A few things...

I've been quite scarce in blogland lately and here are the reasons why:

1. The end of the school term. Last class was yesterday. I thought I'd share my last two prints with you. My professor loved them and thought they were my strongest prints yet. She was amazed by how much emotion I could evoke with these two portraits and how she was tempted to fill in their stories.

The Dream
12 x 16" intaglio print

It's worth clicking on the images to see them larger. The detail in the lace (especially in the print below) is quite stunning. It amazes me that this kind of intricate detail can be etched into copper! Both of them (and the others) are being submitted to a couple of international juried shows (in addition to the upcoming show in Egypt - those print have already arrived there!). Keep your fingers crossed!!

The Realization
12 x 16" intaglio print

2. Taxes. A necessary evil. I'm almost done with them and that's wonderful!! It has spurred me on to be a whole lot more organized this year. I used to be incredibly organized with paperwork and such - before I became an artist! And then - somehow - everything become more creative, even my filing systems...

3. An upcoming road trip. We are leaving Friday morning for a week away, which means getting us ready to travel and the house ready for our trusty pet sitter!!

4. My new obsession with knitting and felting little hearts and then embellishing them with some embroidery, ribbons and beads. So much fun!!

I hope you are all doing wonderfully and send my love your way! And, when I have a few moments free, I'll be visiting your blogs to get caught up!!

Happy Wednesday!

From Drawing to Print

I should have titled this: "From pretty drawing to a somewhat scary print." Or intense print...

Today was a busy, busy day for me with preparing this image for my last print for my current etching class. It helps me to first draw the portrait I want to use before I flip the image horizontally and then paint it onto the copper plate with this stuff called "white ground" or "soap ground." Basically, where the white ground is thick, the acid won't bite as much. So, depending on how you apply it, you can get a nice range of values.

After I had finished painting, I packed up everything I needed and went to the print studio, where I prepared a lovely acid bath for this pretty lady. And, voilà, after only seven minutes - all etched!

I love the colorful reflection in this photo!

I had to print a proof immediately and also transfer the image to a second copper plate so I can prepare a background as a next step.

The print is a little dark and I can see where I didn't wipe the ink quite enough. Also, when I print her in color rather than black, she'll lighten up quite a bit. The background? Something lacy I think... to go with my previous "doily print."

While the print isn't quite as sweet as the drawing, I love how she changed personality in the print. She looks so much more determined!

And because many of my blog friends participate in Sunday Sketches, I decided I would, too. I may  not have time to visit everyone there at the moment, but it looks like a great group of people, and I think my quick drawing qualifies as a sketch.

Wishing you all a beautiful Sunday evening, a good night and a fantastic start to the new week!

Blog Stats!

Some blog stats today that amaze me...

Number of posts: 743 

WOW! I never thought I had this much to show and tell. Ever! Or that I'd stick with it.

Over the last  (almost) three years, I have shared 150 pieces of art with you (!!), plus knitting, crocheting, sewing, cooking, baking, pics from around Savannah, our home, travel photos, family photos and simply my thoughts on many things. And you have come back again and again. Thank you!

Loyal Readers: 419

Ok, now I know not all of you read my blog every day and that some who signed up early on probably forgot that my blog even exists, but still. WOW! So grateful!!!

And here it comes. The number that had me do a double take and then stare at the computer with eyes wide in disbelief:

Published Comments: 12,695

I know I'm repeating myself, but WOW! Can this be true?!

A print in progress.
The background was created using an airbrush
with soap ground over a doily stencil.
And then etched, of course, and printed.
I just love the soft edge of the lace!!

To say I am humbled and grateful would be an understatement. How is this possible? That I still have more to say and show you? That you keep coming back to visit? From all over the world? That you keep commenting? That new readers find what I have to offer interesting and of value? That longtime readers haven't gotten tired of me yet? And that because of this blog, my creations have traveled the world...

I'm blown away! This most definitely calls for a giveaway in the very near future!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

You are THE BEST!!

Synchronicity

I love when things happen that are not at all connected, but then again maybe they are. I'd like to think they maybe everything is much more connected than we think... 

When I first started this current etching class, on my way to and from school, I started listening to the audio book "The Serpent on the Crown," number 17 in my favorite ever audio book series by Elisabeth Peters. I listened to the first one (Crocodile on the Sandbank) 17 years ago and will probably listen to all of them again at some point in the future. They are set in Egypt around the turn of the 20th century and narrated by the amazing Barbara Rosenblat, who is a true artist when it comes of different voices and accents! 

Every time before I get to class, I am immersed in archaeological excavations with a good murder mystery added to the mix. So I thought I was still not yet quite present in class when my professor mentioned an international juried student print show that was happening in Egypt, at El Minia University in March.

Egypt. Really. Weird coincidence, right?!

She urged us all to enter. The show had stringent print size restrictions, so I printed both of these on eastern paper (the Japanese Kitakata paper), which is super thin but you can print right up to the edge of the paper. Beautiful, warm, luminous, and incredibly delicate.

Both of these prints were accepted - along with many other beautiful prints by other students from the print program - and are going to be traveling to Egypt! And if they don't sell, they will become part of their permanent collection.

My art.

Going to Egypt.

Some day Daniel and I will, too... 

Some thoughts...

Yesterday, something fairly insignificant happened that got me thinking. I was wearing a pair of shoes and suddenly one of the heels was falling apart. At first I couldn't believe it, but given that I bought these shoes probably 20 years ago, they were due to fall apart. 

As I threw them out, I said to Daniel: "Good riddance! They were always uncomfortable." 

That made me think. How often do we do that? Stay with something that is slightly (or even very) uncomfortable, just because it is familiar. I have certainly done that. In fact I still do sometimes. It also reminded me of a passage in Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach I was reading the other day:

"Our dragons are our fears: our day stalkers, our night sweats. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of starting something new and not finishing it. Again. Or the real fear, the one the sends shivers up our spines: the fear of succeeding, of becoming our authentic selves and facing the changes that will inevitably bring. We might not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it's safely familiar."

I am totally happy with the life I am living now, and I realize that that is the result of many small and big changes. I have known plenty of anxiety attacks (and still do on rare occasions), but somehow my inner voice was always just a tiny bit louder. I didn't always listen, but the good thing is it never gives up!

The reason this is especially on my mind these days is that I have a number of friends who are in that unsettled place right now where change is inevitable and looks so very scary!

It could be the best thing ever, but when we are in that frightening place, we cannot imagine that things could ever be good again. We certainly cannot imagine that this change that is happening to us could bring something even better! I'm sure we've all been there. I know I have.

And another thing I know for sure - without those scary moments, without listening to my inner voice even though I was going into uncharted territory, without surrendering to the changes that were happening in my life, I would never have started making art, living my creative life, never have started blogging and would never have met you all.

First print of a new etching in progress - love it so far!!
I thought the Lara painting would make a good print!

And when I see where that has taken me, how my life hasn't only been changed but completely transformed,  I know that wonderful things are in store for my friends, too, and all really who are facing unsettling changes and are courageous enough to take the first small step.

Which brings me back to my uncomfortable shoes that were falling apart ... good riddance, indeed!

Works in Progress

First of all, thank you for all your comments lately! I love this exchange we've got going here in blogland!! 

Well, I've been busy...

With this sketch above (on another square canvas), I am trying to draw and then paint a woman looking down. I am not sure how I'll manage to have her eyes not look like they are simply closed. Any suggestions? If they end up looking closed, I'm sure it'll still look good. She looks so inward right now, and a little sad.

This lovely, on the other hand, is wide awake and somehow looks expectant. Or something. I'll be eager to see how she develops when I start with the underpainting.

And ... FINALLY ... I've painted another portrait onto a copper plate to etch this afternoon. Lara is becoming a layered print! I'm not sure yet what to do with the background plate(s). Any suggestions?

Well, it's a cold day here and I'm enjoying it in my warm and snug little studio.

I hope you are having a great Monday as well!!

And to all my German friends and readers: Ich wünsche euch einen wunderschönen Rosenmontag!!

Firmly in the grip of art

This morning, I started painting fairly early and I just now realized how much time had gone by. There's not much else I can get as lost in, where time seems to stand still and my focus becomes so clear and intense. 

Lara is taking on shape and I like where this is going. I am really starting to love doing an underpainting with just burnt sienna and titanium white. It really helps me see the lights and darks without different colors in the mix. Next step is color. Maybe this afternoon!

Simultaneously, I am also working on this little painting. Truly little, on a 5 x 5 inch deep canvas (a recycled flower painting). She's going to be beautiful, I think...

I also framed two of the prints (both are No. 5 out of 6 of the editions) for an upcoming show at school. I love how wonderful art can look when it's framed. And with these it's so easy because the paper border serves as the matte! 

Blue
9 x 12 inch intaglio print (on 12 x 16 inch German Etching paper)
Available in my Etsy Shop

And lastly, a simple print of little Rowan in blue ink. My professor had gotten new ink that can be cleaned up without a solvent (much better for the environment) and wanted me to try it out on this copper plate. There was something so sweet about this print, I decided to pull an edition of three.

I usually don't do two posts in one day, but I couldn't wait. Sharing here in the blog world adds an extra layer of deliciousness to living a creative life. Don't you agree?!

Rowan - a new print

This print has been a couple of weeks in the making. It has gone through several stages and finally this one is very close to the finished Artist Proof. I have spent many hours at the print shop last week and will again this afternoon and I am so thrilled with how this turned out! Somehow quite sweet and just a little creepy...

I've been thinking how much my life has changed in the last three years just by opening myself up to a more creative life. This morning I reread my very first blog post and remembered how I struggled to make just a little bit of time every week to make art or something creative.

Having the blog helped me - somehow I had to have things to show to all of you. Now, I have the opposite problem - I could make art from sunup to sundown and sometimes struggle to find time for all the other things I like to do. I'm taking classes, I'm making my own art and I find that this creativity has permeated every facet of my life.

Rowan
9 x 12 inch intaglio print (on 12 x 16 inch German Etching paper)

And all of that in three short years of finally paying attention to my inner voice. I witness that same phenomenon among many of us - when we start listening to those quiet (yet persistent) inner voices, there's no limit to what we can do - no matter what our age or where we are at in life!

Wishing you an amazing day!!

What clears my mind...

Yesterday, I was going to go to the print studio, but somehow I wasn't clear how to proceed with this new project. So I decided to bake and cook - for some reason that organizes my mind while feeding the senses (and the belly).

Do you see the chewed off corner? Our first dog, Moe (a great dane/dalmation mix) ate everything when he was a puppy, including books. Back then it annoyed us, but now we both feel wistful when cooking from this book.
A sweet reminder of a truly great dog! 

I cooked for the weekend and for company tonight. I made James McNair's Puerto Rican Rice and Chicken, which is one of my favorite recipes and best when made a day ahead. Total comfort food with complex flavors and a little bit of a kick! When I have a little more time, I'll share the recipe with you.

I also made a batch of my favorite biscotti and will share this recipe with you soon. It's super easy and delicious!!

This are the corners I cut off when cutting the biscotti. Those don't bake twice. They are for eating immediately - and that's exactly what happened...

For dinner last night (veggie soup), I tried a new recipe for whole wheat no knead breadsticks that I found here. I wanted to find a breadstick recipe that doesn't use white flour and this is a keeper. It calls for 3 to 3 1/2 cups of flower, but I don't think I used more than 2 3/4 cups. The dough was soft and baked up perfectly.

Easy to make and incredibly delicious, especially to a bread lover like me... Before baking, I brushed them with egg white and sprinkled them with sea salt. Yum!! (I won't even tell you how many I ate...)

And I made another batch of Caponata, an Italian eggplant appetizer. I'll have to share that recipe with you as well! It's easy to make and so very good!! That, too, is for tonight. It benefits from sitting for a day and having the flavors come together.

All this cooking brought me clarity on how to proceed with my next print. This girl is dark and mysterious and flowers and the bubble wrap stamps didn't seem to fit her. Then, it became clear. On one of the background plates I will paint bare tree branches that surround her. And the other background plate will have different patterns.

For those patterns, I made a couple of different stamps by gluing beans and lentils onto cardboard with molding paste. I also have a natural sponge with an interesting pattern and rubber bands around a brayer. All of these I will apply to the copper with sugar solution to create stencils that will then be etched. Each plate will then be printed again in a different color.

She'll be different from the first print, but in my mind, she's already just as beautiful!

Here's to good food, creative fun, and all of you!!

A New Print

Finally, this etching and print came together exactly how I had envisioned...

I was so tempted to post earlier pictures (I can never wait to share things with you!), but the colors weren't quite right - all but the blue are hand mixed - and there were things about the copper plates I needed to fix.

But Thursday and yesterday I printed an edition of six prints and every one of them is beautiful!

Truly, this time around, the whole process was a joy for me.

Every print took at least 30 minutes to prepare and print, which would have stressed me out last quarter, but not this time. I loved it!

I printed all of them on German Etching paper made by Hahnemühle - the most luscious paper, it's so thick and soft and the warm tone really makes the print beautiful.

I wanted to take pictures of the three copper plates (this print was done in layers) when they were inked and wiped, but I got so caught up in the process that I kept forgetting. So at the very end I remembered my camera and thought I'd get a few pictures of the ink and the plates.

The copper plate above is the portrait I started out with and the one below has the red background, for which I used a process called sugar lift. It basically works like a stencil to lift out the areas I want to have etched by the acid. Those etched areas are the ones that end up holing ink and printing. The patterns I got by using bubble wrap, shelf liner and scrunched up packing paper. The face you see on it is just a ghost image of ink that transfered onto the plate during the printing process.

For last plate with the flower garland I again used the sugar lift method, this time not stamped but painted onto the plate. For those of you more interested in all of this, click here for some great explanations and photos.

The photo below I took simply because I loved the colors. Those are the tarlatan cloths I used to wipe the excess ink of my plates. In the background are all the yummy etching inks...

Now, I'm already thinking of the next image as I want this to be a series of layered portraits.

Today, I'm hoping to do some drawing and painting for which I haven't had much time lately.

Life is good. I hope for you as well!!