Screen Printed Birds #1

I thought I would try a little screen printing on fabric so I chose to make a few hand towels for friends and family. The design is simple (time was running out!) but still, it took some time and patience. See my process! Here I'm cutting a stencil for the yellow bird, to be printed on the fabric first.

I think screen printing is the most fun of all of the printmaking processes!

Screen Printed Birds #2

I attached my cut-out stencil (only the yellow bird was cut out) to the bottom of my screen and then I squeegeed the ink through the screen. It went through my stencil onto the fabric underneath.

Screen Printed Birds #3

The screen is lifted and you can see I have finished adding the third and last color, pink!

Final Result!

The screen print project is complete!

Edward Gorey Christmas Card

I was looking for Christmas cards and I found some that had the artwork of one of my favorite artists, Edward Gorey (1925-2000). I first saw his amusing work on the PBS television series "Mystery" where his animated work introduces the show. His work is a little quirky and strange but that is what makes it so interesting! Maybe it reminds me of an etching!

I love this one.

Merry Christmas!

Girl in Cafe #1

I'm working on this old drypoint plate to try to make the edition I couldn't make before. I've worked with a needle tool and think it's ready for printing. Here I am using a piece of matboard to put some etching ink on the plate. I am hoping I have worked hard enough!

Girl in Cafe #2

I'm wiping the ink from the plate with a material which is like cheesecloth, called tarleton. The ink will stay in the scatched marks, if you don't wipe too much. That is the tricky part!

Girl in Cafe #3

After printing it on my press, it looks like this. See the plate in the background. It doesn't look finished.....but that's printmaking! Sometimes it seems you will never finish or get it to just the right place! Anyway, I'll work on it some more and then show it again or at least show the first and only one I have from a few years ago.

Back to work!

Girl in the Cafe

I have one nice print of this drypoint plate, made while working on my degree in college a few years ago. I do like it! At the time there wasn't much time to make an edition so I thought I'd work on the plate a bit now and print it. A drypoint print is made from a plate which is metal or plastic where special tools such as roulettes or needles have made textures and lines through scratching. I'll show you the process. Mine is a thick acrylic plate but you can use a thinner acrylic plastic sheet. I beveled the edges with a sander to prevent any sharp edges from damaging the press blankets. I'm anxious to see if I can get a good print!

Anemones

I love making linocuts of the strange and wondrous forms of a coral reef!

"My Blue Head"

I'm blue,
very blue.

VMFA - Richmond, Va. and the Blue Head!

Last week I spent the afternoon visiting the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and read about art until my eyes crossed! I love to visit museums on rainy days but it wasn't a perfect situation for the photos I wanted to take of the new addition. Anyway, there's a strange blue head in the sculpture display by the artist Kaneko. Does it remind you of anything?

Good Homes - Part 4

I finished the painting and applied a few coats of polyurethane to the outside to protect them from the weather, keeping the inside natural to prevent harming the birds.

Ready for occupancy!!

In a few months, that is.

Good Homes! - Part 3

Now that the holes were finished, I applied a little cherry stain that I already had and painted some designs on the gourds with acrylic paints, which I'm glad to say I found as I dug my way through my art closet. Since I like butterflies, I painted several, limiting the number since the owner of these gourds told me to keep it simple! Keep it simple?? I tried! The gourd makes a nice painting surface so it would be easy to make more complicated pieces.

Good Homes! - Part 2

Now that the gourds are clean, it's time to drill the holes and clean them out. Not that there's much to clean out - just some seeds and a little dust! They're strange creatures! You should keep in mind what species of bird you would like to attract because there are preferences for the hole sizes. I chose the 1 1/2" hole, preferred by the Carolina Wren and others. You have to drill a few smaller holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. I've heard that birds love the gourds. If you hang them, they will come! At least they're natural and last for many years.

Birds Need Good Homes!

A friend has asked me if I would make birdhouses out of these gourds. (not the pumpkin!) I've never tried it but I always like trying something new! Right now they are soaking in some water with a little bleach. (Try getting them to stay under water - it's a big challenge!) Then I'll scrub them and get to work painting. What to paint? Surely not cats!

I'll post pictures and you can learn with me!

Cape May Butterflies - Farewell to Thee!

This is a farewell of a different type and a more up-beat one! When I was visiting Cape May two weeks ago, I was there at the precise time to view the migration of the monarch butterflies along the coast, on their way to Mexico. I took this photo of a few that I saw on this abundant yellow flower......I can't remember the flower's name.....do you know? It was truly fascinating to see so many at one time!

I'm ready to work on more butterflies!

Farewell

This is a poster I did for a portfolio with other artists concerning global warming. I picked the butterfly because I am fond of them but also because they seem particularly susceptible to environmental conditions because of their delicate nature. It is a poster which advertises the last theatre showing of the last butterfly, all of the others having succumbed to the affects of global warming. :-(

It is a linocut with screen printed writing in the circle. Both linocuts and screen prints work especially well for posters!

The Sugarplum Cottage

If you like purple, this would be your favorite!

I love what looks like bead-work above the door.

The Empress B&B

This past week-end I spent some time in Cape May, on the coast of New Jersey, and was lucky to have a perfect day to take some photos of the Victorian homes there. So many, looking like dollhouses! It is fascinating to see the color choices. I love all of them, even the purple ones!

Ceramic Mushrooms

I enjoyed finding these mushrooms at a garden center, just for the color!

One Year of Art with the TAA

This is a book made by a very talented artist member of the Tidewater Art Alliance of work that was in their shows during the past year. On the right is one of the two pages showing my work, this one of my etching "Moonlit Rendezvous". On the cover, on the left, is a photograph taken by a good friend, Pam. What a great way to see your art!

10"x 8 1/2"

Art Auction

Next weekend is the yearly auction at the art center in Norfolk, Virginia. The theme this year is James Bond, as in one of the movies, "License to Kill".

James Bond.....secret agent man....!

Too bad he won't be there :-(

You can enjoy the theme music from the movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8DCdHYW6tI

Chit Chat - Bird Etching

All framed and ready for the auction at my art center in two weeks!

Etching with chine colle paper.

15" x 18" framed

Chit Chat

Etching plates look so interesting inked up! Here I was printing it to see what progress I have made after burnishing some areas. Today I'm printing it with chine colle paper and I'm anxious to see how it looks!

9" x 12"

Piggy Bank

I love this little pottery piggy bank that my mother made years ago in a class. The interesting look it has was made by a certain ceramic firing process called raku which uses both smoke and fire to create unusual patterns and textures. The pottery is first bisque fired, then glazed and then undergoes a firing and smoking process. I remember doing it once and I believe we placed the objects in the ground to achieve our smoke affect. Maybe I'll make a print of pigs to go along with it. Someone has made a deposit into this bank but there's no way to retrieve it!

Ristorante SanDesiderio

This is an etching of a little restaurant that I saw in Siena, Italy a few years ago. I have changed it just a little. The will of the artist! I found that it had a website!:

http://www.ristorantesandesiderio.com/

Barbara and George

I like making these black and white linocuts. I'd make many more if there weren't so many other things I like to do! This one is of my sister and her cat George. He's a beautiful Himalayan which is like a Siamese in appearance but has long fur. And he's very good natured!

And Barbara, does she not have the smile of the Mona Lisa?

10"x 16"

Vanished Smile

I was in the library the other day and saw this book which caught my attention because it's about art and as an added bonus, has some french words, which I am trying to learn! In August of 1911 the Mona Lisa vanished from the Louvre in Paris. Written in 2009 by R.A Scotti, the book looks back at the case and clues to tell the story. It seems the painting was lost for over two years and then returned. I will know more after finishing my reading! So far I have not only learned something about detective work at that time but that the Louvre has quite a fascinating history.

Moonstruck

The beetles dance on the warm lake, mesmerized by the moonlight.....

4"x 6" 2009

Swallowtail

I was in Hot Springs, Virginia this past weekend and I found this butterfly lingering among these flowers for several minutes. I could not believe my luck! I could take pictures at all sorts of angles! It is called a Pipevine Swallowtail, commonly found in the mountains of Virginia.

I saw many other butterflies but none cooperated like this one!

The Dilemma

Which was first??

Hmm..I still don't know!

2007

Etching

From here you can look across the hall where there are photographs in the large gallery. Again, you can see more pottery by Marlene Jack from Williamsburg, Virginia.

That's it for the photos...unless you want to see more! Pictures are not allowed during openings so if you want to see people, you will have to use your imagination!

More Work!

I had to include some of the potter's work in my photos because I love it! I think it works well in the gallery with my etchings.

Some of my etchings hanging in the gallery!

I think the curator did a great job placing them.

The Gallery

Come on into the small gallery! There are two galleries there and the smaller one is perfect for my work.

The Wall!

Yes, I was there.

Here's proof!

I am thinking that I need a longer name!

TCC Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth, Virginia

The opening for the P4 show was last Friday evening, the 9th, and it went very well! Someone said that about 150 people attended the event. Here's a photo of the building, with the galleries located on the bottom floor close to the main entrance.

Eternity

I enjoyed doing these little etchings of birds in cemetaries. Here is another in its frame, all ready for my show, which opens tomorrow evening at TCC's Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. I love making miniatures but I worry that they don't take up a lot of space on a gallery wall. But sometimes they say that small can be better. I'll try to remember that!

(See the invitation in the previous post!)

3" x 5"

P4 Art Show

This is the invitation for a show I'm having with three other artists in July in Portsmouth, Virginia. There's a painter, photographer, potter and printmaker. Hence the name P4! I have 21 etchings for the show and a small gallery to myself. I am tired from all of the work but it is done and I'm looking forward to the opening!!

Sylvester's Dream

I saw this linocut that I did a few years ago in my photo file and wondered how it would look here. I enjoy looking at it because it reminds me of Sylvester, a great cat that I had. So I think I'll just keep it here for awhile so I can enjoy looking at it and remembering him!

I can imagine making many linocuts of cats. What fun that would be!

What to do??

I have been spending too much time the last few days just looking at this beautiful copper plate and trying to find an idea for it! It is the last one for my upcoming show and I am struggling for an idea. It is a big one for me - 9"x 12"! Anyway, I will keep at it until something ...well..happens! They say walking can sometimes cure the blocked mind. That sounds too easy but it's worth a try!

Twilight Gathering

Earlier in the blog I showed you the etched plate for this print but not the print because it wasn't finished. Now that it's finished, here's the end result! I used a chine colle paper in the background which is hard to see here but I think it adds a nice soft look to the etching.

My World of Gardening

It's time to straighen up the yard for the annual Tidewater Art Alliance party which will be at my house again this year. It seems I am always tangled up in or tripping on something! If it isn't the hose, it's some other cord or some stray pot! Then there's the poison ivy always lurking there amongst the good plants ready to attack. It seems I get it no matter what I do. This year, a full coat of armor I borrowed from one of my knight friends should work. Just kidding! Anyway, my optimistic soul tells me I'll get it done somehow!

Strawberries

Strawberries from my trip to the farm in 2005!

Strawberries from Pungo!

I picked these strawberries last week and were they good! I go every year with friends and always pick too many! Well, how can you pick too many strawberries?

Spirit of Norfolk

I was invited, along with a few other artists, to hang some of my work on this ship! It's the Spirit of Norfolk and books entertainment cruises from Waterside in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia. It seemed a good spot for some of my sea related art, like fish and anemones!

Fish

I went looking for foxes and found these fish at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. They are so beautiful and quite animated. I can't tell you what they are because I forgot to look! I will look....later!

Bacterial Confections #3

Bacteria

Creatures of mystery

Unseen

But possible

9" x 9"

National Geographic Pirate Exhibit

Were there pirate artists? Artist pirates??

I went to this exhibit in search of a question that has been on all of our minds for at least a century......a year?.....a day?.......ok, well, maybe never! Anyway, my search for pirate artists was in vain but I found many fascinating facts about the ship Whydah, which was seized by a pirate named Sam Bellamy in 1716 and used to attack 50 ships within a year before sinking in a violent storm near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.... with all of its plunder! In 1984, remains of the ship were found and 200 of the artifacts are shown in this exhibit. Many silver coins! It's the only pirate treasure that's ever been found!
I could not even sneak a picture......rrrrrr!