Happy Spring!

I wanted to make some Easter cards for family, so I choose a crocus image as the theme, and carved 3 blocks out of the "soft-cut" plates. I usually do reduction prints with one block, but I wanted to be able to try different colors in the future, and reduction prints leave me without that option. Here are the plates and the original sketch.

Unfortunately I gave away the best ones, but here are some variations.

The one on the left is hand-colored, the center one is the key block, and the last one is printed from all 3 blocks.

I ordered a few new supplies from Blick last week, and was happy to find them on my doorstep yesterday. I ordered some OPEN Golden Acrylic paints (slow drying), printmaking cards and envelopes, Akua print plates, and some  matte stencil film. The acrylic set came with a 5 x 7 Gelli plate. I'm going to explore some monoprinting with my new stuff this week. I saw some cool demos at the NAEA Convention in Chicago two weeks ago, and I wanted to try the materials.

                                                   The Gelli plate demonstration

Stay tuned.

Chicago

It has been a while since I last posted! March has been a busy month with a trip to Chicago right in the middle of it. I was able to attend the National Art Educators' Conference this year, held in the
"Windy City". Just returned and will share a few of my images from the trip.

The Art Institute of Chicago had an exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh's bedroom paintings. The three versions of the painting were exhibited together.

 We also visited the Cultural Center where we saw the StrandBeests on display. and enjoyed the gorgeous architectural elements of the building.

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I got the chance to make the "Beest" move!

 Millenium Park

"The Bean"

I'm in this reflection somewhere!

 The Field Museum of Natural History

 Along with the sightseeing, we attended workshops at the conference, tried a variety of different restaurants, and enjoyed the company of thousands of art teachers who didn't need telling why Art is vital in our schools!

"Childhood" Illustration Friday

                        Easter is coming soon! Thought I'd move on from the snowy previous post, and get us right into Spring!

                                            "Childhood"   Illustration Friday

Illustration Friday "Shelter"

The newest topic for Illustration Friday is "shelter." The image above is the one that I drew this week.

The one below is an older piece that I remembered for inspiration. I've seen my style of illustration change over the years. Critiques that I received from art editors at various SCBWI events, encouraged me to simplify my characters' expressions. Over the years of posting to this blog, I have accumulated hundreds of drawings that record the evolution of my work. I am always astounded by how many pieces I have, when I look through my files of art work. 

I recently bought the book, "the life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo, and loved her concept of keeping things that "spark joy"and getting rid of the other things that clutter up one's life and home. Getting rid of clothes and books is relatively easy, but I imagine artists everywhere are laughing when it comes to all the "stuff" we couldn't bear to part with, or need for our creative processes! As I am on my February break from school this week, I am continuing the process of "tidying" and organizing, and throwing out the useless items. It's very easy to get side-tracked while going through my studio spaces though, as I find myself lingering over pieces and stuff that forgot I even had!

The Heron Print, next stage...

I've been working on this print for a while, but I think I'll be finished this week. The image above is the stage that I'm at right now. I just printed the brown layer, and I am carving the block in preparation for the final one, which will be black. I'm using a "gomuban" plate which is softer than linoleum, but harder than easy-cut. I like the material because I can use a printing press, and get more consistent colors overall. The easy-cut doesn't work well with the press as it can get squished and distorted by the pressure.

On my winter break this week, so it's nice to have some flexible time to get a few projects completed!!

"Mystery of the Missing Socks"

My idea for this week's Illustration Friday prompt, "mystery"

These valentines are one's that were sent to my grandfather around 1911--1916. I have a large collection of old postcards that my great-grandmother must have saved from his early childhood. It's fun to read the messages on the back of each card, and try to figure out who had sent it. 

Prints of the Year

 My colleague and I dropped off our submissions for the 2016 Prints of the Year Show, that will be held at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, February 3rd, through the  27th.

We've been taking printmaking classes at the NHIA, for a while, and these are the block prints we are submitting this year. My regular followers know that I really love working on multilayered reductive block prints. These two are my most recent landscape pieces.

 White Mountain Stream

White Mountain Gorge

I couldn't resist added a new photo of Wiley and "friend."