Foggy Coast Block Print

 I haven't posted for awhile, but I wanted to update the progress on a recent print that I had been working on. The subject is based on a photo I had taken on a visit to Portland Head Light in Maine. That day it was so foggy, you could barely see the water, and I liked the color scheme created by the mist. I also enjoy working with rocky textures!

Here is the finished image.

The print size is 6" x 9" and is part of an edition of 16.

Hope everyone is having a good week! Cool weather with rainy intervals in our forecast here. We had a couple hot days in the 90s last week, but things can change quickly, and the temperature is only 58 as I write this. Well at least the rain is great for the plants!

New Print for New year

 I'm working on a new print to start the new year. One of my favorite places to go is the coast of Maine. Several of my friends and I have been trying to do a weekly "field trip" that includes hiking on various trails, for fun and exercise. The trails in the Wells Preserve are a favorite destination, and on one trip, as we viewed from a staircase, the ocean was very rough, and at high tide. There was a nice contrast between the rocks, surf, and sky.

I traced the photo onto a piece of tracing paper, and then transferred the image onto an 8" x 10" Soft-Kut

block. As I don't have access to a printing press right now, I find the Soft-Kut block works best for hand printing.  I also use a Sharpie marker to keep my design clear on the block, as I will need to print and cut multiple layers, and I don't want the design totally fade away.

At this stage, I am cutting out the areas that I want to remain white in the final print. The water makes a complex pattern, and I am trying to capture the essence of the surf.

I will record the stages of this print, so the process of reduction block printing will be clear, and hopefully successful!

Stay well!!

 

Solarplate Printing

I'm taking a Printmaking class this summer, and one of the types of prints I wanted to work on was Solarplate. Solarplate etchings are made by exposing a drawing done on acetate to a light sensitive plate. Here is an example of a print I pulled last week. The drawing is from a photograph I took in May when I was visiting the Portland Head Light. The fog was settled in out over the water, but not on the land.

Spent a fun weekend in Boston visiting with friends who were in the area for a few days. Got to go to the amazing fireworks display on the the 4th! It was a beautiful weekend weather wise, not too warm or humid. We did a lot of walking especially around the North End, the Greenway, Faneuil Hall, and the Waterfront District.  I measured 9.88 miles on my Fit Bit tracker just on Saturday!