Hummingbird Variations

 I recently posted about a small reduction block print that I made of a ruby throated hummingbird. I also created a second hummingbird block that I planned to print only in black and white. The bird is facing in the opposite direction in this second one, which is on top in the photo below.

I printed up a few black and white ones to paint with watercolor.

Here are some variations that I matted and packaged to go in my Etsy shop.

I'm going to have to take down my hummingbird feeder next week. It's beginning to feel like Fall here in NH, and the hummingbirds are heading south for the winter! Bon Voyage!

Rocks on North Hampton Beach

 Summer is officially over, and I'm working on a new print inspired by the many walks I've taken on North Hampton Beach this year. I loved seeing the cairns that people would build precariously on the rocks at the end of the beach.

The beginning stages of carving out the lightest areas.

One layer of ink on the rocks, then a blended sky. I used Akua inks, Arches paper and a Soft-Kut block.

 

Adding the water. (I used a stencil to separate the rocks from the sky)

Adding some texture to the water.

Adding a bit more value to the rocks, as well as a cooler tone to some areas.

As of today, this is the state of the block. Spent quite a few hours carving away the various textures on the rocks. The next and final inking will hopefully define the darkest shadows on all the rocks.

This block is 8" x 10" and will be a hand-printed edition of 12. I'm looking forward to posting the finished image very soon!

Jane

Travels' Inspiration

 The last five weeks have been very busy! I had the opportunity to travel west to the island of Kauai, Hawaii, and then east to Acadia National Park in Maine. Two separate trips, one by plane, the other by car, to explore very different winter locales!

The tropical beaches of Kauai were a welcome respite from a long, cold New England winter, while the trip to Acadia highlighted the beauty of the icy shores of northern coastal Maine.

Shipwreck Beach, Kauai

Acadia National Park, Mt. Desert Island, Maine

After a climb, up ice-covered trails, the reward of a mountain top view is exhilarating, in spite of the temperature!

I'm starting on a linoleum reduction block print of the Acadia coast. I love the textures and colors of the rocks, and the wild waves! I've transferred the image onto my block, and am going over all the pencil lines with a Sharpie marker, so that the drawing won't disappear after layers of ink.

linoleum block 11" x 14"

I will update my progress on this print, as I get more done.

Dwarfed by the giant palm!

I think this feller may be the subject of another print!

Cascade Falls Block Print

 It's hard to believe that it is September 1st already. The summer flies by so fast, and this is my second year of not having to go back to teaching.  I miss my colleagues, and the kids, but I'm happy to be retired! I really enjoy being able to work in my studio, attend the morning classes at the gym, and have some flexibility in my schedule! 

I just started working on a new print of the Cascade Falls Trail in Waterville Valley, NH. I went hiking recently, during a weekend attending the Women's Leadership Summit, a group connected with Plymouth State University. It was a great time, and we had a lot of fun being outdoors in the beautiful White Mountains.

I just love the rocks!

This is a Soft-Kut block with Sharpie marker.

I carved out the white areas, then printed a light blue first layer.

The second layer is a light gray. 

Now I will be carving out some of the gray areas for the rocks. There are so many tones on the rocks, I'm not sure how many layers it will take to define them. I also think I'll be carving and printing the foreground rocks separately from the greens of the forest in the background.

Stay tuned! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I enjoyed a very happy Thanksgiving day with my family yesterday! Turkey and all the fixings with my side of the family, and desserts with my husband's side. Of course everything was delicious, and I ate my way through the day! Below is the apple pie I made to bring for dessert.

I've been very busy getting ready for a few upcoming art shows this month. The first one is in Dover NH at the Woodman Museum.

                         These are the pieces that I have for sale in the Dover show.

Next Saturday, a group of artsy friends are setting up our wares at Corey's house in Manchester. 

I spent the afternoon today, working on a custom order that I wanted to get finished. Of course Wiley found her favorite spot to supervise my progress.

Blooms

It took a while for Spring to arrive, but it's finally here, and we are enjoying all the gorgeous blooming trees and shrubs. New Hampshire's state flower is the Purple Lilac, and they come in all variations of purples. I took this picture while walking around town the other day.

Everything seems to be blooming at once, and our ornamental Cherry tree had a bounty of flowers on it this year.

Also the Azaleas

Last weekend, my group of fellow printmakers hung work at the Massabesic Audubon Center. We did another event two weeks ago in Brookline NH, which got us excited about showing our work. The new show will be up until June 23. It's a great place to visit for hiking and birdwatching---they even have a live video cam of the peregrine falcon nest in Manchester. While I was there, we saw one of the parents feeding the three babies. The parent had brought what looked like a small bird back to the nest, and ripped it apart, then stuffed bits down the eager babies' gullets. A little gruesome, but fascinating to watch.

My pieces in the show.

Tried to get this little sketch done in time for last week's Illustration Friday post "hairy" but didn't make it, so will post it here. Looking forward to a day at the beach, but not on a windy day like this!

Maine Coon Cat Print

I have been working on a commissioned print recently, and have almost finished it. There will be one more step to separate the cat from the couch's color and increase the contrast.

The sketch is transferred to the block

First layer 

                                                           More details in this layer

                                        Almost done! It's a very fluffy cat! The block is mostly carved away!

I used a soft-cut block, Rives Lightweight paper, Akua inks, and pins and tabs for accurate registration.

Printmaking Workshop at MECA

I had the opportunity to go to a printmaking workshop at Maine College of Art in Portland on Friday.
One of my colleagues at work won the event in a raffle, and she brought me along. We had a good trip up to Portland Thursday night, and after finding our dorm, went out for dinner in the Old Port area.
The next morning we found a little diner, had breakfast and took another walk around town before heading over to the college for the day. We created a series of monoprints using oil-based litho inks.

Liam is demonstrating a reduction technique.

                   Working with the three primary colors of ink to make multi-layered prints

                                           A view of the studio space and presses

                     In the photo below, everyone is holding up their favorite print of the day.

"small"

Illustration Friday "small"

I guess you can see where my mind is at this week. Only a few more days until summer vacation begins, and I'm definitely ready for the break! Looking forward to having more time to work on my art projects. I am taking another printmaking course at the NH Institute of Art this summer, and have some ideas for new pieces. I was able to etch a Solarplate last week. but didn't have a chance to print it beyond a test print. A Solarplate is made by exposing a drawing (drawn on acetate) and a specially coated plate to a light source. The emulsion on the plate responds to the light, and hardens the areas that are not the image. Those areas blocked by the drawing are then washed away by gently brushing the Solarplate, and rinsing the plate with water. The trick is getting the correct exposure time by doing several test strips. I ended up only exposing the plate to light for 30 seconds. What's nice is that you can get a very detailed image that picks up all the values and lines of the original drawing.