Crown Point Press #3

Here are some pics of Crown Point Press. Eye candy for you printmakers reading this! Down-draft tables make spit-biting with nitric safe, tall copper wiping tables are warmed from below, large copper covered hot plates make rolling on ground a breeze, and an unbelievable selection of colored inks to choose from. Wow!

Entry

Crown Point Studio

Crown point studio

down draft spit-bite table

Aquatint Box

Acid bath

Chine colle and ball ground stations

Ball ground station, hard/soft grounds

Ink mixing station

Inking station

Drying rack

Clean up

Crown Point Press Workshop #2

The next prints involved a number of processes – all ones I had hoped to learn more about. Spit bite, chine colle, and multiple plates were used to make these prints. I liked Crown Point’s registration process a lot – and the full-image chine colle was fantastic. By the end of the workshop I was feeling pretty confident about both. The last plate I worked on was a ‘back side’ plate (the accidentally bitten back of a worked plate). Just for fun, I masked images off with a sharpie, then used spit-bite to create the sky-like tone. Later, I printed it with gampi (chine colle) and the velvety texture of the aquatint really came out (and I also added a lace texture with soft-ground and a figure with dry-point

Crown Point Press Workshop

I just arrived from San Francisco – after a 5-day workshop at Crown Point Press. Can’t say enough about the quality of the shop, and the knowledge of the printers. I’ll be bringing much of what I learned into my studio practice over the next few months. Here are a few of the prints that I worked on. My focus was on learning/trying various processes, rather than aiming to get a finished piece. The first series is based on my view through the Caltrain window on my way into San Francisco. I was able to print the photo at the hotel, and brought it with me the first day. I used a soap ground to create the dried water shapes in the foreground (or something similar). I aquatinted the plate first, which led to the soap spreading in a different way (jagged and more spread out) than if I had reversed the order (which is what is generally done). Later in the week, I experimented with various colors, and adding transparent base to the inks (applied a la poupe)

Window

Back to Earth…

A good turn out for the Bite show. Our studio is only open for one evening a month (first Friday). Always a big push to get the show ready, then a fun evening, then back to Earth. Wondering if there will be a way in the future to keep these shows up for the entire month – somewhere. Meanwhile, if any one reading this would like to see the show – I’d be happy to unlock the door for you.

I’m posting the last few prints that I pulled. “Clarity/Hilarity” – the idea came to me while coming back from a silent retreat about 2 weeks ago, this version is the ‘ghost’ print of an earlier pull. “Heavy” – hoping to portray just that (sugarlift/aquatint). “Family” the first state of this plate that I’m editioning (only 5). Also a few images of the work on the walls. I’m happy with the framing/matting of these small prints. Nice to see it all up. Cameron Thomson and MaryAnn Puls had some sweet work as well. Oh, hilight may have been when Xena came to visit.

Clarity Hilarity Memory

Heavy

States of Mind No1

Floating Above Haze

Family, edition 1/5

Just when you thought you knew me…

Last spring I made a print called Edwards park. In it, an intriguing man (I later met, named Jaybird) was playing didgeridoo. In my print, he’s levitating, and a curved, back-and-forth line shows that. The power of that line stayed with me. And I got an idea for it a few weeks ago. If you know my work, you’ve seen plein air paintings, and imaginative/weird etchings. In both cases, either there are figures or landscapes. Well now, neither! However, if you’ve really looked at my work you’ve read words, and have seen gestural lines. So, here’s a toast to paths that take us to new places…

This adventure began with “The Beginning”. Then I continued with “states of mind” as my theme – working with the same small plates (about 4.5″x4.5″). I juxtapose them, brought in some color, and ended up trying some new (to me) techniques like multiple plate printing, soft-ground, and sugarlift. The plate with words was made with reverse metal type that I hammered into the plate letter by letter. Hope you enjoy.

Edwards Park

The Beginning (Levity)

Floating Open

States of Mind no2

Floating Above Orange

Adding Levity Blue

More on Seahorse, frontside monoprints, and a new plate

The Seahorse print continues along. Posted here after aquatint #2.

The Seahorse is a backside print (see postings below). The etching on the other side was never editioned, but, I did pull a couple of monoprints. Guardians nos 1&2 was based on a vivid dream I had while sleeping in a spooky, mouse-infested cabin. Posted now, because I realized I kind of like them, and now I have pics!

And last. A new plate. Think it will be titled “Incident at the Beach”. Posted here, the first aquatint, and an exploratory monoprint.

Caring for the Seahorse (in progress)

Guardians no1 monoprint

Guardian no2 monoprint

Incident at the Beath, early state

Incident at the Beach, monoprint

Etching continues…

I began these backside plates a few weeks ago (see prior post). Here is how things stand now. I’ve defined the figures with an open bite and added an initial aquatint to the Sea Horse Returns plate. To inform what I do next (and have some instant gratification) I’ve also played with some monoprints – here are two. I’m imagining the jester carrying the sea horse to a party/meeting in a dark forest. The bananahead is either experiencing dimensional distortions or reminiscing about a Blazer’s game. We’ll see….

Bananahead second monoprint

Sea Horse Returns monoprint #1

Sea Horse Returns first aquatint

Tulips. Tulips move.

Perhaps the final flower painting of the spring? Wondering why I continue to dive into full-blown, sweat-it-out paintings when perhaps I should be painting sweet sketches. So often the greatest beauty of a painting is found in its initial strokes. Anyway. It is what it is. My first try at painting tulips ended in a wreck – stripey tulips that while beautiful, opened their petals wide and spun around every day. I tried ice in the water (to no avail). Then, I tried some different ones that were much more placid, and seemed to want to be painted.

This is painted over “good karma day”. The third image shows a ghost image of that, and a ghost image of the first attempt at painting the uncooperative tulips (note: often being uncooperative is a very good thing). A very eery, ghost of a painting!

Struggled with this one more than most. Found it hard to stay loose. Worked in probably 4-hour shifts over the week. Interesting to paint so many reds – impossible to match the color of red in the sun. Will I head outside soon? Back to the print studio?……

16″ x 20″ oil, Open-Close

detail

Early state, after wipeout – ghost image

Just can’t get enough…

Painting flowers lately. Only ones I, or friends pick. Really like white daffodils – (do you have any?). The second painting in this set was painted as a demonstration/artist in the store-window, at Muse Art Supply in Portland. As one of 30 painters (one every day during April), this painting and all the others are offered for silent auction, ending May 15 (I think). Here’s the link…Muse An Artist A Day. Be sure to check out the blog/pics. I’m not sure where this all will lead. But, I do know that I am loving diving back in to the oils, and am (probably) priming myself for painting outside : ) Oh, there is writing scratched into all of these that you can’t really see here.

Good Karma Day

Peter Brought the Currents

Blue Blue Blue

Daffodils

While I’ve painted a few imagination/memory driven paintings recently. This is my first painting from life this year. While, perhaps, I should have expected it – I found it challenging to remain focused for more than an hour or so at a time. I prevailed over a few days, the daffodils were steadfast (long-lasting!) in posture, and beauty. I worked the background quite a bit. I wiped it away a few times – and liked the effect. I wrote in pencil on the canvas, here and there. Writing as I work helps me stay immersed in what I’m doing, and stay focused on the process and emotion.

I’m posting three stages, and my palette. A few years ago I bought this old changing table for a song, and I just covered the top with a lovely piece of glass. I’ve never had such a large area for mixing paint. Quite nice…. One last thing, the painting is on a knobby organic hemp that I’m kinda diggin.