Moss Creek Journal

research and new viewpoints can affect everything known

2012-03-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

I like it when research and new viewpoints seemingly comes out of "nowhere." A recent post on the Kietchel Fine Art blog bought this to my attention and I pass it on to you my friend and art collector. The effort of a small group in David City, Nebraska--the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art-- is reshaping the national discussion of art history.

ARTiculations, the Smithsonian’s art blog dedicated to giving an “impassioned view of what’s worth looking at,” recently reviewed the Dale Nichols show organized by the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art. The show is currently on view at the Georgia Museum of Art before moving to the Montgomery Museum of Art March 17.

Dr. Henry Adams writes in the blog, “It’s impressive that such a small community has produced an ambitious exhibition and book of this scale, roughly on a par with those produced by America’s largest museums. More than that, the show shows the virtue of bringing new viewpoints into the discourse of art history, for seemingly without intending to do so—with seeming artlessness—the catalog explodes most of what we’ve been told about Regionalist American art of the 1930s and shows that we should take another look at what was actually going on.”

Click to Read more.....

award

2012-01-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

38th Annual Membership Exhibition,

Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art,

2818 Frederick Avenue,

St. Joseph, Missouri

Eighty-seven member artists from

Atchison

Lawrence

Lenexa

Leona

Wichita

~~ KANSAS ~~

and

Albany

Brookfield

Carrollton

Chilicothe

Columbia

Dearborn

Independence

Kansas City

and
Lees' Summit

Marceline

Maryville

Mound City

Osborn

Overland park

Plattsburg

St. Joseph

Trenton

~~ MISSOURI ~~

In the category of printmaking,

there were thirteen entries.

Afternoon Shade by Karl Marxhausen
was awarded Second Place ribbon

in the printmaking category. The five block color
linocut is framed in a white mat, with monogram
in the lower right corner.

The exhibit run January 21 to February 26, 2012.
For entire award listing, click HERE

rig made ready

2012-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

A week after making the masa ready, I gave attention to my paper registration guides (right). Double click on images to make larger.

I planned for both the small and large reduction linocut blocks to have a 3 inch border. Could I fashion wood to make the rig units I needed?

With a yardstick and pencil, I went outside to gather materials from my wood shed, and a handsaw to cut with. My storage shed, once a studio, built by me, housed tools.

A narrow lath board would be glued to a 2 x 1 pine board to make the vertical side of the rig. A single lath board would make the horizontal side.

After sawing, each of the eight inch lengths were made even with sandpaper.

Before applying glue I scored the side with a piece of steel (left).

The vertical and horizontal units were glued separately.

After the wood glue dried I discovered the rig units were taller than the depth of the lino blocks.

By clenching each rig unit between my shoes I was able to saw units in half length wise. Left, you can see the rig is lower than the thickness of the block. I scored the wood pieces, glued the two units together, and waited for them to dry. Then I gave the dried rig a coat of Polyacrylic. (So that any ink smudges could be wiped off, during the printing process.)

Finished rig in my hand.

I re-measured the vertical registration guides and found two of them to be off by half an inch. So I snapped them off the board, scored the board, and glued them the distance I wanted. Now the guides are even.

L-shaped rig set beside the registration guides.

An inked up lino block snug against the new rig.

seed corn

2012-01-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Pioneer seed dealer John McKenzie and his wife Janise acquired the plein air canvas entitled "Morning Corn." The owner of Mack Inc is an avid Nebraska Corn Husker football fan. Double click on painting to see larger.

new tutoriel - kitchen litho - Émilie Aizier Brouard

2012-01-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

my friend emily says:

"Bonne année à tous et bonne chance en 2012 !"
"Happy New Year and good luck in 2012 !"
"¡ Feliz año nuevo y buena suerte en el 2012 !"

Watch her Nouveau / Nuevo / New tutoriel video, thirteen minutes (above) Emily shares new tips and tricks, like a glass of coke, and using a brush to erase some spots.

Émilion

http://www.art-emilion.fr

Émilie Aizier Brouard

46, rue de la Dauvergne
86000 POITIERS
09 54 70 82 67 / 06 66 12 27 15

making masa ready

2012-01-15T04:26:00.000-08:00

My paper order arrived from New York City. The masa came in standard sheets measuring 21 by 31 inches. (above) For my next project I require sizes 12 by 10 inches and 18 by 15 inches. Steel ruler in hand I measured each sheet, made pencil marks, and tore the sheets to the needed sizes. The uneven torn edge is important to that project. Click on 3 minute video.

Masa is a white paper, made by machine out of 100% sulphite. Sulphite is a chemical wood-pulp obtained by cutting wood into small pieces and cooking it with calcium bisulphate or sodium sulphite to remove natural resins and break down the cellulose fibers. While sulphite does have a short fiber, it increases bulk, softness, and absorbency, which are important qualities for a variety of techniques. Masa has a neutral pH. It is smooth on one side with a light texture on the other. It weighs 77 gsm. To give you an idea of its weight, tracing paper is 30 gsm, a standard bond eucalyptus paper used for typing is 75 gsm, and a heavy etching paper such as Rives or Arches is typically 250 gsm. When hand printing is used, lighter weight sheets are easier to burnish and transfer more ink from the plate or block. (courtesy of New York Central Fine Art Papers, 62 Third Avenue, New York, New York, www.nycentralartsupply.com, accessed January 19, 2012)

Next, comes adjustments to my registration guides.

matis music

2012-01-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Matisyahu is a favorite of mine.
King Without A Crown, with lyrics, four minutes, click HERE More on hasidic reggae singer Matisyahu, click HERE.

free spirit

2012-01-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

In the new year 2012, I have been enjoying music by the tUnE-yArDs.

Watch video of You Yes You, four minutes (above).
More works by Merill Garbus, click HERE
More about her, click HERE
http://www.tune-yards.com/
Watching her sing on stage reminds me of my second year in college.

Being an art student I put together and pulled off a few "free spirited events."
The year was 1975. I was enrolled in the Centennial Educational Program, while at the University of Nebraska, in Lincoln.

One Saturday morning I staged an impromtu happening in the Nebraska Student Union lounge. My roommate Bob Winkler (above) and I stacked blocks of scrap wood and invited others to do the same.
This was what an art student with lots of zeal did when he was out on his own. The memories do not stop there.

Our dorm room on the second floor of Love Hall became an art project itself. From the paper strips that hung from the ceiling (right) to the flattened refrigerator cardboard boxes

boxes I dragged from off-campus and lined our walls (left). To draw and build on, of course. Obviously influenced from the "basement wall" I grew up with in my parents' house. (See a clip of their wall, click HERE.)

Friday nights when students were out visiting their friends on our floor, Bob and I talked fellow students to enter our room to see the hung ceiling and watch their response to it. That same year 1975, I had found a way to pull the paint layer out from our room wall. Very carefully I stuffed portions with small piece of tissue and resealed it (left and below).

Here is another memory about Centennial. That same year I organized, scripted and filmed a 40 minute super-8 movie as an independent study project at Centennial. The story followed a traveling salesman as he went from room-to-room with his suitcase. Each room presented a different odd scene. He met a scuba diver, a troupe of human flowers, a foosball champion, and many others. Fellow students in Centennial were asked for their ideas and many acted in the film. All the scenes were shot within Centennial. My advisor gave me full credit for it.

Centennial was in the (north) Love Hall end of the John G. Neihardt Residential Center. I remember setting up a number of "peoples concerts" to showcase the musical talent from our dorm and the Neihardt complex. I borrowed sound equipment from the Nebraska Union. There was a concert held in the Neihardt snackbar in the basement of our dorm, and one in the lounge of Raymond Hall, because it had a grand piano there. There was a concert also in the South Crib Room of the Nebraska Student Union. Here is a list of some of that talent. (I have added current available links where I could find them.) Jon Swift on guitar, Tim Roper 1 and 2 on violin, Jeff Binder 1 and 2, Ray Walden on piano, Jim Williams on piano, Rick Nelson on guitar, Tim Booth on piano, Vicky Thomson on piano, Dave Mosley on piano, Steve Petersen on guitar, Pat Collins on guitar, Brian Nyquist vocals, Mark Willy on piano, Bob Popek, Jeff Taebel 1 and 2 on guitar and 3, Paul Marxhausen 1 and 2 on guitar, myself on piano, and others.

One more memory.
(below) That's me kneeling on pages torn from

a discarded phone book. (In photo, Jon Swift is seated second from left, and Tim Roper seated just above my kneeling figure) In the darkened space Dan Swinarski (above, left) cast light on the dancing strips of paper for all to see.
With a free spirit and in total silence, the community watched and enjoyed the spontaneity of the event.

try to do the kitchen litho

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

The last few days I had been gearing up to this. It was my turn to try "Kitchen Lithography." The video looked pretty straight forward. You simply gathered your materials, followed the steps, and you would have an inexpensive way to make repeatable hand-burnished prints. These would be items you could find in your kitchen, such as aluminum foil, oil, and water. (Double click on images to see larger)

Well, there was more to the process than the video shows. See the results of my first try, above. That was Friday evening after work.

The next morning, Saturday, I went online to learn more. There were several folks trying to unlock the steps to the same video. I picked up some tips from the kitchen litho thread posted at Inkteraction (http://www.inkteraction.ning.com). As a result I went out to buy an 8 inch aluminum flashing at Warren Lumber in our town. It was 85 cents per foot. I also bought 220 grit wet sandpaper and some heavy duty aluminum foil. That afternoon, after three hours of labor, here are the images I produced.

I was unhappy with these images.
Let me show you some of the process.

(Above) Heavy duty foil, taped to backside of a pan, wet sanded with 220 grit sandpaper, flushed with water, blown dry with hair dyer, vinegar sensitized, dried, litho crayon drawn image, spritzed with water sprayer, skimmed very lightly with sponge, slowly inked with brayer (thin layer of oil paint), spritzed with water, skimmed lightly with sponge, inked again.

One secret is the 5 to 7 second coke etch, which is quickly rinsed with water. Click on short video.

I was used to working with water soluble products. Working with oil paint got my hands all messy. One useful tip was to wash my hands with toothpaste and that did the trick. I discovered that canola oil and a paper towel easily removed the oil paint on foil and the plexiglass plate I had underneath the flashing. A pair of disposable rubber gloves kept my hands clean. Click on video.

One Iowa participant, Aaron Scott, said that areas can be reworked, re-etched, and cleaned up. When my energy ran out Saturday afternoon, I gave it up. I would like to learn more. In the future I want to read more about the successes and get more tips from the online KLF club (Kitchen Litho Frustration club).

Best efforts yet. Used petroleum jelly on prepared aluminum flashing.
Double click on images.

See what others are saying about Kitchen Litho below.
+
http://poppenga.blogspot.com/2011/11/aluminum-foil-etching.html

http://www.printeresting.org/2011/09/17/viva-los-videos-kitchen-lithography/

http://ldeandyment-soiwasthinking.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-attempt-at-kitchen-lithography.html

http://smidgeonpress.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/kitchen-litho-a-non-toxic-print-process-for-your-home<
+
http://poppenga.blogspot.com/2011/12/kitchen-lithography-once-again.html?showComment=1324855644363#c2323348013237230082

2011-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Jesus made it possible for feelings of rejection and being unwanted to leave me. I had been born with clubfeet. That is, my baby legs had no heels, they stretched out down to the toes. Through the years those internal feelings followed me and shaped my life.
A friend Larry asked Jesus to heal those emotional wounds in me. In a time of tears and grief, Jesus held me in his arms and let me cry. He replaced that grief with a rootedness, a sense of being loved by him. I was not unwanted, I belong to him. He brought a calm into my little heart, in my grown up adult body. And he brought a rest that was not there before.
Larry said the prayer for me. But Jesus healed the wound. (Gardena, California, 1989 entry)

The tendency to judge yourself without mercy--to have difficulty having fun--to take yourself very seriously--I could relate to that.

Learning about co-dependency opened my eyes. Patterns of thinking were glued to my being. They described my life choices exactly. They seemed like unbreakable walls.

The wall breaker comes to cradle and nourish. He touches my life through people, through counsel, through hands-on prayer, letting me cry without embarrassment, without ridicule, without shame, and the embrace goes deeper than deep. It is silver. It moves the internal landscape. The restless architecture is given outside strength and joy emerges, laughter spills out, the brittle meaness softens.

Jesus led me across the LBI campus to Guy's apartment. To exercise the next step in the New Hope program, I would share "all the things I know I had done wrong to people," I would disclose them to another human being. Guy was just another student who sat in the same classes as me, someone I did not know well. He knew Jesus and he did listen to my long list of mistakes. What I remember the MOST was the hug at the end. When I did, I began to cry and all the tears came out. He did not pull away from me. I was so embarrassed to soak his shirt with tears. Guy said it was ok. And so I just stood there crying on his shoulder. It was like Jesus was holding me and it was a safe place to cry.
Jesus became very real to me in THOSE MOMENTS!!! He was not ashamed of me or my behavior. He let me pour out my heart. And after all that crying there came a peace. (Anaheim, California 1988 entry)

In Isaiah this morning (chapter 40 verse 11) God comes to every person as a shepherd to cradle his young lambs. He comes to settle the anxiety and the restlessness that bears no name, that is glued to my being.

Joy expressed in my life these past twenty years came out of his nurture and cradling. Enjoying life, enjoying my job, enjoying painting, enjoying assemblages, enjoying singing and humming and playing guitar, making melody, enjoying cooking, enjoying bike rides, enjoying people, being open, being myself, enjoying times in his presence, caught off guard when he taps my shoulder, enjoying the fingerprints of his knowledge that scientists have recently published,
laughing, and cracking up; going easier on myself, and telling him he is remarkable.

He paints this value of himself ON TOP OF ME. the architecture laughs, the brittleness sings, the rusty kettle blogs yes.

You Paint Joy On Top Of Me by Karl Marxhausen, 40 by 40 inches, sand and acrylic paint on panel
Elsewhere art exhibit, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. November 6th to December 2nd, 2011

2011-11-30T04:36:00.000-08:00

prayer had been said for me, tears had flowed as i laid on betty's living room carpet. at one point larry was asking me to speak simple words with my lips. i could not do it. i would not do it. my jaw was clenched. the muscles stubborn. my mind heard his request. my body was unwilling. weird, right? after many mental tries, the words were eventually formed and spoken, "jesus is lord."

there have been times in my faith walk when the unexpected happened. like, loosing my ability to walk, walking woozy at mc donalds, being drunk with no substances in my system, and falling down on the floor in the front of the church with other parishioners, during ministry time. The king james bible records roman solders falling down like dead men at the tomb where jesus was buried. daniel, ezekiel, and john all fell down like dead men. it has happened to me, while being in the presence of one i could not see.

but---letting tears roll, having muscles twitch and jerk, feeling repeat contractions in my chest and legs, the grunts and groans, laying on the carpet while the unseen interfaces with you---is all worth the release, healing, and calm that follows. unexplainable, yes. illogical, very. irrational, of course. still, it is biblical. the risen jesus and his holy interface is a reality. coming undone and unraveling in his presence is blessed.

there is no one-time fix. that has not been my experience. mine has been a path where one is unwilling yet led. where a choice of yes comes with prompts from an outside source. a unnatural relationship. he breaks in and brings sanity to my life. everyone who calls upon this lord will be made sane. i am the one found clothed in my right mind.

Unraveling In His Embrace by Karl Marxhausen, 36 by 48 inches, acrylic on canvas.

Elsewhere art exhibit, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. November 6th to December 2nd, 2011

2011-11-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

In 1987 my wife and I were headed out to the state of California, when my mother in Nebraska gave me this advice: seek out information about Adult Children of Alcohlics. And I did.

1. Adult children of alcoholics guess at what normal behavior is.
2. Adult children of alcoholics have difficulty following a project through from beginning to end.
3. Adult children of alcoholics lie when it would be just as easy to tell the truth.
4. Adult children of alcoholics judge themselves without mercy.
5. Adult children of alcoholics have difficulty having fun.
6. Adult children of alcoholics take themselves very seriously.
7. Adult children of alcoholics have difficulty with intimate relationships.
8. Adult children of alcoholics overreact to changes over which they have no control.
9. Adult children of alcoholics constantly seek approval and affirmation.
10. Adult children of alcoholics usually feel that they are different from other people.
11. Adult children of alcoholics are super responsible or super irresponsible.
12. Adult children of alcoholics are extremely loyal, even in the face of evidence that the loyalty is undeserved.
13. Adult children of alcoholics are impulsive.
They tend to lock themselves into a course of action without giving serious consideration to alternative behaviors or possible consequences.
This impulsively leads to confusion, self-loathing and loss of control over their environment.
In addition, they spend an excessive amount of energy cleaning up the mess.

(Characteristics of Adult Children of Alcoholics, by Janet Woititz 1983 courtesy of http://www.coachmaria.com/12steps.html, accessed Nov 20, 2011)

While living in southern California and going to school at the Lutheran Bible Institute of Anaheim, I attended an evening New Hope program at a church. I learned about codependency in a christian setting and followed the 12 step program.
In 2011 when I look at "my walls" that were dealt with, there is nothing "simple" about them.

hide the pain
don't feel
don't share
fake it
crippled at birth
feeling unworthy

feeling unwanted
feeling abandoned
shamed
ugly
labled
being belittled

"you don't have the brains to do it right"
verbal and emotional abuse
"you can't expect to be loved unless you do this...

internal pressure from unrealistic expectations
"you can't meet my expectations unless you do it my way"

my own critical attitudes
being a jerk around others
being judgmental

ANGER at mom and dad

forgive attitudes of anger at yourself

choose to let go of bitterness towards parents

My private diary is full of unexpected break-throughs from a higher power.

This is as real as it gets.

When he breaks in...He is not embarrassed by what he sees.

He is not ashamed of what I am.
He is pleased with my inadequacies.

He embraces this porcupine.

tears fall, I come undone,

my mind unravels in his embrace,

he gifts me with joy, my melts my resistance,

his bathes my sores, he mends my wounds.

"You Embrace Me, How Can You??" 10 by 28 inches, acrylic on panel
Elsewhere art exhibit, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. November 6th to December 2nd, 2011

2011-11-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Mylar ribbons shine in the window in 1998.

Young intensity pours out the door onto the side walk.

14 North Main hops with reggae music and dreadlocks.

The band from Tennessee, Temple Yard, takes

a music break at That Phat Phish coffeehouse

and signs willing palms and arms.

It is a warm summer night

on the Carrollton downtown courthouse lawn.

Teenage cars circle the square.

The next alternative band to take the

flatbed stage is Empire from Kansas City,

courtesy of That Phat Phish coffeehouse in 1998.

In this season of art, our coffeehouse staff

rides a wave of excitement.

This works.

Inside there is popcorn and hot chocolate,

hanging out and being there.

It is another Saturday night at the Phish....Kevin and his young friends ask me about the pictures made out of brightly-colored flattened cans, chunks of asphalt, a butterfly wing, painted shopping sack strips, a dirty knit glove, shiny Dorito bag liners, and silver glitter.

I tell the kids to look at the collages

and tell me what might be represented.

The answers they give bring me wonder and joy.

Blonde mop top Kevin

stares for a minute

at a dirty glove

surrounded

by dark dingy shapes

at the bottom of the piece,

and then at the orange orb above

floating in a sky of silver.

"It is someone reaching up to the Lord," he says.

His sister Danielle says something about
two blue hand shapes
with a teardrop of bright red
on each palm
outlined with silver glitter,
set against a purple background:

"They are the hands of Jesus."
She notes the telltale spots of red which represent the blood scars.

Danielle doesn't miss a thing.
When asked what the glitter might be
she says plainly:
"That's us!!
We are in the wounds of Jesus.
That is where he heals us."

Beautiful Fire by Karl Marxhausen, potato chip liners, plastic cup, ice bag remains, wristbands, and silver paint on panel, 17 by 11 inches, 1998.

In Roman times, when Christianity went underground, the drawn dirt outline of a fish indicated one was a follower of the risen rabbi from Nazareth, the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus. It is 2011, and in the United States, the land of many open faiths, I say, Jesus is so P-H-A-T. He is Pretty Hot And Tempting. The Lover of my soul. He is beautiful fire. My joy, my savior, my peace, my defender, my strength, my deliverer, my provision, my rest, my rescue, my choice, the MORE, the YES, the LIGHT, the Smart Embrace.

Collage #4 by Karl Marxhausen, 17 by 11 inches, plastic, foil, knitted glove, squashed soda cans, felt, oil and acrylic paint on panel, 1998.

Elsewhere art exhibit, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. November 6th to December 2nd, 2011

difficult

2011-11-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

In the
dark the
stress was
real.
Work-
ing
with
the
chem-
icals
to
devel-
op
the black and white 35mm film. During the summer of 1993, the flood waters closed down the Daily Democrat newspaper where I worked. We evacuated as the water came in through the backdoor, carrying equipment to the flatbed trailer, as our legs walked through the rising waters. It was a rough time. Our services were relocated to the Career Center on higher ground until the water level went down months later. One morning the staff gathered to cut up and haul out sections of the smelly ruined carpet. It was a difficult sad time. The stress in the darkroom drove me to my knees.

My desperate prayers and concerns were heard. Hope came in the midst of unwelcome circumstances. Jesus was the one of gave it. This is my story.
Hope Brought To My Pain by Karl Marxhausen, acrylic on board, 28 3/4 by 35 inches
Elsewhere art exhibit, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. Nov 6 to Dec 2, 2011

physicist on embryogenesis

2011-11-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

"Among the many scientific puzzles posed by living organisms, perhaps the toughest concerns the origin of form. Put simply, the problem is this. How is a disorganized collection of molecules assembled into a coherent whole that constitutes a living organism, with all the right bits in the right places? The creation of biological forms is known as morphogenesis, and despite decades of study it is a subject still shrouded in mystery."

"The enigma is at its most striking in the seemingly miraculous development of the embryo from a single fertilized cell into a more or less independent living entity of fantastic complexity, in which many cells have become specialized to form parts of nerves, liver, bone, etc. It is a process that is somehow supervised to an astonishing level of detail and accuracy in both space and time."

"In studying the development of the embryo it is hard to resist the impression that there exists somewhere a blueprint, or plan of assembly, carrying the instructions needed to achieve the finished form. In some as yet poorly understood way the growth of the organism is tightly constrained to conform to this plan. There is thus a strong element of teleogy involved. It seems as if the growing organism is being directed towards its final state by some sort of global supervising agency. This sense of destiny has led biologists to use the term 'fate map' to describe the seemingly planned unfolding of the developing embryo." (pp.102, 103)

Paul Davies, physicist, The Cosmic Blueprint 1987

Click on video. Double click on images.

The Wonder Of Cell Division by Karl Marxhausen, mixed media on board, 40 by 40 inches, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. Nov 6 to Dec 2, 2011

all souls

2011-11-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Double click to see text enlarged

All Souls November 2011 Newsletter

biochemist on viscosity

2011-11-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

“If the viscosity of water was higher, the controlled movement of large macromolecules and particularly structures such as mitochondria and small organelles would be impossible,

as would processes like cell division.

All the vital activities of the cell would be effectively frozen,
and cellular life of any sort remotely resembling that with which we are familiar would be impossible.

The development of higher organisms,

which is critically dependent on the ability of cells to move and crawl around during embryogenesis, would certainly be impossible the viscosity of water was even slightly than it is."

Michael J. Denton, microbiologist, "Nature's Destiny,” 1998

Click on video. Double click on images.

 Viscosity Of Water by Karl Marxhausen, 40 by 40 inches, mixed media on panel, All Souls Gallery, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. Nov 6 to Dec 2, 2011 

Kitchen Lithos by Emilie Brounard

2011-09-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

This seven minute video by Emilie Aizier Brounard is fantastic. She has created a process whereby you can make original litho prints using common household items, including aluminum foil, soap, cola, rapeseed or canola oil, and water. Watch the video and try it out with your students. Her process creates multiple impressions on either a metal press bed or by hand burnishing.
On her forum page, July 6th, Emilion says, "The bite is like the effect of light aquatint which will retain water in the sponge, making a cushion of water that repels the greasy ink roller." Her website is Art Emilion at http://www.art-emilion.fr/.

Ms. Brounard says she has been a print maker for 13 years. She did her Beaux-arts at Higher School of Art Lorraine "Ecole de l'Image" in Epinal, France. In 1999 she learned more about etching, lithography, and typography at the Graphic Art Center in La Bruyere Metaire. In 2006 she studied stone lithography with Jacques Fémonville, master litho printmaker. She teaches Etching and Drawing at the School of Visual Arts Pablo Picasso in the Urban Community of Niort. She lives near by in the city of Poitiers. She says she is one hour and thirty minutes from Paris by train (TGV). Niort is also close to the city of Bordeaux, and La Rochelle.

This video link came to my attention through fellow print maker Jean-Marc Couffin, Marseille, France. His work can be seen at http://jmcouffin.com

demo compares ink efforts with geary

2011-09-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon flecks of linoleum landed beside the bench hook. Diligent hands grasped the red-handled liner and made repeated dips through the taut golden skin. Eyes flitted between freshly pulled prints of others and their own as each hung side by side in the auditorium. Minds reflected on brayer ink, how it was rolled, how it was applied to the block. How the cut block was not like a rubber stamp that can be dipped into a tray of ink and dabbed on paper. It was not like the potato print one made in grade school. The carved linoleum block was something else. One person concluded she had too much ink on her block. Portions of her detail were covered up.

Double click on each original linocut inking (below) and compare with closeup of Fred Geary wood engraving.

Sue Autry of Norborne

Fred Geary of Carrollton

Lorraine Denny of Seward

Karen Firnhaber of Seward

Anna Autry of Norborne

Two minute video. Linoleum block cuts, comparing inked prints, centering ink on cardstock paper at Civic Auditorium, Seward, Nebraska

(Geary images courtesy of Carrollton Public Library, 1 North Folger, Carrollton, Missouri)

ink demo

2011-08-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Seven participants took part in the activity of discovery this morning. Each were handed trial proofs to study. Their observations were shared with the group.

Click 1 minute video. Participants reported on the paper samples they were handed. Student Maggie saw a person in a forest with green and white colors. Student Linda had a distinctive scene with an ink border. Another saw a field but wondered what the other shapes were about.

Click 1 minute video. Student Dorothy saw three colors on the print she was asked to study. It has yellow, a brown, and turquoise blue, she reported to the group. Student Carl picked out ultramarine blue and an earth green on his sheet.

questioned
compared
listened
wondered
thought about the image,
about the artist notes.

Each took turns
to roll Speedball ink
on the glass palette
and onto a wooden block.

Click 2 minute video.

Click video.

Click on two minute video. Student Grace creates monoprint off an uncut wooden block, while Anna makes tiny cuts on her linoleum block.

Three minute video. Student Sue carefully burnishes the original linocut everyone has practiced digging into on today. Her daughter inks her own.

The next workshop will meet Sunday, September 4th, in the Seward Civic Center Auditorium, beginning at 2 pm. The public is invited free of charge.

CES installation

2011-08-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

boxes were being unpacked

bags of miniature pom balls

and colored pipe cleaners

stacks of fresh drawing paper

and pounds of clay

snakes of paper packing lay on the floor

may I build a large weaving? i asked

GO FOR IT!! replied the CES art-teacher, my wife.

Click video to explore paper creation

Two minute video.

over and under
paper snakes
are tucked

colored strings
fasten

tissue paper
hang down

one hour +

one hour +
one hour =
makes
a giant fun

tethered to ceiling
with cords and pencils
is a puzzle to solve

and lighter than one can imagine

will there be a student who calls out:

HEY, CAN I MAKE ONE OF THOSE???

afternoon shade linocut

2011-08-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

After doing Moss Creek #1 for the Print Exchange, I sought to add cows by the water. Here are the June pencil sketches in my notebook. Some have black marker added. Double click on image to see it larger.

My pencil notes on June 2nd reminded me: Use colors similiar to ones used by Frances Gearhart "On Big Bear Lake"

Here are colors I thought I would use:
black-yellow (green) block
black-white (mid grey) block
yellow-white block
black-white-yellow (olive) block

When I had time to daydream about the design I changed my mind. Perhaps I would use these colors instead: yellow----lt.olive (lit trees)---red brown (pond)---dk green (trees)---lt blue base

Pencil drawings of plants in my neighbor's field gave me plant forms to cut on the linoleum blocks.

I thought I could mix greens using yellow and black, like the days I did when I did the Carrollton mural. But when I mixed both Speedball yellow with black I was disappointed. It produced gray-yellows. The yellow was not as pure as I had hoped. Instead it had a lot of white mixed in to it.

A fellow print
maker gave me an idea. I made thumb-nail smudges of color in a scrapbook, starting with a base Speedball color and adding certain acrylic colors to it. For instance, a yellow Speedball base and an acrylic cerulean blue hue. I took the time, experimented mixing colors, and came up with the charts below. This gave me a ballpark of colors to work from.

In June I finished cutting all the linoleum blocks in the five-block set. Based on my notes I mixed ink and made trial proofs of the linocut (below).

Here are samples of the colors I mixed from that batch. Not all the blocks lined up like I wanted them to.

In July I used ink to make new color schemes (below). I smeared ink on paper. Then, over the course of a couple weeks, I looked at them, thinking, thinking, thinking. At last I picked out the colors I wanted to mix for Afternoon Shade.

This was the scheme I chose. Next I would mix these colors on my brayer palette.

In August I inked and hand-pulled nine individual prints from the five blocks.They would be trial proofs. The nine did not turn out "alike enough" to be an edition.

For alignment purposes the orange block was pushed up from the baseline. (see next photo)

Each time after I inked the yellow portion of the block I placed a paper cutout over it.

The yellow portion and the orange portion were cut on the same block.

They were inked separately.

The block was washed off after a color was finished being used.

After inking the blue block, a paper cutout mask was placed over it before making a print from it.

Click video to see blue block printed.
Here is what the block print looked like after that. There are nine prints made like this. Some aligned better than others. This was how I find out how to lay the blocks out on the registration board. Through trial and error.

The green block was inked.

Click on video to see green block printed.

This was what the four colors looked like.

Click on video. Each inked block was washed off in the sink after I was done printing all the prints I was doing for that day. The green block was scrubbed with a brush and tap water. That was what I liked about water soluble ink:)

To make this top color I mixed my blue base with a white base and a dab of Raw Umber acrylic paint from the tube.

Click on video to see ink mixed on brayer palette.

This was the last and top block to be printed on all nine sheets.

Compare the cut design with pencil drawings above.

Can you see which plant patterns I cut out?

Can you see the cow?

How many cows were in the original design?

Of the nine hand-pulled prints two were selected for my woodcut show at the Lincoln Burkholder Project Gallery. The set of nine was not really an edition.They are not all the same, and so I think of them as monoprints, or one-of-a-kind.

Double click on image to see larger. I love the lighter colors.

Afternoon Shade measures 4 by 6 inches. It is a color linocut. It is printed on 75 gsm eucalyptus bond paper. It is in a white mat.

in a wrapper

2011-07-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it arrived today. The packet of 23 prints. The Black and White print exchange has a variety of mediums, including etching, stone lithograph, vinylcut, silkscreen, mezzotint, aquatint, linocut and woodcut. DOUBLE CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE ENLARGED

Here, sandwiched
between
two slabs
of foam core,
are the efforts of twenty-three
individuals

from Russia,

France, Australia,
Canada, and the
United States.
It is exciting!!!

I talked with some
of the participants
via email, have
added their
comments in
this post, with
my own added
emphasis in
CAPITAL
LETTERS.

The first print,
Celtic Dreams by Sui Conrad, of the United States, fills my nose with smells and memories that transport me back to etching class. It is 1978.

I am in Michael Nuschawg's intaglio class. He has his students take black vine ash powder and linseed oil, and mash them together on a glass-
surface table. Some thing like a metal putty knife in my hand mashes it, reminds me of mixing oil and flour in the kitchen. The end result is a round ball of ink you can hold in your hand. From that one takes a portion and mixes more linseed oil with it, and this you use for your etching ink in class. The fragrance of linseed oil is memorable....

As it turns out Conrad grinds his own ink for his photo-
gravures. He prefers using a dark sepia tone. His image size is 5 1/8" high by 7 6/8" wide.

The print is intaglio or an etching, and not a relief print. The metal etching plate will usually emboss the paper it is printed on, because the paper is first wetted, then blotted dry, then run through the squeeze of a press. (see closeup above. Note the artist's signature along the bottom edge of the print)

"As a general rule I work mainly with copper but have also used steel for some works. For this particular piece I printed on Rives BFK (paper) with Charbonnel Ink."

"I have been working with imagery from Scotland since the early 90's," says Conrad, who grew up in south-eastern Minnesota. "As for why I do print exchanges," writes Conrad, "one of the reasons is for FOR EXPOSURE as they have LED TO OTHER EXHIBITIONS but I also do them to stay and GAIN CONTACT with other print makers from AROUND THE WORLD." You can check out more of his work at http://myartspace.co/wolfyrepress/ This contains both printmaking and photography. You can contact Sui HERE

The smallest print in this exchange is a linocut by Irina Tretyakova of Russia (above). Her image size is 3 1/4" high by 2 1/4" wide. Her work shows up often in print exchanges.

Black Venus by Jean-Marc Couffin, of Marseilles, France. The image measures 4" high by 4" wide and is based on the Milo Venus sculpture. The tiny track pattern running across the figure's back was done with a roulette tool. Couffin used a drypoint needle to enhance the lines. The Reina paper is a 250 gram cotton paper from Spain, which he buys from JOOPSTOOP.fr.

Couffin says being part of this print exchange is definitely about GETTING HIS WORK SEEN and CONNECTING with fellow print makers.
"I am an architect and a father, so there is no time for being in a group especially in Marseille." In his city he says everybody works in their own atelier without sharing anything. StilI, there are pockets of inspiration for him. "I discovered lately a french canadian printmaker doing some impressive mezzotint. His name is Guy Langevin. I started myself with Mezzo' a little bit ago, and was deeply impressed by it. Mostly I do traditional line etching. I love the Russian, Czech and Polish school of etching. For example. check out this one: http://www.tyukanov.com/"

"I do printing from a zinc plate, with an etching bite in FeCl, with some oil inks on cotton paper (minimum of 180 grams)," says Couffin. At his website there are photos of his 200 year old Ledeuil printing press as well as his atelier, click HERE. He adds, "Over the next couple days I will be at a printmaking market in Cotignac." The market is 85 km from his home in Marseilles, about a one hour drive.

Lorraine Imwold created above print. The image measures 3" high by 5" wide. Ms. Imwold hails from Maryland, United States. Her Etsy shop is at http://www.etsy.com/people/limwold

The largest print in this lot is the Pale Rider by Kjelshus Collins, United States (below, see closeups. Double click on images to see larger). It measures 9" high by 11 3/4" wide. It is not linocut, nor woodcut. It is vinylcut. Collins says the vinyl is smooth and takes "a fine detail. I used Arches (paper) as it takes the ink really well. That particular ink, Akua Color, dries by absorption."
"I really
like
bicycles,
I used
to race
when I
was
younger
so I
wanted
to do a
bike
but not
a typical bike. Something more whimsical so I combined animal elements to make the bike, and put a scary cartoon Frenchmen as the rider. To me it seemed so chaotic, so I threw in a chaos card for the spokes."

"I like print exchanges because they are FUN. I make art for exhibitions and fundraisers constantly, but exchanges ARE PERSONAL, like PEN PALS or TRADING COMIC BOOKS, the hobby side of it. Of course, it is also a good way to get EXPOSURE and a great way to BUILD UP MY ART COLLECTION. The printmakers who I admire from art history include: Albrecht Durer, Franz Masareel, and Leonard Baskin. For contemporary, I like the group known as the Outlaw Printmakers.

You can reach Collins HERE and on Facebook.

Winter Sky by Philippa Jones (below). The image measures 4.75" high by 7" wide. Upon closer examination one can see etched lines and tone in spots. This is an aquatint. Similiar to an intaglio, powdered resin is melted onto a metal plate and etched in acid to create its amazing appearance.

Ms. Jones is a British artist who lives in Newfoundland, Canada. More of her etchings and interactive designs can be viewed at http://www.philippajones.com/p/etchings.html You can email her HERE

This bold black and white linocut by Achim Nicklis measures by 5 3/4" high by 4" wide. His print is inspired by a poem on the fridge of his late partner.
"I hold you in my hand
a fragment of the universe.
slowly you show me your secrets
while I find peace."

Nicklis prefers working with a material called softcut. "I like to use it, because it doesn't let me print fine lines. Instead, I have to use areas and spaces rather than thin markings to describe my subject."

In regard to paper Nicklis says, "I use sumi sketch paper. It absorbs ink well and produces the dull completely black appearance I am after. The absorbency is important since I don't have a press and my right shoulder is thankful if the paper is willing."

"I had done some cuts in high school. I had a great art teacher. But all was dormant until two years ago when I took a four-hour class with an inspiring printmaker. And I have done them ever since."

"Prints are a wonderful thing to create. The design, the carving, the printing. I like all processes and enjoy the craft, the movement of the hands when carving, the inking of the plate, the rubbing of the paper. It is a very sensuous experience, a little like giving birth with each pull. The produced images fascinate me with their flatness and their inherent abstraction. And the provocation to try new things and go new places."

The Seattle-based print maker has taken part in two baren forum exchanges. His work can be seen HERE. And two other print exchanges HERE and HERE. He does not have a website for his prints. Of exchanges Nicklis admits: "It is such a GREAT EXPERIENCE, and it BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER."

Moss Creek
by Karl Marxhausen,
Missouri,
United States.

The image
measures
6" high by 4"
wide. This
linocut is printed on
American Masters
paper, 250 grams.
The scene is local, along
Route 10, on the way to Norborne.

With the theme being black and white this exchange covers a multitude of expressions. The work by Christopher Clark is nuanced. At first glance it seems the print is smack in the middle of this black paper. But along the upper margins one can see first-hand a diamond pattern that crisscrosses the entire image. Subtle. Defined. Exquisite. (see closeups below)

Things Are Looking Up by Christopher Clark is a silkscreen print. It measures 7" high by 7" wide. Clark lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can view more of his silkscreen images at http://www.chrismclark.com

Phuket Buddah by George Gilmour, Sydney, Australia . This woodcut is done on a plywood plate. Notice the wood grain pattern. The image measures 5 1/2" high by 4 3/4" wide. It printed on Gyorukyu paper, which, according to Melbourne Etching Supplies, is smooth on one side and slightly textured on the other. It is lightweight and recommended for hand-burnished relief prints. This is what Gilmour has done. He uses an oil based ink.

Riverbank by Elizabeth Burton, of Queens-
land, Australia

The image measures 5 1/2" high by 7 1/2" wide. Much of Burton's work revolves around the river and water. A reflection of the coastal region of Northern New South Wales, where she grew up. Today she lives on the east coast of Australia. The print is a linocut she did last year, which she had intended to be part of a three plate print. These days she has been experimenting with reduction lino prints. She admires the early Australian work of Margaret Preston and the master of the reductive method Ian Phillips.

Margaret Preston believed that original art should be accessible by all people not just the very wealthy, so she tried through the medium of print to reach the masses. Burton has found that the printmaking community generally are very friendly and GENEROUS in being WILLING TO SHARE their original works with others. Print exchanges are a GREAT WAY TO SEE THE WORK OF OTHER ARTISTS and to see what they are up to.

Says Burton, "What is nicer than having a lovely parcel of little artworks delivered in the post? I have a series of folios with exchanged prints. Some print groups do exchanges to MARK SPECIFIC DATES or EVENTS. Some on a yearly basis as A WAY OF KEEPING IN TOUCH. Greendoor Print Studio in the UK organises a yearly exchange for example. Estampe Belgium organises exchanges about every two or three years. The last one was called "Factor 10 - print size 10cm x 10cm for the 10-10-2010."

In regard to the paper she used Burton writes, "My daughter Alex and I printed our work together and used Stonehenge 250gsm for our prints. I would normally use Magnani Incisione but as we had to ship to the USA (50 prints) I decided to use this paper as it is a little lighter."

In regard to pricing of prints she adds, " I don't think there is a formula. I would like to think they are priced so that they are affordable, but with a price that reflects the skills and reputation of the artist. Within my local printmaking group, exhibition prices range from say $50 to around $500 depending on the size of the work and reputation of the artist. As an established painter, you must price your prints according to your obvious skill."

You can reach Elizabeth Burton HERE - her website - http://www.elizabethburton.com.au/

Tree of Light by Alexandra Burton, Queensland, Australia. The image measures 6" high by 7" wide.

Click on short video to see print.

Babylon by Mark Evans, Wisconsin, United States. It measures 7 1/4" high by 4 1/4" wide.

Rather than use one piece of linoleum, this work is composed of many separate pieces cut with a jig saw, inked by themselves, and printed together. Evans finds it very direct and positive. He buys linoleum in 24 by 18 inch sheets and also by the roll to save on money. He admits the material is inexpensive and easier for him to cut than wood.

Print exchanges energize this artist. "The idea of getting small original works from around the country and world is a KICK. Also IT GETS ME WORKING MORE. THINKING more. SEEING more. When I
move through my days, through the world around here, and I am creating, I seem to feel there is MORE POSSIBILITY. "

About the subject Evans writes, "It's been a stressful winter and spring in Wisconsin as we battle a power grabbing tea party governor, so I surrounded the figure with hieroglyphic signs and symbols representing the media pressing in on us."

Evans enjoys working with variables.
"I actually cut a preliminary block with the top of the head cut off and did not like the way it looked. I then cut a grid behind the figure and did a test print. Then I added some symbols, more test prints, more symbols, more tests. Then I cut the test print figure out, added the top of its head back, cut off a larger piece of lino, placed the figure on, drew around it, measured the grid, and re-cut it. It probably took me two nights of actual cutting. Then I hang it up and live with it for a few days. The printing of the edition was done on a Sunday night in about 2 hours."

When it comes to the choice of paper for print exchanges Evans says not to sweat it.
" If an artist - especially a novice who is not selling much work - can afford to buy $4-5 sheets of Arches paper, more power to them. But Micheal said that the paper used for his exchanges does not need to be high end so I took his advice. Actually the paper I used was off a roll of paper I bought in the 90's while back in school. I think it was called Archival Poster. My advisor suggested it because I was completely broke and needed to get work done. Someday I would like to try some lighter papers like mulberry and the japanese paper, like Hosho or something."

"I'm not really a follower of specific print makers at this time. As far as artists I admire: Richard Diebenkorn, Saul Steinberg, Wayne Thiebaud, Anselm Kiefer." Artist and blogger Evans is eager to share his experiments. You can find more of everything at http://papawheelie.wordpress.com/category/printing/

A linocut print by Amanda Sterling, Washington, United States. It measures 4 1/2" high by 2 3/4"wide. You can reach her HERE.

Self Portrait by Doug Dammerall, Bainbridge Island, United States. It measures 7" high by 5" wide. The linocut is printed on Fabriano Academia paper. Dammerall says he did it as a demo for his students at North Kitsap High School. He ran it through an etching press which embossed it slightly.

Regarding the print exchange, Dammerall says: "One of my buddies INVITED ME TO JOIN. It's kind of a cool idea and a nice way to COLLECT ORIGINAL WORK which is always more satisfying than "a mass-produced lithograph." I also really enjoyed the diverse personal vision. I'm saving the work in a portfolio to share with my students."

His paintings reflect his appreciation of nature. You can see his work at The Atelier Dammerall and HERE.

Baz by Rigel Stuhmiller, California, United States. This block print measures 7 7/8" high by 6 3/8" wide.

This her second print exchange, Stuhmiller found creating a full edition both a challenge and much harder than she thought it would be.
The Bay area illustrator enjoys SEEING SO MANY new and DIFFERENT STYLES. Block printing expertise comes from trial and error. Says Stuhmiller, "I still have much to learn, which is why these exchanges are so great. They are a really GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO TRY SOMETHING NEW."
She has switched from Speedball oil ink to Daniel Smith water soluable oils, since they clean up without toxic chemicals and she Iikes the consistency of the ink. The exchanges give her the chance to create some art just for the pleasure of making it, without having to worry about its marketability.

Says Stuhmiller, "Almost always, I'm making artwork with a specific type of customer in mind. A lot of my customers are looking for art for their kitchens or gifts for other people's kitchens, and my vegetable prints are the most popular. My dog and cat cards are probably second most popular, because people love their pets. Pricing prints is a perennial problem for me, as it depends on what people are willing to pay. And that depends on who you're approaching, their perception of your value as an artist, and how much they like the print. Finding an audience who will pay a reasonable rate for your work is not easy."

She speaks highly of Etsy. "The best part about it is that it is very cheap and relatively easy to set up a store (as opposed to building one yourself or hiring someone to do it). They charge 20 cents to list an item, and take a small percentage (2 or 3 percent, something like that) when you sell. There are no fees other than that, which is great. You can put up a store and it can just sit there for months without incurring any fees. Etsy customers seem to be nice and are looking for A UNIQUE HANDMADE PRODUCT with some nice customer service, which is good for small sellers like us."

Stuhmiller makes it clear that there is work involved and business will not fall in your lap. With so many vendors vying for a sale, it is important to connect with the customer. Promoting your site is your job. You can not make a living off walk-in traffic. She goes on, "If there's an article written about me in a major blog, I'll get a flood of orders. Otherwise, with no promotion, I'll get maybe 1 order a week. Around Christmas it picks up a lot, and for about 5 weeks before Christmas I'll be pretty swamped with orders."

She advocates Paypal as a solid means of payment. "It is terrific. I love it. 99% of my customers have no problem using it, and the very few who don't want to use it can send me a check in the mail. It's a great solution for small sellers. At one point, I had a merchant account to accept credit cards, and found that unless I was selling thousands a month I found the fees just took too much away from my profits."

Commercial art is the business that makes things work for her. "The one area that has worked well has been custom orders. My most popular custom items are custom logos and custom letter-pressed wedding invitations. Although I charge a premium for those, higher than most people on Etsy, I still get orders because they depend on my artistic skill. I offer extremely good customer service and make sure people are happy with what they get, which helps with referrals and return business." Learn more about her business at http://www.rigelstuhmiller.com/

Bedside Lamp by Hayden Hunt, California, United States. This linocut image measures 6 3/4" in diameter.

The symmetry of the circle is nicely achieved. A student at the University of Redlands, Hunt says he has found GREAT JOY IN LINOLEUM PRINT MAKING. His blog is at http://haydenhunt.wordpress.com/ You can reach him HERE.

Soph by Sam Cikauskas, Illinois, United States. You are looking at a reductive lithograph. The image measures 5" high by 5" wide.

Cikauskas talks about his stone lithograph. "I used a reduction technique where you scratch the ink off the stone with a razor blade, instead of drawing additively with a crayon. I enjoy working reductively whether it be with relief monotypes charcoal. I think my brain works better this way then additively."

What is often the case, equipment and supplies for college art classes are the best around. Even scraps are good quality scraps. Says Cikauskas, "The paper I used (for the print) is from a scrap bin at school, where students and teachers leave their scrap rag papers, that they tore down from a big sheet. The bin is there for proofing or small prints. The scraps I found were perfect size for my little print. The paper is about $3 for a sheet, so being a broke college student, I will take free paper. The paper I used was Somerset satin. I prefer this for my lithography projects. In the bin was a mix of Rives BFK and Arches that I use for my relief or intaglio projects. I prefer the rag paper for printmaking because of its quality. It is thick and will hold up over time. I also enjoy the aesthetic of the torn edge of the paper."

It was a moment to grow in another direction. Says Cikauskas, "The dog print was SPUR OF THE MOMENT. I had already cut a lino for this exchange, but since I did a lino for the last exchange I thought I would try something different. This reduction technique came from the lithography class I was enrolled in at the time. Litho class is great. I fell in love with the process, it's like magic. The image of the dog is from a photo I took of my now ex girlfriend's dog "Sophy."

BEING INVITED TO TAKE PART, while still attending classes at Northern Illinois University, convinced Sam that a "print community" does exist. "I did these two exchanges that Mike Jones invited me to, because I have never been in one outside of school. I thought it would be a GREAT CHANCE TO SEE other ARTISTS WORK from around the country and world. Also, it was a way for me to GET MY WORK OUT THERE and SHARE with other artists. That's the idea around print making. It is like a community where we can all share our ideas and original hand made prints."

He is grateful for his schooling. "Northern Illinois University has a great printmaking program. The teachers Michael Barnes and Ashley Nason run the program and everyone is close like a family, always hanging out, making work together and trading prints."

The print makers he admires include: Jose Posada, the Mexican political artist and, Tom Huck-Evil Prints, Martin Mazzorra/Mike Houston-Cannonball Press, Bill Fick, Cockeyed Press, Greg/Joseph-Driveby Press (they travel around in a van with a press in it and spread the word of relief printmaking around the country), and Tugboat Press. You can reach Sam Cikauskas on Facebook HERE, and read Sam's Etsy Profile HERE

Hawkeye by Carol Ann Fitzgerald, Sydney, Australia This linocut measures 6" high by 5 3/4" wide.

Fitzgerald talks about her linocut. "It is on Dutch etching paper (not sure who the maker is). I needed a paper I could soak in water and wouldn't fall apart. I soak it in a tray of water for a few minutes, pat the excess water off with a towel and print. It picks up the ink better."

"The print was MADE especially FOR THE EXCHANGE. It's from a bird I saw at the Australia Museum in Sydney. They have a lot of taxidermed birds and animals that you can go in and draw, photograph, touch etc. It's a great place to visit," says Fitzgerald.

She took part in the print exchange for EXPOSURE, to SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING with techniques and subject matter, and to GROW A COLLECTION OF PRINTS--hoping they grow in value.

Fitzgerald admires the Australian artist, Margaret Preston. You can explore her work at http://www.carolann.com.au/Home.html You can reach her HERE.

Molluscum Contaglosum by Chris Blume, Illinois, United States. It measures 4 1/4" high by 5 3/4" wide.

This linocut is printed on Rives BFK, since it is the most sturdy. But for his woodcuts he mostly carries Sommerset Satin, Arches black and white, and Peschia for lithographs as it has very smooth qualities.

Blume outlined the steps he takes when working with wood or linoleum. First, he colors the surface red. Second, he draws the image that is to be printed black. Next, he cuts away. Says Blume, "I do this procedure because it is easier for me to see the end result as I am cutting, rather than trying to guess where to cut next. I also cut the form of the linoleum after I am done cutting my image." You can follow Chris Blume on Facebook HERE.

Late Night Jazz Club by Bronwynn Merritt, United States. This linocut measures 4" high by 6" wide. Her website is under construction at http://www.bronwynmerritt.com/

Tortiseshell Kitten by Martha Knox, Pennsylvania, United States. This image measures 8 1/4" high by 5" wide. It is a woodcut printed a handmade Japanese printmaking paper called Kozo.

The print is based on a drawing of one of her pet cats. Knox tends to be inspired by what is immediately around her. At her household, that would be cats and babies, as she has a 21 month old daughter and she takes care of children for her "day job."

She admits she loves to COLLECT PRINTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE. "From every exchange I've done, there's always at least one piece I end up framing and hanging up in my home. And the rest go into a collection that I keep in my studio and like to look at on occasion and share with other artists and people who appreciate art."

The prints are a RESOURCE for inspiration. She shares these prints with her students when she teaches workshops and classes on printmaking. Of course, she does it for exposure. Says Knox, "I find that other print makers tend to also be collectors, and sometimes I've managed to sell a piece to someone who discovered me through an exchange, but that is not something I count on. It is just a bonus that sometimes happens."

Says Knox, "I also have done exchanges where one print from my edition ends up in a PERMANENT COLLECTION (such as the Free Library of Philadelphia and Oregon University) and that adds A LITTLE LINE TO THE RESUME, which is sort of nice."

It is up to the artist to translate what they see, and make the design work. For Knox, the fur of felines and their whiskers is worth exploring. "They make for interesting textures in 2D works of art, which is probably a big part of why I'm attracted to them visually. They are easily suggestive of other things, especially if you zoom in on them, crop them a certain way, or abstract them into simpler marks and shapes, and that gives me and my audience more to interpret in any image I create. I try to make most of the cats in my prints more aesthetically interesting than cute and cuddly."

About print makers she admires Knox says, "I really admire the woodcuts of the recently deceased Stephen Huneck, who did mostly prints of his black Labrador Sally for a series of children's books. They have a really direct, colorful, earnestness to them, very much like the best folk art (which makes sense since he was self taught.) I'm classically trained, but I'm often told that my work resembles "outsider out" or folk art, and I always take that as a compliment. I love Felix Vollotton's black and white woodcut illustrations mostly for their gorgeous patterns and shapes with elegant contours - he was truly a master in the use of pure black and white. I love Edvard Munch's woodcuts for their moving expressiveness, and I love Josef Vachal's color woodcuts for their powerful and sophisticated use of color. My favorite woodcut artists working today are Kirsten Francis and Sean Starwars." You can read more at http://wordsonwoodcuts.blogspot.com/
You can see her work at http://marthaknox.squarespace.com/

Black and White print by Michael W. Jones, Oklahoma, United States. The image measures 7" high by 5" wide.

Oklahoma native Michael Jones loves prints and has over a hundred in his own bookplate collection. His favorite artist is a Czech artist named Karel Safar. Another favorite are woodcuts by Vachel. He thinks exlibris prints are "like little jewels, and can hardly imagine a modern-day american artist putting this much time into a print." A few are displayed on a little website he created which he calls http://www.myexlibris.com

When Jones began to set up his own print exchanges, he reflected on what he saw others doing and went for something that suited his expectations. He sought out the kind of artists he wanted.

Jones writes, "A long time ago, we used to do this in college printmaking (class). We printed enough of each edition so everyone could have a copy. Within the past few years, I was INVITED TO PARTICIPATE in the annual exchange through the International Mezzotint Society. That is a very high quality, "members-only" exchange. I have participated in other exchanges on the Internet, but they are rarely as high-quality as the ones I am putting together now. When I got going, I joined a couple of online sites that specialize in printmaking, made up a set of guidelines, and posted it on the message boards to see if I could get some interest. Some of these included Graphic Chemical Supply - Inkteraction - Print Universe - Facebook - and Etsy Printmakers. The first exchange only pulled out about 7 entries, and, in fact, I had to beat the bushes and coerce friends and family to participate, but it has grown. I also spent a couple of nights going through ETSY.com postings, and finding artists whose work I liked, and emailing them personally. Many of our exchange members are etsy printmakers."

Jones recommends, "If you start one, don't underestimate the cost of packing and shipping. And don't under estimate the huge amount of time it takes mail to and from countries like Russia. The packages I receive from Russia invariably arrive wrapped in brown paper and twine. Also, outline your deadlines, specifications, restrictions, and so on, so both you and the artists have something to refer to in case of a disagreement."

Jones admits that he is happy when he breaks even. He makes no money for his efforts. The cost for shipping and packing materials comes out of the ten dollar entry fee that participants send to him. He makes sure the prints are packed so that they are not bent. "I know from experience that it's disappointing to receive a portfolio which has been bent and disfigured. Basically, I get the same out of these exchanges as you do. A nice portfolio of prints to add to my collection. All in all, it's SOMETHING THAT KEEPS ME INSPIRED, and helps me stay in touch with artists outside my window. Plus, it's not too much work, and gives me a little excitement at the mail box. "

Jones' print exchange is called "Lets -Trade -Prints (dot) com"
You can see the other exchanges on his site HERE. His mezzotints are HERE. Michael on Facebook NEXT. Print Exchange on Facebook BLITZ
His original fine art is at http://www.mjonesart.com/

LAST NOTE: I am now convinced that Alfred Fowler was very excited about exchanging prints in his day!!!

For those who are curious--Fowler asked for woodcutters and engravers to send him their bookplate prints for the Seventh Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Bookplates, sponsored by his American Bookplate Society in 1921. He received 222 designs from seventy-five artists. He had a list of collectors wanting to exchange bookplates from all over the world, including Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachuesetts, Michigan, Missouri New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. See the article in Publisher's Weekly HERE. Fowler tapped into the world wide interest for bookplates and made lasting connections with many contributors. Read more about his life HERE.

Dear Friend, please add a comment below the post. You can reach Karl Marxhausen HERE Ask to receive my monthly newsletter. Put "NEWS LETTER" in the Subject box. Thank you.
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(courtesy of Michael W. Jones in email Tuesday, May 31, 2011, of Mark Evans in email June 17, 2011, of Martha Knox in email June 19, 2011, of Rigel Stuhmiller in email May 27, 2011 and June 24, 2011, of Sam Cikaukas in email, of Jean Marc Couffin in email June 18, 2011, of Carol Ann Fitzgerald in email June 17, 2011, Kjelshus Collins in email June 20, 2011, Chris Blume in facebook message June 26, 2011, Sui Conrad in email Tuesday, June 28, 2011, Liz Burton in email Thursday, June 30, 2011, Douglas Dammerall in email Monday, July 25, 2011, Achim Nicklis in email Friday, September 30, 2011)

toss my hat in to the ring

2011-05-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

To "toss my hat into the ring" simply means I agreed to follow the rules for a recent print exchange. Here are some nuggets that helped me.
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in April I got my closest look at the type of wood block plates that Fred Geary might have used. Those who follow my blogs know I have researched Geary's wood engravings. In this case, Herschel Logan had been a contemporary of Geary. Both had entries accepted by the Midwestern Artist Exhibitions of the Kansas City Art Institute. Both had been active members in the Prairie Print Maker group out of Kansas. One Saturday the Print Society bunch I was with made a road trip to the campus of Kansas State University, in Manhattan, Kansas. It was there at Beach Museum of Art that we were shown the Logan plates.

Click video to see the print group gathered to view Logan block plates. One and a half minutes long.

During the last half of this 2 minute video, Senior Curator Bill North told us that -- though Logan's prints were often cataloged as wood engravings (not having looked at the blocks at all), it is plain to see that Logan worked on the plank side of the board, not the end grain as most engravers do. When Logan wrote about his works he clearly referred to them as "woodcuts." North also explained that Logan worked from photographs for his compositions.

(Below are portions of Logan's Tornado print and what that portion looked like on the carved woodblock. For me, this is where the mystery lies. Relief printmakers "dig out" of wood to make these images.) Double click on images to see them larger.

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knowing that Logan worked from photos was a bonus for me. That said, seldom does the photograph have all the elements you want to showcase. The linocut design I made for the print exchange centered around foliage common to Moss Creek. No one photo could capture it. I ended up borrowing an element from one and a tree shape from another, photos I had taken from areas along highway 10, west of my village. A series of sketches helped me organize these elements.

1st composition,

pencil and sharpie marker on kraft paper

2nd composition,

pencil and sharpie marker on kraft paper

3rd composition

pencil and sharpie marker

4th composition sharpie marker

In my design I wanted a sky like Lankes,

sun rays like Palmer,

and water treatment like Thiemann.

My point is that the image I dug out was my own, but the following woodcutters were like stepping stones. Their work inspired me to try this particular design. These include Stanislaw Ostojaw-Chrostowski, Samuel Palmer, Carl Thiemann, C.W. Taylor, J.J. Lankes, Jim Meyer, and Hershel Logan.

So, here is the solution I came up with~~~

to describe the elements below in black and white!!!

Every relief print maker has problems to solve. You dig out with a hunch in mind, and then wonder about it after it is printed. The Carrollton wood engraver Fred Geary mostly likely did that too. The results he liked he used again and again, and in doing so made it his own. Will there be anything I like from my design after I see it printed?
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the RULES Michael Jones made for this print exchange insisted that the prints be "hand pulled" and all of them had to be from the "same edition." This meant that the prints were burnished by hand and not run through a press. The edition of 25 meant that each print that was included in this "set of prints" had look as much alike as possible. Easy peasy? No!! Tricky? Yes!!! I was very very concerned about getting the amount of ink and the type of pressure right. The following videos will give you an idea of the slow pace involved in "cranking out an edition."

The lino block is inked to print.

Click to view. Four minutes. In preparation for the edition I printed up proofs of another print I was working on, Quarters 2 .To make sure I am hitting every area with the same pressure I used tracing paper.

Click to view. Two minutes. Anxious to view first impression of Moss Creek print.

Click to view. 2nd impression looking good. (Below is the stack of 30 trimmed American Master edition sheets.)

Click to view. Eight minutes. I was very much aware of where I was burnishing the plate. Here I used the back side of a scrap print as a trial run. Afterwards, I burnished a sheet of typing paper to lift off excess ink. Then I inked the block and tried the procedure again with a scrap of good paper.

Click to view. Three minutes. I used American Masters 100% Cotton white print paper by Utrecht for the edition. The edition paper was trimmed to 8 by 10 inches, as required by the print exchange rules. I cut 30 sheets to the asked dimensions. Out of the 30 printed I selected the best 25 prints. You must remember in your head where the trouble spots are while burnishing the back on the paper.

Click here. Eight minutes. Reflections on growing as an artist. How an illustrator would like crisp images can be put off by qualities of the woodcut. How to save mistakes and learn from them.

Click to view. Nine minutes. I dared to think I could "pick up the pace" and do well by going fast. It worked good for a couple prints and then.....oops!!

Click to view. Two minutes. Here I compare goofed prints with ones used for the edition.

Click to view. Three minutes. Two prints came out darker than I liked. So I took a break. Put on calmer music. And went back to being more careful. I have only 30 sheets of the "good stuff" to complete this edition. I need to finish this task.

Click to view. Four minutes. I am a little concerned for my ink here. It is "a little thick" so I spritz it with the water sprayer I use with my acrylic paints. Not too much, then I got to work it in. It is really slippery at first. I bring in newer ink from the edge of the glass, and roll the brayer back and forth to work and mix the ink, until it is the right tackiness. Trying to keep my water-soluble ink workable and not drying up on me...Hear that hissing sound. That is the sound I listen for. It tells me the ink is ready to roll on my plate...I am thinking the next time I do a print to finding some thinner papers to print it on...There is a lightness through here, by not pushing so hard or by not having the ink so heavy, it almost creates a grain and I like that... When I cut this plate, there are so many different influences in this particular image, that I am just trying them all, and then the purpose for doing this print is to see which areas I like. I like these leafy patterns through here. I just tried it all and, the next time I work at an image I will borrow from this, and some areas I didn't think worked so well I won't use. Another reason I am trying this, the only way to grow is by trying!!!

Click to view. Last print of the edition.

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It was after doing the edition of 25 for the print exchange that I realized I had used a heavier paper than what I needed. While doing additional prints of the image after the edition, I found I could print them easier and faster and "more of what I wanted to see in this image" with the tracing paper (30 grams) and the typing paper (70 grams). My New York Central Paper Supply catalog came in the mail, which my friend Doug Osa recommended to me. I have been reading about Brazilian Handmade, Japanese papers Goyu, Hosho, Kitakata, Mulberry, and others. Something strong and thin. Not the heavy 250 gram paper I used, which is better suited for etchings and relief plates, that require a press for heavy pressure. The paper I learned about in art school (1978) is not suitable for the woodcuts I am doing today (2011). The next print will be on another kind of paper.

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(courtesy of Spencer Museum of Art, http://collection.spencerart.ku.edu/eMuseumPlus?service=RedirectService&sp=Scollection&sp=SfieldValue&sp=0&sp=0&sp=3&sp=SdetailList&sp=0&sp=Sdetail&sp=0&sp=F, accessed July 26, 2011, C.A.Seward Printmaker, http://www.casewardprintmaker.com/C.A._Seward_1884-1939/Artists_Member_2_2.html, accessed May 13, 2011, Fred Geary: Swept Up By The Revival, http://carrollton-wood-engraver.blogspot.com/2010/02/questions.html, http://carrollton-wood-engraver.blogspot.com/2010/09/entries-accepted.html, accessed May 14, 2011, Beach Museum of Art/Logan wood plate photos/videos by Karl Marxhausen taken April 16th, 2011, Meibohm Fine Arts Inc., http://www.meibohmfinearts.com/WorkDetail.aspx?GUID=Lankes_GreetingsWindyFarmhouse.jpg&folderc, accessed March 10th, 2011, Art Daily, http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=38083, accessed March 10th, 2011, Idbury Prints, https://www.idburyprints.com/index.php?page=print_style_view.php&pid=8825&s_name=Wood%20engraving&s_table=medium&s_title=medium&sp_id=20&page1=5, accessed March 10th, 2011)

touched

2011-04-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

As a child I remember seeing my dad's eyes brimming with tears on numerous occasions in church, sitting in our pew, listening to the music, and god-breathed readings from the Bible. As a person and as a father of children he was touched in this manner. His eyes filled with tears. Me too, dad, me too.

The night my father was on the David Letterman show with his sound sculptures, his grownup son was lying on Betty's living room carpet in Gardena, California. The Friday night fellowship had met to sing and pray, folks were out in her kitchen, and a cycle of release was at work on me. The knot I felt in my gut earlier that day during chapel, was moving up into my chest. What followed was deep cries and sobbing. Eyes shut, open and willing, not knowing where it would go, just being, and letting him work. And then...taken down into a slumber, a deep peace, unbroken, a stillness, while laying on that living room floor. And then...a trembling began again in my stomach. I could feel it moving up into my chest, and then wailing burst out of my mouth, tears streaming. The slumber returned, taking me down into His coma, His embrace. (On The Floor by Karl Marxhausen, painting, below)

The pattern of tremors in my stomach, the wrenching sobs, and the descent into peace repeated and repeated and went on for three hours. When it was all over I was tired. One of the company told me my father had been on TV. It was 11 o'clock Pacific Standard Time. This had come by one moving within, unlocking, releasing tears, His kindness in my physical being.

You could say that "logic sat at the door waiting for it to end." And that's the point here. I do not figure it out. I go through it. I am open. Tears are the reaction in us when He does it. Sitting in the pew, seeing God doing it in my father's eyes, it is private, it is intimate, our bodies unravel, our minds allow his touch to infiltrate and tear down barriers from within.(Lost In Wonder by Karl Marxhausen, painting, above)

During this funeral there was chamber music, the words of Jesus remembered, litanies recited, declarations of faith, an open upright pine casket, stories of my father, and an attitude of celebration. More than words can say, it is about our history with Jesus. It is His action that pulls me into his reality, his pardon for my offense, his breath - a living direction, His voice within, His choice-enacting, intimacy, engulfing my senses. He comes and my tear ducts respond in the midst of his nearness, his fragrance, his touch.

blogger Josh Duncan

2011-04-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Josh Duncan is a junior at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.

His blog is called "Reinhold Marxhausen -- A place where his work can live." http://www.marxhausen.blogspot.com I caught up with Mr. Duncan at his home in Hickman, Nebraska and conducted this short interview. For the interview in its entirety, click on the 3 minute video below.

Josh: "Well, Reinhold just does art that is fascinating, I like that he is fascinated with light, and I like how he makes connections between his art and his Christian faith. And the idea of accidents, being something that God blesses as well. All that, especially the connection with his faith appeals to me, I think that it is really important for Christian artists to understand that about him."

Karl: "How did you first hear about him?"

Josh: "It was through Professor Anshutz's class. I had heard his name, because it was the Marxhausen Gallery. But all I knew about the Marxhausen Gallery was that it was named after some guy called "Marxhausen." Then, especially after I read him talk about his artwork, then I realized why he got that gallery named after him... Everybody I talked to, science teachers, guys who went into banking, they all remember Marxhausen, and they all talked about how he changed the way they looked at the world. Everybody, not just art students, were influenced or inspired by him."

Karl: "Who is Anshutz?"

Josh: "Anshutz is the professor of Concordia. He teaches the CLA classes.

The CLA does work for churches across the country."

Karl: "What is the CLA?"

Josh: "The Center for Liturgical Art. (Professor) Anshutz was a student of Marxhausen's. He called him "one of his art dads." He has been encouraging his students to learn more about Marxhausen. The things he taught his art students twenty years ago are true today."

Karl: "What are some of the other names of students who have worked on this project?"

Josh: "Amber Kones is a big one. She founded it originally. Abbey Lange is a graduate who has been working with Anshutz this year. She has put an exhibition together of Marxhausen's work."

Karl: "What year are you at Concordia University?"

Josh: " I am a Junior this year. One more year of studying for me...

I believe that artists ought try to educate others. A lot of artists I think are more interested in just their art career or selling their work. Marxhausen is a guy who helps other people see what he is seeing. He had a lot of events called "Do You See What I See?" I think artists need to be good advocates of why art is important. And Marxhausen was that."

Karl: "Thank you very much."

You can read his posts here. For more about the CLA, click here.

The men in black, Karl and Josh.

JUMP IN - TRY

2011-03-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I was thinking about the color woodcuts of Frances Gearhart.

Double click on images to see enlarged. Just finishing another beveled plywood woodcut (above) with water reflections in the foreground, a shaded bank in the middle, and some foliage over that. Wondering how a solid color could be added behind that image and what that might look like.

Woodblock artist Ansei Uchima described the way he made sure one print was carefully lined up on top of another. His solution was to secure his woodcut block to a printing board "with nails flush against the bottom edge and the corner of the block." There was more to his method, but it dawned on me that printing a second impression on top of the first one would take some thinking and lots of trying.

This particular post is about not having all your facts together. Sometimes you have to jump into it, and try something, follow your hunch, do it, not know everything, just "try it out."

The hunch that came to me was to ink the blank side of the plywood plate and print that on several separate sheets of paper. Then, after those were dry, possibly ink the top woodcut, line it up, and print it on top of the solid color background.

One day I had the right kind of energy to do some inking. I set out my long boards for the prints to dry on. I had typing paper to practice on. Some nice brown Kraft paper and some American Masters 90 lb printmaking paper from Utrecht. At the beginning, I drew an outline of the woodcut block on my printing board. I centered a sheet of typing paper on the uninked block, and drew an outline of that sheet on my printing board. Both of these marks served as guides for lining up my prints. One of my goals was to line up prints BY USING MY EYES AND MY HANDS.

This is what a print can look like when the plates do not line up.

Click on the right hand X on the Google ad (when it appears) and it will disappear. This six minute video shows inking solid blocks of color. I am mixing water soluble white acrylic tube paint with water soluble black Speedball ink. You will see the pattern that the burnisher makes on the print when I pull it up. To get an even print one must apply even pressure all over the back on the print. The first print usually has no color, not enough ink reaches the paper, or the ink is not the right consistency. The more I used the Speedball ink, the richer the print looked to me.

Here is one try at a solid color block.

Another try on Kraft paper. Notice the uneveness of the ink, where I did not burnish the back of the paper. Some print makers might like that particular effect. I was trying for a solid color.

Click on the right hand X on the Google ad (when it appears) and it will disappear. This three minute video continues the process. I am trying to line up a dry print in my hands with a second impression on wet ink. Technically two colors. You notice I am mixing ink as I go. I did not analyze the results until the ink had dried. Merely spreading out prints to dry overnight, and gathering them up the next day. Figuring each step out takes a certain kind of energy. Work at your own pace.

An example of two color print or one print on top of another. Double click on image to see color variations.

This is two passes of blue and one upper pass of green. Three impressions in all. Top image was printed on Kraft paper. Bottom image was printed on typing paper. The green swatch would make the top of the water reflection image look more like foliage. In the end it did. So this was a good calculation.

Click on the right hand X on the Google ad (when it appears) and it will disappear. This six minute video has me building up the consistency of the ink for the water reflection woodcut. You can see the first "impression" or print is garbled. I am trying to ink it a little bit more each time. The person rolling on the ink controls the amount of ink on the plate.

Notice the little dots on this impression. The paper was not even burnished on the back.

The same impression was printed twice.

The same impression was printed twice. Blue ink the first pass, black ink the second pass.

Click on the right hand X on the Google ad (when it appears) and it will disappear. In the Block Color 4 video I am ready to print the reflection woodcut on top of colored background.

One attempt.
Are the blocks lined up right?

Another attempt.

Click on the right hand X on the Google ad (when it appears) and it will disappear. One minute video.
Below are Glidden Road and Quarters prints on top of various solid color blocks.

In the "trying and attempts" there is experimentation, and you find out if your hunches were right or not. Some of the images above are slightly tipped, well, yeh. But I discovered that prints that were created toward the "end of my trying" looked the best. So, lining up prints with EYES AND HANDS can work.

A week later I examined my sixty four dry prints. There were not enough prints that looked so much alike that they could be part of an "edition." Just to illustrate this point take a look at the two prints (above). Double click on images to see the detail. An edition of numbered prints can not and should not have this much difference between the prints. As I am still learning about inking, burnishing, printing...rather than "fidget over what I have printed so far".......I have decided to move on.

Now I am putting ideas down on paper (above) and using a black marker where the darks should be. My interest lies where light regions turn into dark ones. A better place to work out the design is on paper. It is time to put some thought into my next piece.

woodcut with beveled plywood plate

2011-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

This woodcut exhibit is amazing. After finishing this extensive post I was itchy to try a woodcut myself. Claire Leighton used dark silhouettes in her designs. See Under The Greenwood Tree (below). Double click on images to enlarge.

Helen West Heller loved pattern in her work.

See Flight Arrow (below)

In the dim morning light I sketched my black dog stretched out on the sofa. In homage to both Leighton and Heller I put in dark silhouettes and patterns. Drawn lightly with pencil, then over with Sharpie marker. Close ups (above). Digging with the lino cutter was much harder on the plywood plate. It was aggravating. Was I wasting my time?? Plate before inking (next). Turquoise inked plywood plate (next).

Quarters I, 5 by 7 inches, beveled plywood panel, turquoise inked image above.

Click on inking of Quarters I print 2 minute video.

After experimenting with acrylic paint from the tube and then with the Speedball water soluable ink, I decided the acrylic paint printed too light. The commercial Speedball ink had a better tack to it. Rolled out on the glass pane, it had a better consistency--it laid down thicker and the print was more even.

5 minute video, talking about plywood plates.

Glidden Road was done different. I stained the plywood surface with watered down Raw Umber acrylic paint. Then, lightly drew pencil design on top, from a painting by the same name. Then, made cuts with my lino cutter. The flicked cuts showed up easier this way. The effect was clearer to see as I worked over the surface. This time I through myself into the project. The only way to get better was to get busy and do it. Just do it.

I was wanting to be good at it before I even knew what I was doing. That whole "beginner's attitude."

Glidden Road (Homage to Lankes),
5 by 7 inches, beveled plywood plate (above). Turquoise inked plate (next). Last impression (below that).

It was practical to roll out on the plywood plate, lay a clean sheet of paper on the inked image, rub the back off the paper, then pull the paper off, set it aside to dry on the rack. Then repeat the process again. Ink the plate, lay on the paper, rub the back, pull the paper off, and set aside to dry. Then do it all again for each print, until the paper was gone. One hopes the image will print the same each time.

I had cut the plates on Saturday. Then, Sunday after church, we drove by her art room on campus and I sprayed a clear coat of fixative over the plywood plate. (This fixative only works at 50 degrees or more, thus spraying indoors was the way to go, not out in the cold cold snow, no.) Let dry and sprayed another coat. When we returned after lunch, the plates smelled lacquery (of course) but they were water-proofed, ready to be inked. Then, when the inking was done for the day, the ink came off easily with a scrub brush and tap water in the sink, and the moisture was toweled off the plates.

A set of three images are taped to my wall, where I can glance, and let that "new beginning" grow on me. I have bought more plates and want to do it some more. Here is to "new beginnings."

linoleum cutting

2011-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

With tools purchased some months ago, a "snow day" at the beginning of the work week, an eraser, the back of a cradled support, jazzy music, warm stocking feet, and hot cocoa....I try my hand at a lino cut.

One minute video of cutting setup. Click on the X of the Google ad when it appears, and the ad will disappear. The 3.75 by 4.75 inch linoleum rectangle is secured to the back of a cradled support with tape. The support rested on a rubber eraser, which enables the support swivel and rotate as needed. Double click on images to see larger.

Pencil drawing on lino pad based on ABOVE photo. Next, went over the pencil drawing with thin Sharpie marker.

Cutter tip loaded into the cutter handle after loosening the chuck. Followed directions: After securing the blade in the handle, position your forefinger as close as possible to the cutting edge. As a safety precaution while cutting the block, position the hand holding the block behind the hand holding the tool. Apply even pressure, and ease off when completing the cut, It is not necessary to dig deeply into the block.

Eight minute video. Click on the X of the Google ad when it appears, and the ad will disappear.

Click on 3 minute video tiny cuts.

The inking portion did not seem so exciting to me. Not able to find a glass pane I improvised with aluminum foil.

click here for 5 minute video inking lino pad. Decided to roll water soluble acrylic paint out with brayer on aluminum foil.

Turquoise Speedball water soluble ink printed on dry typing paper.

Here is same print on black paper.

Used bristle scrub brush, soap, and water to vigorously wash off ink on lino pad.

After drying with clean cloth, the linopad want to warp -- so I sandwich the pad between two layers of paper towels on the table. Then I pile a couple heavy books on top and leave it to dry overnight. In the morning the pad is dry and flat.

I am exactly like anyone else who has not tried a new medium before. I do not know what my efforts are going to look like. I see the results and immediately hate what I see and want to throw it away. Inspite of my feelings my wife tells me it looks good. Well.... I must follow the same advice I hand out to any beginner. "Put the artwork aside, sneak looks at it from time to time, and let it grow on you." I will tell you this much--I enjoyed cutting it more than printing it. I want to try another one. And I certainly have gained a better understanding of the process myself. Now when I look at a linocut by another, I know more of the work that went into a piece.

Route E Snow, linoleum pad, 4 by 6 inches (above) Last impression (below)

After looking at the print over a couple weeks, I went back in and cleaned up the image. I like it better now.