Holiday Bazaar in Guilford, CT

I will have packages of handmade paper, journals, small and medium sized framed and unframed prints and collages for sale. Please come by!

All Set Up at the CWOS Alternative Space

Bob and I finished setting up tonight. Looking forward to the weekend!

 

bowl holding business cards was hand cast with sheets of hmp

baskets were made by my husband. runner is eco- printed reclaimed cotton fabric

handmade paper and journals for sale. displayed on marigold-dyed reclaimed cotton fabric

Artist Statement and information on make paper

Never Stop Learning - My New Year Tradition

For many years now, I have celebrated New Years Day by adding books to my family's library. When the children were younger, I would take them to Barnes and Noble or Borders and have them pick out a book on a subject they would like to learn more about. I would do the same for Bob and myself.  Alina often chose travel books or books on photography. Joe preferred books on origami or Star Wars. One year he chose a book on backyard blacksmithing. While we haven't done that together as a family in a long time, I do continue to buy books for myself each New Year.  My favorite sources these days are Edward R. Hamilton, Booksellers and Amazon. While I love books, I am faced with the reality that they are expensive, so choose these sellers for their selection, great discounts, and fast delivery.

This year I bought from Edward R. Hamilton the following:

Backyard Bird Secrets for Every Season by Sally Roth (Rodale) (c) 2009
The Magic of Digital Close Up Photography by Joseph Meehan  (Lark) (c) 2006
Paisley Designs - 44 Original Plates by Gregory Mirow (Dover) (c)1989
The Decorated Journal by Gwen Diehn (Lark) (c) 2005

They arrived yesterday.

It is my hope to learn more about the birds that are regular visitors to my feeders so that I can make their home here more appealing to them. Already I have learned from Backyard Birds Secrets that birds need extra crude protein and fat in their winter diets to stay warm. Today I bought specialty peanut seed mix as well as two types of suet and feeders to hold them. I discovered recipes for making my own suet when these run out. I learned that if I build and install roosting boxes and provide conifers for shelter, the birds can stay warm.  With this information, I asked Bob to prop up the Christmas tree we bought in the garden near the feeders so that the birds have another cozy place to sleep at night. (We were saving the tree to use the branches as protective covering for the perennials.)

I love close up photography! Many of the photos I take are close ups, but they often turn out blurry, or the camera refuses to take the shot at the range I want to take it. The Magic of Digital Close Up Photography looks like a textbook and I am hoping to learn the tricks of the trade from it!

Paisley Designs will help me when I create the other decorative fruits to add to Punica ornamentum. It is my plan to add a paisley apple and pear and thus create a series of this type of print.

Lastly, I have known about the book, The Decorated Journal, for years. Having other books on book and journal making, I didn't buy it until now, although it is a classic on the subject.  The price was right so I decided to add it to my collection.  Already I have learned new things from it!


It is great to learn something new every day, but there is the trap of being always learning and never doing, which will be the topic of my next post.

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?

Experimental Printmaking - Phase I

This past semester, continuing with my printmaking studies, I took a class entitled Experimental Printmaking. It was up to me to decide what I wanted to do. The following photos are a summary of the project.

I wanted to make a large woodblock print that I could print from and later cut into smaller sized blocks and print from again. So the design had to be such that each of the blocks could be stand alone, though become somewhat abstract because of this. My design idea was the Tree of Life often depicted in old textiles. I created a design that had elements modeled after Jacobean embroidery and other textile samples that I have.

I wanted the block to be 18" x 24", so the first decision was finding a wood that would be suitable and available in this size. My options were few. I experimented with carving birch plywood and 1/4" Masonite boards. I decided to use the Masonite.

Carving was not difficult in the beginning. I realize now that it is because my tools were sharp.







After spending almost two months carving the design, I was only a little more than half way done. I decided to use a dremil to help speed things up. This turned out to be a learning experience because each type of tool made very different types of marks.


The left side is hand carved and the right side is Dremil carved.

I went back over the Dremiled areas with the hand tools to make a more uniform design.

Now that I was satisfied with the carving, I printed
several two-color prints.

This completed Phase I on this printmaking project.