texture adds so much to the print, like the soft blended graphite marks.

I used Akua inks. Waterbased and Eco-Friendly. Carbon Black and DiarylideYellow. The paper is Rives Lightweight in Cream.

Published!

The Guild of American Papercutters, Quarterly Publication:

First Cut, Vol.27, No.2, Spring 2012 

My papercut of the two rabbits made the back cover! You can see in the image on the right, my name in the table of contents.

Here is a bigger image of the papercut that was published:

Progress…..

Here is a progress update for a mixed media drawing I am working on (the first for this drawing was on 4/27)

    

And it was Yellow…..

   

During the semester, I am busy with students and other various runnings around in my life. I don’t get to print that often. I have three blocks (2 lino, 1 wood) ready for printing.  I have recently discovered Akua inks. Good bye oil based, smelly, messy clean up inks! Hello eco friendly, water cleaning up velvety finished ink! I highly recommend this ink to anyone who prints  for monoprints/monotypes and relief/intaglio. Since I have three blocks ready, I am gonna print the first color for all of them today since all need yellow. I used Akua Intaglio in Diarylide Yellow. It is a wonderful warm yellow, borderline a golden rod yellow shade.

Next step is to carve out everything that I want to stay yellow and get ready for my second printing…..

 

Taking some time to enjoy my art….

Life gets busy. Plain and simple. Life happens and you have to happen with it. Sometimes I get so busy with taking care of babies, preparing for my lecture/classes, working on observational drawing skills that my own art- my creative “this is the real me” art suffers.

Above is me working on a mixed media drawing. Just enjoying the fun of drawing and painting and drawing on top of that. Layers in my work and the process have always been important to me. The babies are taking a nap and my lectures are done for the week. Time for myself. Time for my art.

(finished image of drawing to be posted……when I get to it)

skulls….

Yes, I know. Its not perfect. Its a first attempt. I must say, that I am enjoying the structure that anatomy drawings have brought to my daily sketch time. I am rediscovering the joy of rendering, learning and discovering.