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.

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.

Transitioning: Good-bye Summer, Hello Autumn

Summer rarely hangs on until the last day here in southern New England. Fall is in the air usually a good week before the official autumnal equinox. The same is true this year. Since last Friday, the temperatures have been in the mid 60's F and cooler at night. The sun has set by 7 p.m. The leaves are beginning to change color and some are even beginning to fall.

Yes, the sunny, warm, seemingly endless days of summer have come to an end. I really enjoyed this summer. I will miss it, but I also look forward to the days of transition ahead. Transitioning from shorts to jeans; from sandals to socks and closed shoes; from wet hair to blow dried; from whites, yellows and bright greens of summer home decor to rusts, browns and dark greens of autumn; from margaritas to apple cider, cinnamon and bourbon; from papermaking to printmaking.


I am once again taking the Monotype/Monoprint class at Creative Arts Workshop. I start this evening. I am going to build on what I started in the summer class and start new projects as well. Today I am working on a simple design of wildflowers that I will cut from linoleum and use primarily as a background. I am planning to do a series of prints featuring wildflowers on the naturally dyed cotton paper I made. If I can figure out how to thicken the ink I made from Viburnum acerifolium berries and Salvia officinalis, I will use these as well. If not, I have other projects in mind for those.

Design on "wonder-cut" linoleum before carving

Prints for a Print Exchange

I am organizing a Print Exchange. This session's theme is Black and White. The hardest part for me, usually, is settling on a design. I have so many ideas that it is hard to settle on just one! Was looking at old manuscripts of Persian gardens and saw one that had pomegranate trees in fruit. I love the shape of pomegranates, so decided to use this in my design. I am also working with traditional textile designs in my artwork, so incorporated some made up paisleys for this.

print on gampi paper that I made this summer















The lino block


The drawing



Printing on various papers








creating a layered design