Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, drawing, Lego, scribble, sketching, vintage
My son is out of school this week. This means a lot of legos, playdoh, diggers and general craziness for me. Having an only child means that you are ON…a lot. I suppose if you have more than one, you’re still on…but I somehow imagine that the kids can play together. That is, until someone starts crying. This was the typical pattern for me and my brother. My mother assures me that we did play nicely most of the time, but I don’t remember it that way.
Anyway, as I’ve been doing lots of lego stuff, I just started to play around with them as fun, abstract things. So now, my son and I sometimes just make lego collages. Like this one:
That’s a tiny one, but it was fun to do! I’m sure that I am not the only person to have realized that it’s fun to make random stuff from lego…no need to try to create the millenium falcon. There are so many crazy shapes now too…I don’t think that we had that “back in the day”, aka prehistoric legos… like this one:
Do you remember those????? If not, don’t tell me. I already feel ancient. What about this one?:
Remember how ridiculous and complicated the people were? WHYYYY? The lego people that they have now seem good. Also, having those humongous people require so much more lego to create anything remotely at the right scale for the person. Remember these axle blocks?:
The wheels make me think of a Model T Ford, or something. Okay, that was before my time…believe it or not. Another:
Do they still make those? I have no idea. We don’t seem to have one of the evergreen ones. Lastly:
A cup! A filthy one, at that. Sorry, but I couldn’t be bothered to remove the crud. I think that on Antiques Roadshow, you aren’t supposed to remove the crud…it increases the value of the artifact.
So, my ever frustrating font of artistic expression is dry this week. I’m having to use Legos as my medium of choice. Perhaps this is for the best…I’m sort of “cleansing the palate”, perhaps. Truth be told, I’m just sort of frustrated with where I am. It’s always a struggle to come to terms with…grapple with…and hopefully EMBRACE one’s limitations. I think that I’m still at “come to terms with”.
Yes, I’m definitely not “embracing” my limitations here…I’m sort of peering at them from between my fingers as I cover my face in horror.
sigh…
Filed under: painting, printmaking | Tags: Acrylic paint, art, artist, gelatin printing, gouache, Ink, Paint, painting, portrait, print, printmaking
I spent the morning doing some gelatin printing. I’m not sure that I’m a huge fan of this type of printing. I was also testing out different inks and paints to see which worked best. I think that the Akua inks worked well, as they don’t dry until they are on paper. The acrylic paint and the speedball ink were both just so-so. The only problem with the Akua ink is that it does take an eternity to dry. I’ll probably still be wiping blue off of my hands every time I pick up one of these prints. Here’s one of the first ones:
Eh…feh…blech…some interesting aspects to it. I like how the silver ink turned out in the lower left corner. Next:
Also kind of interesting. These are printed on some very thin mystery Asian paper that I have. The art store in Cambridge had rolls of random paper for sale…10 sheets for $5. What a bargain! So, this is why I don’t know what the paper is. Next:
I experimented with a stencil a little. That’s where the leaf shape comes from. Next:
I liked the random stamped lines in the lower left area. Next:
I like the greenish yellowish color with the greenish blue color. Any comments? Does anyone out there also do gelatin printing? What inks do you like to use? Do you have any pointers for me?
Last night, I kept myself up doing a gouache painting. Okay…It was VERY frustrating. I have seriously debated showing this at all, as it looks bizarre…but here it goes:
See how small I made the picture? Maybe it’s still too big. Anyway, I know that this looks really weird. He looks like he has a skin condition. DRAMATIC SIGH. I painted this based on a photo. Hmm…while I like the challenge of painting or drawing people…it also is rather daunting. I’m going to need A LOT more practice before I start doing this on the streets of New York…
I am the monitor for the print studio in Cambridge on Friday. As a result, I’ve needed to come up with what I’m going to do during that time. So, I have tried a little experiment. I painted gouache onto two 8″ x 10″ sheets of plexi. I’m going to see if they print onto damp paper. Here’s the first plate:
Kind of fun. The bubblegum pink is a bit much, but I’ll see how it prints. Here is the other one:
These are really an experiment. I hope that they print. If they don’t, I’m going to be disappointed.
So, where am I going with all of this? Who knows. I’m going in every direction at the same time. Let’s hope that some of this eventually leads somewhere!
Filed under: Collage, Drawing, travel | Tags: art, artist, beach, cape cod, Collage, sketch, sketching
We just came back from a week at the Cape. I love Cape Cod. As long as the sun isn’t beating down on my head, I’m happy as a clam to sit and watch the waves. Here’s my view from the beach:
Dreamy, right? Okay…it isn’t the Bahamas…but it’s great anyway. Do they have fried clams and soft serve ice cream in the Bahamas? Probably. I ate a grotesque quanitity of both.
I didn’t do too much, other than chase after my son…slather him with sunscreen…and try to control the amount of sand in his clothes, my car, and our rental house. Here’s a slightly wonky sketch of the house:
Kind of an interesting, contemporary cape-ish house. We spent a significant amount of time in there on Monday, when it rained like a monsoon. But, we did manage quite a few trips to the beach. Here’s a view of an ocean view beach…well, mostly a view of the lifeguard stand…with no lifeguard in it:
I didn’t add too much shading, as I thought that I would watercolor these sketches. That never happened. Another sketch of a beach day:
There were actually some people sitting in the chairs in the foreground. I edited them out. Unlucky for me…they decided to move their chairs back from the water a few feet while I was still drawing them. Hmm…this “en plein air” stuff is a challenge.
I did another collage before I left on my trip:
I also drew on it a little. I know…I’m still doing collage in spite of the fact that it leaves everyone scratching their heads. It really is fun. Seriously…try it. Grab some random paper and a gluestick and go crazy. I’m still not taking any classes at the moment. It’s nice to have a break. It also allows me to try all sorts of random stuff. I’m hopefully meeting with a couple of friends this week to discuss what we’re all working on. Should be fun!
Filed under: painting, Sewing | Tags: abstract, acrylic, art, artist, curtains, figurative, painting, sewing
Yes. I can’t believe it either. After a year from the date that we first pulled the building permit, we finally got it signed off today. The basement is DONE! I am so excited to move ALL of my art-stuff down there. FINALLY!!!!! No more stacking tupperware containers of inks, papers, tools, etc. in the dining room!!! Ahhh…I won’t know what to do with all of that space! I have a sinking feeling, though, that I will quickly fill it up. Hmm. But why dwell on that now? I may have to have a celebratory iced latte today.
I also FINALLY finished a house project that I have been planning on doing for practically a year as well. I finally made a little curtain for our front door. Yes, I know…not a big deal. What is a curtain, anyway? Just a rectangle of fabric, right? Well, yes it is…and I finally did it. Here it is:
I think that it looks great. I love this fabric. It’s kind of pricey…well, not Marimekko pricey, but a little expensive. It’s actually from Japan. I have some other fabric from this line as armrest covers on our hideous couches. Nice!
Not much going on art-wise. I took a stab at acrylic painting. Not so good. Luckily, I am taking a painting class this fall…so I should get some pointers! I know. Why have I spent the past year developing my printmaking knowledge, only to switch gears and start painting? Because it’s ALL so fun! So, I’m back to square one…learning how to paint. I did take painting in high school…and I have had a watercolor class and an oil painting class since then. Needless to say, I am at the bottom of the learning curve. I hope that there is no where to go other than up. Here they are on the wall:
I know. Stop laughing. Overall, they make me cringe…but there are ASPECTS of them that I like. Here is a part that I like of the first one:
That’s kind of appealing. I know…nothing earth-shattering. Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Here is a closeup of the other one:
I’m happy with how the guy turned out. The woman bothers me and has some issues. This painting is based on an old photograph, so I can’t take any credit for the overall look to it…only the crude execution. So, I am facing this challenge head on…I hope that by the end of the year, my acrylic painting skills will have developed. If not…well…I don’t know what, if not. Drown my sorrows in lattes…
[I may have to work on that woman some more…she’s really bothering me…]
Filed under: painting, printmaking | Tags: abstract, art, artist, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, nature, painting, printmaking, watercolor
So, I finally visited the “8th Biennial International Minature Print Exhibition” at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT. Why did I go? BECAUSE…I actually have a print there! Yes! My first juried exhibition…so I had to go and see it. I do not plan on doing that drive regularly, as it was around 3 hours each way. ANYWAY, here is what my print looked like on the wall:
Not bad, right? Notice the little red dot? THAT MEANS THAT SOMEONE BOUGHT ONE! I’m not kidding. My first sale! I’m very excited. Here is my print on the wall with other prints:
I think that mine is the 10th one from the left. Prints that were not “wall worthy” went in these binders in the foreground. So, there were so many amazing prints to look at! Here is another view of one of the rooms of the show:
Not bad, right? I have not entered another competition…so perhaps I should get on that and see what’s available.
My classes are over, so I have no more access to a press for printing. This was one of my last prints:
Hmmm. What do you think???? I was sort of blaise about it…but my printmaking teacher seemed to really like it. Comments?
I’ve also done some random watercolors (actually gouache)…but I think that it just isn’t my thing:
and:
Hmm. Just hmm.
I’m trying to decide on classes for the fall. This is always tough, as everything sounds great…but there is only so much time and money. BTW…I ALMOST have a workspace. The basement renovation is nearing completion! I can’t wait…
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, lithography, print, printmaking, pronto plates
So, I just finished up a one-day visit with Annie Silverman, a printmaker in Somerville. She is holding a four-day intensive, but I could only attend for one! Anyway, she sometimes uses pronto plates in her printmaking. I had a tutorial last year in using pronto plates for printing, but I still felt that it was somehow more difficult than it was supposed to be. So, I was really excited to take Annie’s class, and to get another try at learning this type of printing.
Pronto plates, or “polyester plate lithography”, is a sort of poor man’s lithography. Real lithography uses a massive stone…marks are made on the stone, the stone is wet, ink is rolled on the stone, then paper is laid on top and the whole thing is run through a litho press. Pronto plates are thin, plastic-like sheets of paper that you can mark on in the same way as you’d mark a litho stone, but you can easily run these thin plates through a typical etching press. I have also printed them by hand at home, but this is obviously less successful than with a press.
ANYWAY, this type of printing can be fun and “collage-like”. You can keep layering on the images. Here are some of my things from this tutorial:
You’ll see a repeat of the imagery throughout these prints:
This next one needs more:
Next:
Next:
Next:
Next:
Last:
My teacher liked the last one. I tried to be a bit restrained, and I think that it turned out well. Some of the marks were made from an ink drawing that I scanned…some were from floor wax…some were from a pen drawing…and some were from a ballpoint pen. Interesting, right?
This is actually the second time that I am writing this post, as wordpress decided to throw out 75% of the post the first time that I wrote it. Grrr. Technology…grrr.
So, what do you think of these prints? Thumbs up? Down? More sheep needed????
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, collagraph, print, printmaking, visual art
More collagraphs! I’m continuing to work on collagraphs, which I find to be very fun. This time, I decided that i would make prints with a full bleed. What does that mean? It means that the print runs to the edge of the paper, instead of floating like a rectangle within a larger sheet of paper. I don’t often do full bleed prints…I’m not sure why. They can be a bit messy, so perhaps that’s it. (if you want to know more about collagraph, see an earler post this month)
Here is the first print:
I’m not sure why I’ve called it “clouds”. I mean…it’s slightly obvious, but that wasn’t my intent while making the plate. I think that there is something serene about these black and white prints. They’re sort of cartoonish, in a way. Comments?
In the next print, I incorporated some colored paper:
This feels very incomplete. I will work on this more, but I’m leaving it for now. It’s always good to leave something to ponder a bit before working on it more. Two people in studio suggested, “red”. Hmmm.
The last one is a bit odd! Also very incomplete:
I layered in a very interesting paper that I have. It’s very textured…almost like bark. The texture does get flattened quite a bit in the press, but you can see the interesting edge to this paper in the detail:
See those curls at the edge? So interesting! I think that the rust colored paper is too long on top, and needs to be trimmed back a bit. I like the overlap, but it may be a bit much. Anyone out there have an opinion?
I am going to the MFA today to see the Chihuly exibit. I’ve heard mixed reviews. Because it’s so extreme, it seems that people either like it or hate it. I’m not sure where I stand on it…as I’ve yet to see it in person! Because his work often has “practical” applications…I been wondering if it doesn’t somewhat edge close to the world of “craft”. I don’t mean gluestick and hello kitty scissors “craft”, of course…I mean Craft, with a capital “C”. For example, there is a lovely museum called the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusetts. I’ve only been a couple of times, and I’ve really loved the exhibits. Anyway…it’s interesting that they had the work of a glass artist there, Josh Simpson. His work is much more restrained than Chihuly’s…but I suppose that isn’t saying much. Anyway, Simpson’s work is at the Craft Museum, not the MFA. Why is that? I wonder if that is purely a function of Chihuly’s international fame? When does something move from “craft” to “art”? I know…such a broad and hairy question. Chihuly got me thinking about it…has anyone seen the exhibit? Comments?
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, chine colle, print, printmaking, woodblock printing
Last night’s woodblock class was pretty good. I had a new block to incorporate into the mix, luckily. I also spent the whole time printing, which is what I like to do. I ALSO got to choose the colors, which is good. Sometimes, I just use the colors that have been put out. Last night, however, I selected the colors, which made a big difference for me. I prefer when the colors are more transparent. It seems that many of the colors that we use (which are previously mixed colors) have some white in them, which makes them a bit opaque. This isn’t the effect that I want. Perhaps next week, I’ll ask to mix in some transparent medium.
Here is the first one that I did:
I have no idea why the picture has such an orange cast to it. Anyway…this print started with the yellow layer, then I printed the dark brown block, and last I printed the teal block. I was moderately happy with it. I felt that the white was too constrained, though, so I tried again:
I’m happier with the white in this print. Here is a detail of it:
As I only have two carved blocks in this series and of this size, I sort of ran out of ideas of what to do (besides mixing more colors). I tried to experiement a little, but I wasn’t happy with the outcome:
Ech. Needs work. In mulling over ideas with my super helpful teacher, I felt that adding some “chine colle” or collage would help. So, I took another piece of paper, and just started randomly printing on it. I plan to rip up this paper and layer it onto the print above, in an attempt to help it along. Here is the sacrificial page:
Kind of interesting, in an off-kilter sort of way. I ran out of time, and couldn’t do more layering. I also ran out of the bright ochre color. Too bad! I’ll see if I can mix up more next week. I do like these colors together, though. I also hope that I can carve another block.
It’s going to be another sweltering day. I can already feel my brain dulling with the pending heat.
Can anyone out there recommend some interesting woodblock artists to look at?
Anyone out there also doing printmaking? (Do you have a website that I can look at?)
If any of you out there have either an ipad or an iphone…there is an app that I would LOVE to have. It’s “Wreck this App” by Keri Smith. She is that super cool, highly unconventional author. It’s basically an app for making crazy, messy art. So fun!!!! If anyone out there gets it, let me know how it is. I want it…but alas…no iphone! Here is the link to her blog which has a video on it. What do you think???? So fun, right????? I want it!
Filed under: Collage | Tags: art, artist, Collage, Kurt Schwitters, Robert Rauschenberg, visual art
Okay. I know that many of you appear to be lukewarm at best towards collage. This makes me sad! I guess because I like doing collages…I’d like everyone to think that they are as super fascinating as I think that they are. What about Kurt Schwitters? Who’s that? Well…only a super talented artist who did COLLAGES. Take a look. See? No? It doesn’t grab you? What about this one?
I also love Robert Rauschenberg. A lot. If anyone has one of his works that they are tired of, I would happily swap almost anything that I have for one. So, take a look at this. Or what about this? I really love that last one. If you happen to own it, email me to see if we would work out some kind of swap.
I think that most people think of collage as just stuff that one’s kid does in school. Here is a collage that my son did:
Very cute, right???? I love it. I also love how the kite is “upside down”. But why not? This often happens when flying a kite, right? But I think that most of us would have oriented it differently. I love that it’s upside down.
So, while I love looove this collage by my son…I do think that there is a difference between his collage, and the collages of Rauschenberg and Schwitters. No? I remember that Picasso has that famous saying, “I used to draw like Raphael, but it has taken me a whole lifetime to learn to draw like a child.” Isn’t that brilliant? Sigh.
Anyhoo, I have a woodblock class tonight. Luckily, I have a new block to print! I also did a collage today, which got me started on this whole topic again. Comments anyone? Thoughts? Suggestions? Likes? Dislikes? Are there any collage artists out there to add to this one-sided discussion?
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, artist, collagraph, intaglio, Mixed media, print, printmaking, visual art
I made a new collagraph plate this week. What is a collagraph, you may ask? I’ll give you the description provided by the book that I’m also going to review.
“Collagraph is essentially an experimental form of printmaking which involves adding layers of adhesive or solid material to the surface of a printing plate, making it possible to incorporate both relief and intaglio printmaking methods on a single plate.” – Brenda Harthill & Richard Clarke
While some types of printmaking, like engraving, require pricey copper plates…collagraph is about using whatever you’ve got to make a plate. It is like making a collage. In fact, the word “collagraph” is based on the Greek word “kollo”, which means “to glue”.
For my birthday, I asked for a couple of books, one of them being, Collagraphs and Mixed Media Printmaking by Brenda Harthill and Richard Clarke. It is such a fascinating book. It is not an in-depth, how-to guide. There are only a few places where any steps to making and inking a collagraph plate are shown. There are, however, many images of collagraph prints by various artists. One thing that is particularly interesting about collagraphs is that it is often unclear how a print was made. For example, a drypoint print is somewhat self-explanatory. A hard plate (copper or plexi typically) is scratched with a sharp tool, and this is how the image is created. But for a collagraph…who knows how the artist got the shapes and textures that they did on their print! It’s suprising how very mundane things can be wonderful printing surfaces. This is a great book if you already like collagraphs, but should not be your introductory book, as it mostly shows final products, not process. Has anyone else out there read it? Comments to add?
Here is my collagraph print this week:
and a detail:
I like this print. It has a sort of surreal, Miro-esque quality to it. What do you think? This is a 9″x12″ plate. Maybe I’ll make an even larger one! I thinking about doing a large, full bleed print in this “series”. Why not, right? It’s just time, energy, sweat and tears, right? Okay, that’s a little dramatic. Maybe.
slightly wonky 