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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Monarda added To Queen Anne's Lace & Wildflowers Print

Water mixable oil paint printed on handmade gampi

This week I drew an image of Monarda that would fit over the Queen Anne's Lace and Wildflowers linoleum print. The first print was created using watersoluble colored pencils for a botanical drawing-type look.  The transfer wasn't quite what I had hoped. It appears like the Monarda is behind the Queen Anne's Lace. I had wanted it to be on top.  Next I used water mixable oil paints and the image was a bit darker, yet not quite the effect I wanted to achieve.  I am thinking that I will try a silkscreen version of this design next.



What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

View From the Kitchen Window - October 19, 2011



The Woods Out Back




The Family Pond & Swampy Meadow


There is something almost magical about a rainy landscape. It is easier to see true colors. No sunlight to bounce off the surfaces, dust washed away and wetness adding a gloss or sheen to the colors and textures.

Whenever I look upon this landscape, I am reminded again and again how very blessed I am to live here. I grew up in Queens, New York and although we had a backyard, it was probably only 30'x30' at most. We had no trees surrounding us. Just a few shrubs put in by building contractors. My father planted Japanese Maple saplings and my mother planted a Kwansan Cherry seedling several years later. I don't remember seeing squirrels. The only birds I recall were sparrows and starlings. Of course I was a child then and didn't pay much attention, but I think I would have remembered cardinals and bluejays, squirrels and other small animals. When I think of these creatures, memories of my grandparents' summer home in Putnam County or my aunt and uncle's home in Suffolk County come to mind.

Living here for the past eighteen years has done much good for my psyche. Part of thirteen acres owned by various family members on my husband's side, this former dairy farm of 60+ acres still enchants. Not the home in the country I always dreamed of, it is satisfying nonetheless. I have space to garden, room for sheds and barns to house the equipment and materials of our various hobbies, a front and screened back porch in which to sit and enjoy the sights, sounds and scents. I am content.


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Queen Anne's Lace & Wildflowers



Continuing with where I left off with the post, Transitioning, here is what I've done so far with that initial drawing on the linoleum.

coloring in what is to be removed

the finished block
applying ink
I plan to overprint these with drawings of monarda, echinacea, goldenrod and other wildflowers.


Its Time for City Wide Open Studios

Each year ArtSpace New Haven sponsors three weekends of open studios. It is a must-do event!






Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Punica ornamentum aureolis

I was asked to donate one of my prints to the 2nd WPKN Artfest Auction to be held during the annual City-Wide Open Studios in New Haven. At first I thought of donating one of the drypoint etchings/chin colle prints I did of the blueberry drawing for last year's Blueberry Summer silkscreen. Since I donated one of these silkscreens to last year's auction, I decided against it. Instead, I chose to revisit the linoleum block I made for an earlier print, Punica ornamentum. I have wanted to use this block again. I carved out the background lines that created the original prints, mixed up a maroon ink and hand printed on several different handmade papers. Deciding on the one printed on flax paper, I added gold acrylic paint to accent parts of the design. Next I looked through previously printed papers intended for backgrounds and collage and found a lace print I made from a collograph on my handmade gampi.

In keeping with the concept of giving this a fictitious botanical name, I made this a variety of the original. This is entitled Punica ornamentum aureolis meaning Golden Ornamental Pomegranate.

2011 Papers

A sampling of the papers I made this summer
Some of the papers you see here are (bottom to top):
14x17 - kozo dyed with forest green Procion dye, Philippine gampi, sage dyed under-beaten cotton, flax, goldenrod dyed cotton
8.5x11 left -  pure cotton rag, cabbage dyed cotton, carrot top dyed cotton, bamboo sheaths, turmeric dyed cotton and abaca
5x7 left recycled paper
8.5x11 right- gampi dyed with colored tissue during pressing of sheets, gampi, purple-leaf plum bark dyed gampi, abaca dyed with dandelion leaves and flowers; sage dyed cotton, goldenrod dyed cotton, carrot top with copper modifier dyed cotton, flax




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