Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!!

Ball Jar Print

Now that Christmas is over, and I have a vacation from work this week, I can get organized with some of the projects that were put on the back burner! Over the last several days I've been working on a print that I started earlier in the fall. I finished the last layer today and am happy to be able to show it off.

The Ball Jar

This is the final state of the plate. I used an Soft-Cut block with layers of gray, light green, light blue, dark blue, and black. The paper is Rives Lightweight White, and the inks are Akua intaglio inks. I like those because they do not dry out while printing, and they clean easily with Dawn dishwashing detergent. The prints do take a few days to dry especially with multiple layers. These materials work well for me because I do not need to use a printing press, and I can print at home. The image size  of this design is 51/2" x 71/4". I'd like to do a series of prints using glass jars as themes. It was very challenging to try and create the illusion of transparency, but I'm pleased with the way the edition came out.

The state of the print before the dark blue and black layers were printed.

Happy New Year!

"Sea Tree"

                                                           
        This little drawing was inspired by last week's IF theme "sea". I just finished it up today amidst the baking and wrapping and recipe-seeking. A couple more days of work, and then a nice Christmas break! Looking forward to being together with family and friends, and after the holiday, finding some time to get my art work ready for a couple upcoming shows.

Best Wishes to all!

Starry Night

A linoleum block print that I am using for some of my Christmas cards. The hills in the background are the mountains that are part of the landscape in my town. Van Gogh's Starry Night was my inspiration, but I've tried to include the elements of a New England town. 

A week and a half to go before the big day--hope everyone is enjoying some peace amidst the hustle and bustle of the season!

Happy Anniversary!

                           HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

Thanksgiving!

What started out as a nuisance snowstorm the day before Thanksgiving, turned out to be a long, cold ordeal for a lot of people in our area of New Hampshire.

We lost power on Wednesday night around 7pm and didn't get it back on until Friday night around 11:00 pm. We weren't the only ones, as about 200,00 customers were in the dark at the peak of the blackout. Anyway, our Thanksgiving plans were adjusted, and we headed off to my sister-in-law's house about 45 minutes south of us. Everyone gathered there for a fun afternoon of feasting and celebration in a warm toasty location!

We had hoped for restored power that night, but instead slept in multi-layers under multiple quilts.
When the lights finally came on the next night,while we were bundled up again in bed, it was a wonderful thing!! You really appreciate the things one takes for granted when they are gone!

I took a few pictures today of the river while walking about town this afternoon.

Now that I'm back on the grid, I can share one of the new projects I've been working on. I've finished the first layer of a new reduction block print of marbles in a Ball jar, and am currently carving away the gray layer in preparation for the next color.

I may have to simplify some of the colors, but I hope to be able to create the illusion of the glass jar and the shiny marbles within.

Wishing everyone a merry week ahead!

Thanksgiving Theatre

Tried to finish this up in time to post on Illustration Friday this past week. I'll squeeze it in under the deadline tonight, as a new word comes out tomorrow.

Brrr, feels like winter around here---thankfully no snow yet! Enjoy your  weekend and stay warm!