Archive for September, 2009
Here is the next in my series of linocuts depicting various fairy tales: The Pied Piper.
I’m sure the story is a familiar one: The village of Hamelin was beset by rats, and the town fathers hired a piper whose music lured the rats away to be drowned in a nearby river. When the time came to pay the piper, however, the town reneged on the deal. The piper, angered by the town’s duplicity, then played his pipe again, this time luring the town’s children away, neither children nor piper ever to be seen again.
As with many fairy tales, there is a historical event behind the tale. Actually, there are several theories, but the one most agreed upon is that many of the town’s inhabitants, not necessarily literally children, left the town to resettle parts of eastern Europe, most likely Poland and Transylvania, lured there by the prospect of land and prosperity, much in the same way that Europeans were later lured to settle in North America.
The story has often been retold, most notably by the Brothers Grimm, and later by Robert Browning. Here is a recording of the Browning version read by Ingrid Bergman.
In this print, I wanted to depict the mystery of the event. Who was the piper? Why did his piping lure the children away? And what was their fate? We really don’t know, do we?
The Pied Piper
Linoleum block print with hand coloring, 2009
Edition of 22
Daniel Smith water-soluble ink on Rives Heavyweight paper
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See this print, and more!!! at my studio during Santa Cruz Open Studios
Two weekends in October:
October 3 & 4, and October 17 & 18
11am - 6pm each day
816 Hanover Street, Santa Cruz (see map)
September 28 2009 | Printmaking | No Comments »
It’s been a long time since I posted another finished print from my series based on William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell. I’ve decided to use the entire proverb as the title of each print, so this one has a whopper: Improvement Makes Strait Roads, But the Crooked Roads Without Improvement, Are Roads of Genius.
This is another reduction print, which means both colors are printed from a single block. I carve and print the lighter color first, then carve away more from the same block to get the second color, in this case black. It’s a bit like working out a giant puzzle, and a bit of a tightrope walk; there’s not much room for error, if any. I like a good challenge!
I also like the sentiment of this proverb. I am all for going off the beaten track, exploring the back roads, choosing the path less taken.
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Open Studios!
Santa Cruz’s Open Studios is now only a week away. I’m in a mad rush of cleaning, organizing, labeling, and generally getting ready.
The first event in conjunction with Open Studios is the Preview at the Santa Cruz Art League. Each of the 300 or so participating artists has one piece on display at the Art League. There is a free reception open to the public this Sunday, September 27, from 3 to 6pm. It’s a great opportunity to scout out the artwork and plan your visits. The Art League is at 526 Broadway, in Santa Cruz.
My studio will be open two weekents: October 3 & 4, and October 17 & 18, 11am - 6pm each day.
816 Hanover Street, Santa Cruz, between Seabright and Frederick.
I have a lot of new work that will be on display for the first time. Come on by!
September 25 2009 | Printmaking | 1 Comment »
Or something to that effect, as I enjoyed my first-ever street fair as a vendor this past Saturday at Roadworks, San Francisco Center for the Book’s annual steamroller book and print extravaganza.
I took a cautious approach, renting half a table. Here are my wares, all set up at the start of the day.
(Note to self: Next time, turn the crate around so random messages like “dropcloths” do not show!)
Roadworks is a great day of printing linoleum blocks of various sizes using a steamroller. Vendors line the street, selling book-related or print-related wares. It’s a great attraction for people who love books, art, gadgets, heavy machinery, and/or ephemera. And there is a surprisingly large overlap between all these groups.
A vendor’s-eye view of the street fair:
I had no idea what to expect, and took as a good sign the fact that we found an all-day legal parking spot right at the end of the street! The parking gods were smiling at me. As were the commerce gods; I did fairly well, selling a mix of original linoleum block prints, bookmarks, mini-linocut cards, and commercially printed cards with images of some of my block prints.
Here I am, hard at work. (Photo taken by my friend Heather of Four Oceans Press, who also graciously gave me copies of their 2009 print calendar to give away.)
Of course, the main attraction is always the steamroller. A select group of artists are invited to carve 3-foot-square blocks. And then there’s an open call for any artist to carve a “little lino”.
Some of the little linos (1-foot square prints) being admired as they dry.
For sale, after being signed by the artists:
A fun day was had by all! I learned a lot about being a vendor at a fair or festival, and am seriously considering hitting the road for at least a few such events next summer. And the intense preparation for this has gotten me in a great position for my Next Big Thing:
Santa Cruz County’s Open Studio Art Tour
My studio will be open for two weekends in October:
October 3 & 4
October 17 & 18
11am - 6pm each weekend
816 Hanover Street
Stay tuned for more information!
September 21 2009 | Art shows, art galleries, etc and Printmaking | 1 Comment »
More than 130 million girls and young women have been subjected to genital mutilation around the globe, primarily in Africa. It is a dangerous operation that has many physical, mental, and cultural ramifications. The procedure itself can vary, but generally speaking it is the removal of part, or all, of the female genitalia, often using blunt instruments in unsanitary conditions.
Female genital mutilation is traditionally practiced as a ritual signifying the acceptance of a woman into society and establishes her eligibility for marriage. It is believed to inspire submissiveness in women, and to reduce the desire and opportunity for sex outside of marriage. In many of these societies, a woman’s chastity is the basis for the family’s honor, so restricting the woman’s sexuality is seen as essential.
In this print, I depict two young women gleefully riding a bicycle. I remember well the feeling of freedom and mobility that came with my first bicycle, and wanted these women to feel that liberty. In my mind, they may have received a grant for women entrepreneurs, and are bringing their goods –jewelry or dyed fabrics, perhaps– to market for sale. I wanted to envision a life of independence and opportunity for them.
I used pink as the color in this print because red and white are two potent colors in many African societies, though their particular meanings may vary from culture to culture and depending on the context. That said, red can mean life, blood, power and conflict, while white may symbolize peace and sacredness. Ordinary red denotes power, but a particular shade may mean misery or grief. Red can also symbolize passage from one realm to another, as in the rising and setting of the sun, and by extension symbolizes all passage in a social sense. Red and white can also be used to stand in for men and women in opposition to each other.
Submissiveness
Linoleum block print with text overlay on acrylic
Edition of 12, 2009
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“Submissiveness” is one of three prints I’ve created about gender violence. They are all currently on display at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda, through September 26. They are part of a show titled In Memoriam: Women’s Lives Taken by Violence. There are also movie screenings and poetry readings in conjunction with the exhibit; click here for more information.
September 07 2009 | Printmaking | No Comments »
I’ve been meaning to write about my garden for some time, seeing as how it’s another step-by-step preoccupation of mine. This is the first garden I’ve had in over 20 years, and I’m enjoying it immensely. So far we’ve enjoyed tomatoes, purple beans, dragon beans, tomatillos, and now lemon cucumbers fresh off their stems.
This afternoon, while watering, I spotted a garden spider who had trapped a dragonfly in her web. I was fascinated as she wrapped her conquest up; whether for a later snack for herself, or a meal for her young, I have no idea. I ran and grabbed my camera, and had fun photographing the process.
I’m always finding new functions on my five-year-old digital camera. Who knew you could fine-tune the super-closeup setting? For that matter, who knew there even was a super-closeup? I just discovered that a couple of months ago. Maybe I should read the manual?
September 01 2009 | Gardening | 1 Comment »
