Happy Fourth of July! Just because the weather is dreary, it doesn't mean we can't celebrate the holiday!
Just taking a break from my studio work, to post the block print that I finished today. I've been working on the "Adirondack Chair" image this month, and I'm generally pleased with the way it came out. I incorporated a few stencils, as well as a small brayer to ink individual areas.
The finished print (fuchsia edition)
The location of the original photo, that inspired the print, is Little Squam Lake in Holderness NH.
I'm enjoying the beginning of this summer! The mask wearing is mainly over (had to wear one today at the post office), and the weather has been lovely for the most part! Picked strawberries at one local farm, and have been working a lot in the yard. I planted a variety of herbs--now have to remember to use them. When you live in New England, you have to appreciate every summer day!
Happy Weekend!
We had some very hot weather over the past seven days, with high humidity and temperatures in the 90s. Finally today, it's just perfect! Sunny and much cooler with low humidity! I was able to get out in the garden for a couple hours, doing some weeding and mulching. Our perennial beds are doing very well this year!
I've also been working on a new print. The inspiration comes from a misty October day, when I took some photos of empty Adirondack chairs at Squam Lake in Holderness. I've been experimenting with stencils to block off some areas on the print.
I didn't take a picture of the first layer, which was the blue-gray water and sky, but I used the deckled edge of some heavy watercolor paper to define the sand, water, and sky.
Next, I'm going to attempt to put a layer of light gray over the trees, water and sky, to create a more misty, foggy effect. If that is successful, I'll begin working on the chairs. It's all a bit experimental, so sometimes I have to figure it out as I go along.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
In my last post I revealed the "lily pad" block print that I had just completed. My obsession with the subject matter led me to try an acrylic painting. I had a set of Golden Open Acrylics that I had purchased to use with a Gelli plate to make monoprints. The Open acrylics have a slower drying time than regular acrylics, so you can play around more, without the frustration of a quickly drying palette. I am not very experienced with acrylics or oils, so I'm just exploring the medium, and having some fun with it.
I sketched out the composition on my canvas in pencil, then painted a complementary colored base coat using pink for the lily pads and orange for the background. After the base coat was dry, I began by painting the blues of the water. I used a combination of Ultramarine and Pthalo Blues mixed with white to create a variety of values in the water. For the lily pads, I played around with yellow, the blues, green, and white. I'm trying not to worry about total realism as I'm focusing on the overall composition, and my own interpretation of the subject. I don't know how successful this painting will be, but I'm enjoying the process.
Earlier this month I included a drawing of the "lily pad" print that I had started. The block size is 6" x 8" and is a soft-cut type. Since I don't have access to a printing press right now, I've had to use that type of plate for all my recent editions. I really love the easiness of carving, but it takes a bit of elbow grease to get the quality of the prints that I want. I use a baren and a wooden spoon to get the pressure needed.
The month of April has been a tease of the warmer weather that we are looking forward to, after a long Covid winter. The garden perennials are showing themselves, and the birds are singing their spring songs. I've been raking out the flower beds, and picking up the zillion pinecones (just seems like it) that have been falling everywhere! After raking them up, I look up to the top of the pines, and see that there are still a whole bunch waiting for the next windy day.
We had a nice Easter holiday with the extended family. The weather cooperated, and the annual egg hunt commenced with all the kids having a great time. The "kids" include cousins in their teens and twenties, and two little offspring, who get some advantages, but it's still a competitive group!
Here is one of my Easter card designs for 2021:
I hope you have enjoyed my basic tutorials showing the steps involved in the creation of a reduction block print. In my last post, I was working on a landscape of a favorite view on Mt. Desert Island, in the small town of Manset, Maine.
To finish this print, I added more contrast in the values of both the foreground plants, and the background trees. I think that creates more definition and depth. There is a limit to how many layers of Akua inks can be built up on the paper (Rives Light), and I think adding any more would not benefit the image.
