Archive for February, 2010
Here’s the latest in my series of Fairy Tale prints: Rapunzel.
Rapunzel’s long, long hair loops and wraps around the lonely tower of her confinement, like vines strangling a tree. The thorns of the briars that surround the tower are tipped with the blood of the prince, who leapt (or was pushed) from the tower when discovered by the witch. A figure is silhouetted in the tower’s single window; is it the witch, or is it Rapunzel?
Rapunzel
Linoleum block print with hand coloring, 2010
Edition of 22
February 26 2010 | Printmaking | 1 Comment »
I’ve been making prints –linoleum block prints, to be precise– for three years now. I absolutely am in love with the whole process of printmaking: the planning; the puzzling-it-out process of converting images to black and white, or of making a reduction print; the craftsmanship of laying ink on block and pulling an impression. And given that my last printmaking class was over thirty years ago, in college, I’m pretty much self-taught. I’ve learned a lot from online sources, especially the Baren printmaking site and email group, and have also been gratified to find that a lot of what I figured out on my own is standard practice.
But there is so much more to learn! So many printmaking processes! So many nuances of paper, and ink, and press! So this semester I’m taking an etching and intaglio class at Cabrillo College.
I felt like I was going to my first day at school all over again. I bought a notebook, sharpened my pencils, decided what outfit to wear, and studied the bus schedule. Kindergarten at fifty!
Now I’m working on my first homework assignment: six related drawings, any topic, any style or mix of styles, just some theme or idea tying them together. I had hoped to go out hiking and sketching this weekend, but have suffered (along with Sarah-Hope) a return of the flu bug, so have had to stay inside. Still, I chose “trees” as my topic, since I can see a fair number of them from my windows, and have a ton of drawings of them in my sketchbooks and reference photos on my camera’s memory card.
Here are the first two. The idea behind this one is the redwood next door silhouetted against a foggy night sky that’s lit from below by the city lights.
The second one is also of a redwood tree. I took a photo of this on one of my recent walks. I liked how the tree dwarfed its cousin the telephone pole. I’m also looking of late at how human activity bisects the landscape, for instance the grid of lines across the sky caused by telephone wires.
I’ve recognized a lot of my habits in creating these. First of all, I tend to sketch in waterproof magic marker or ink pen; I could not find my good drawing pencils. (I later did, but after doing the pencil drawing. A better, softer pencil would have helped!) Second, I tend not to draw for the sake of drawing, but to take notes for future prints or paintings. It’s fun to just sit down and draw for its own sake.
Now back to the drawing board, literally, to tackle the next four. I think palm trees are calling.
February 15 2010 | Drawing and Printmaking | 2 Comments »
A couple of weeks have passed since our big series of storms, but the local beach is still littered with driftwood and other flotsam. Now, however, it’s taking on a new dimension, as people have begun building a variety of structures out of the washed-up branches.
The Cabana. Where are the umbrella drinks?
The Tipi, one of three in a row:
These sculptors have gone all Lord of the Flies:
I am fascinated by our compulsion to build. A pile of wood, or rocks, is irresistible. We try to make order out of chaos, and along the way build a shelter or sculpture. These remind me of a day a few years ago, when Sarah-Hope and I drove up to her favorite beach at Waddell Creek. There, close to the highway, was a cone-shaped structure, made of pieces of driftwood. It was extraordinarily well-constructed: the branches fit together just so, and the shape was even and symmetrical. It was stunning! I loved the way it made us think about driftwood in a whole new way, transforming it from detritus to art.
(Picture a cone just like this, except made of random bleached wood, with the ocean behind it.)
My fantasy was that it was made by Andy Goldsworthy, who has several pieces in the area, at the DeYoung Museum, and in the Presidio, and at Stanford. I like to imagine him taking a break from his comissioned work, and driving down to the beaches in Santa Cruz. Once here, just like the builders above, how could he resist that pile of driftwood?
February 14 2010 | Art in General and Walks and hikes | No Comments »
I’ve made test prints of the two Fairy Tale blocks I’m working on, and am rawther happy with the results.
On the left is The Frog Prince. The princess lies asleep, clutching her golden ball, while the frog watches. My main issue now is the frog’s eyes. I’m finding it a bit difficult to get both direction of glance and emotional content into amphibian eyeballs. And in black and white, at that. Lots of test scribbles on the sides of my reference photos, but still not quite right. It will come to me one of these days.
In the meantime, I’ve done most of the corrections and adjustments that I noted on the test print for Rapunzel, and am pretty much ready for a final test before printing the edition. I’m looking forward to getting back to the press!
Now in the first round of drawing: Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White. Look for a sneak preview next week!
February 02 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
