"Apart"

Last linocut of 2011.

This print is part of the Multiverse exchange at the SGCI 2012 New Orleans conference.

I originally intended to carve this relief print out of sintra, which is what I tend to prefer, but the deadline was closer than it should have been due to my procrastination, so I opted for linoleum, which is faster and easier to carve but loses sharpness sometimes.

I'm new to hair.  To be honest, my fear of drawing hair is a little unfounded and embarrassing at this point in my career, but there it is.  I'm trying to force myself to include more hair in my pieces now, just to get over it.  Straight hair I think I have down pretty well now, but I don't know about curly hair.

This linocut is printed on a blue hemp washi, purchased from Hiromi Paper, and then chine colle-d onto Rives BFK.

LA Art Show, 2012

This is going to be my most name dropping blog post ever.

I printed up a mess of prints at the LA Art Show as part of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society. The IFPDA sponsored us to come and demonstrate printmaking to the audience of collectors and looky-loos at the Art Show. It was lots of fun, and I was lucky enough to find a purchaser for two of my large sculptural prints. And that means they take up less space in my loft and I can make more sculptures soon.

Jason and I at the premiere party

At the premiere party, I met Kim Coates (who plays Tig, the sergeant of arms) from Sons of Anarchy. He and his wife were completely charming in a way that I found surprising because I'm still such a naif that I expect actors to be somewhat like the characters they play.

David Caruso listened to my spiel and watched me print for a bit, but I didn't know what to say to him because I only know CSI: Miami from watching the Soup and when they'd film on my old campus.

Printmaker David Lefner, Shyla, and myself at the premiere party

Showing the heavy embossment to some onlookers

Plates to print

My figures, from the piece

"I don't like that, I've never liked that" on display.

Printing with the artist Dirk Hagner

Here are the three prints I made especially for the LA Art Show.

They are relief monoprints: I carved a relief silhouette, and then selectively inked it. I'm really happy with how they came out and am now printing the three plates together on a full size sheet of BFK.

The Catman and Woodcut Workshop

I have this character that is a my go-to for when I need to draw something quickly for a demonstration (see my Viscosity prints, for instance). I just finished up a woodcut workshop, and I had spent hours drawing out a beautiful bird carcass to use as the demo for the class and then I realized, an hour before the students were due to arrive, that I wouldn't have time to draw and carve the whole image and that using a really complex image would only freak out the students. So, the Catman. I drew the image minutes before the class started and was able to carve him inbetween helping the students. We used pine, which was horrid, but it was only fair that I made something with the same wood that they were using.

I printed him on white washi, a wretched Pepto pink paper as a kiss print (using the ghost ink as a gray, partially ink only a selected area), on fabric from the scrap bin, and with a little monotype overlay.