or not so much… My printmaking class started this week so I’ve been thinking about what images I want to create. Since I am in the “advance” class – 40B, I can pretty much do what I want. And you must have picked up by now that that kind of artistic freedom can be kinda paralyzing for me. Last semester we learned the following printmaking techniques: drypoint, collagraph, woodcut, and monotypes. And with each new assignment/technique, we were given a theme as a starting off point for our image. I played nicely within the given parameters and was pushed, learned a lot, and made some cool prints. This time around? I need to write a brief proposal of what I plan to do this semester. What do I plan to do… what do I want to do? I know I want to make more monotypes. That’s kinda a no brainer. I definitely want to do another woodcut! Collagraphs were fun to create, but unless I have a flash of inspiration, I’m not that concerned with making another one. And drypoint… meh. Unless I come up with a really cool drawing, I could skip that too. Inking those plates is hard…
Category: art
On your mark, get set, go!
Happy New Year! (just a couple weeks late – not too bad considering my blogging track record) Christmas is over and so is the club volleyball season. I would do a “no more volleyball” happy dance, but conditioning for the high school season starts next week. So yeah… the volleyball, unlike the holiday season, never ends. It just changes uniforms. Hey, here is some great news for the new year – Chris has finished his last class and is getting his Masters Degree in Financial Services!! More alphabet soup to add to his business cards. CFP and MSFS – so proud of him! I’m still working on my 20+ year AA plan. One of these days I’ll take that damn Speech class. Really! But this semester I’m sticking with Printmaking. Class starts on the 28th. Can’t wait. In the meantime, thanks to Santa, I have the supplies to work in encaustic (painting with pigmented wax) at home and am trying to find my groove with this new medium. Finished a piece I did at the Wax Works West class last Nov: And the new pieces I created: I also did a small mixed-media painting and have another panel started. So…
Harvest
wow. August kinda rocked! Between an really fun August project for True Free Spirit and the Visual Quest course work, I finished 3 canvases and several paintings in my journal! This is the TFS “primitive” painting that is also my donation for the ‘2013 Artists For The Cure’ fundraiser. Mixed-media on 10″x10″ wood panel. And then a background I had started for another “primitive” TFS painting took a Visual Quest of its own and became this: Acrylic on 11″x14″ wood panel. A couple pages from the art journal: And finally my finished painting for Visual Quest! Mixed-media on 30″x30″ wood panel. Sorry the image quality is so poor. If only I knew a photographer. So yeah, a fun month of creative flow! Let’s hope I can keep it going through September. To help with that (and because I must have bumped my head again) I decided to try the 29 Faces Challenge. Yeah, basically I’m going to attempt to make 29 faces in 30 days. And that could happen. But you are also “supposed” to create a blog post each day with your Face. Well we all know that ain’t gonna happen. Maybe a weekly update. Or Instagram! That’s doable.…
The ‘Other’ Printmaking
Mid-August update. I’m old so I’ve been busy painting* and waiting for school to start. For all of us. Erin has made the switch from The Phoenix School summer camp to Star camp at her new elementary school. Big changes for a big girl! Kyle is all registered for 11th grade, though I think he has already lost his schedule. They both start next week. My semester doesn’t start until the 27th. My big change is no photography class this fall (I’m sure I’ll be sneaking into the darkroom on occassion)! I’m finally taking that Printmaking class I’ve been thinking about for a couple years now. Excited and nervous. So today I decided to break out the Gelli plate, cut some stencils, and make some monotypes. These are 8.5 x 11 And these are 5.5 x 8.5 These were printed on a smooth heavy paper. There are a couple of them that I might add some ink to – and a few not posted because they need some additional work. I’ll probably make a few more tomorrow as I just remembered I have a nice sheet of printmaking paper in the front room! yay! * I have created a piece…
True ‘I’ve been too busy to rebel’ Spirit
So, let’s re-cap. My baby boy is 16. My spring semester has started and it is already kickin’ my ass. More on that later. I currently have art work in 2 group exhibits with a benefit show coming up at the end of the month. 2013 has been pretty exciting eventful exhausting so far. I am taking a quick break between to-do lists to show you my results for the True Free Spirit class’s January project. This post showed you the beginnings of my first piece and a digital painting. Here is the finished 9×12″ piece: Damn. There is a lot going on in th0se mere 108 square inches! I also downloaded a new iPad app, Procreate, and made this: And as much as I said I love the ArtRage app, this one is far more user friendly and has some fun textures. And between the 2, I can RULE THE WORLD!! ahem //smoothes skirt, sits back down And then I jumped on a chance to donate another “heart” themed piece for the Hearts for the Art Benefit on Feb 26th. Why? Because I have obviously suffered a severe blow to the head. Having already ear-marked the only pieces…
What to do this weekend: IndieInk.org
Well, isn’t this a fine way to start a Friday! As a Featured Artist at IndieInk.org! Indie Ink is a non-profit independent literary and art collective and community of writers and artists who may not have been seen otherwise, but whose work is filled with such passion and spirit it demands to be seen. It is run by some of my favorite people on the internet and has featured some of the people I “know” plus introduced me to some talented writers and artists I might not have found on my own. So check the site out. Click through the archives, read, enjoy, and give these talented people some comment love!