Gulls and Crows Etching - 8" x 10"



I've been working on my etching of gulls and crows and made this print of it. I aquatinted it quite dark at the beginning (except for the gulls and fish) because I wanted it to look like very early morning. The aquatints give areas of the work nice tones, as you can see in the background. But sometimes there is a struggle and disappointment as the aquatint breaks down as I make more prints! As I am making more prints of this plate, the background aquatints are holding up well but the birds are beginning to fade a little. Hmm...anyway, I'm going to make as many as I can and like. (or feel like!)

I liked the idea of the white gulls and the black crows when I saw the writing of a friend. 

Crab linocut finale

Here is the final result for my crab linocut. Still, I wonder if I should add more to it but I think I like it just the way it is now! Even with small pieces, it's  hard to know when to stop working!

Crab Linocut (3 3/4" x 2 1/2")

A friend and fellow artist asked that I make a crab linocut and since I really enjoy making these small linocuts, I decided to make one, of course! Here are photos of the first two colors. I used the same piece of linoleum and proceded to make the crab as a reduction linocut, carving the first color and printing it and then continued by carving the same piece to get the second color.

after printing second color

after printing first color

Grisaille: Songs on the Black and White Keys

This is the front of the invitation for an interesting show at the Charles Taylor Center in Hampton, Virginia.

The reception was last Sunday and the show continues until October 6. My etching "Jackrabbit" is one of the artworks in the show. All of the works are black, white and/or gray and because there are at least 90 works in the show, there are all sorts of styles and media to view and enjoy. Check it out if you can!

Park on Printers' Row in Chicago

When I was in Chicago recently, I saw this little park on Printers' Row, an area of Chicago very close to downtown where a lot of printing and publishing companies used to be. Now there are mostly residential spaces like lofts. But I thought the letters in this park were very clever - just like letters for letterpress printing. And backward! Of course a printmaker like myself would love them! Very cool.

Sketch for a New Etching

I've been working on this sketch for a new etching. Usually I like to make a sketch before I begin, so at least I can get a feeling for what the design that I want will look like. Also, I feel that I will have a better end result without as many corrections to the plate. That can be really frustrating and time-consuming! I would like to try something spontaneous someday though - no drawing! Just go for it!