Bleeding Hearts on display

Bleeding Hearts
3 color stacked Monotype print, india ink, touches of colored pencil

A dear friend sent me images of some exotic birds awhile back. This little beauty, the Bleeding Heart Pigeon/Dove, was hidden away in the stack. A few weeks ago I gave a demo of the monotype printmaking technique and used this bird as a sample image. It was a quick demo and I rushed through the original drawing and the process of wiping the plates in order to save time. Obviously, I wasn't pleased with the final print since it lacked detail and interest. (see below) The other day I went back to the print and reworked it by drawing over the top with ink and colored pencil. I love the way it turned out! I will be doing more of this type of printing and more with this bird. 

original 3 color stacked monotype print 

Monotype Printmaking workshop

Spent the weekend learning a new monotype printmaking technique. It is a little bit similar to other monotype techniques I've tried in the past, but this one is much more intuitive for me. It could be that it feels more like painting than printmaking. Anyway, I love the process and I love the outcome. The instructor, Vinita Voogd, is a wonderful teacher. So full of tips and hints and step-by-step instructions. I have really learned a lot from her not only about her techniques, but also about printmaking in general. She calls her process the Stacked Monotype, we only used 3 color process inks.

This is my first stab at the process... I am a little bit giddy.

Printmaking workshops

The Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance's Inaugural Symposium was in town last week. I had a fabulous time meeting many talented printmakers. I also attended two very inspirational workshops. One on the "Exploring the potential of Polyester Plates in Lithography" presented by Andrew and Kathryn Polk of Arizona. We didn't get a chance to try the process ourselves however the instructions/demos were excellent! My friend Amy and I have plans to experiment with this process in the near future.

The next day I took a two-day workshop from Melanie Yazzie, the Associate Professor of Art at the university of Colorado, on monoprints using Ukra Inks. (a set for myself is on my Birthday wish list)

If you ever have a chance to take one of Melanie's workshops, I highly recommend it! She is so sweet and giving of her time and talents. I wish she could have been there with us on the second day when we all started printing. I was amazed at how many lovely prints came from our afternoon together.

Here are some examples of the stencil monotypes I worked on.

As well as examples of the 3 color reductive monotype method:

 

I enjoyed the stencil method, as you can print many monotypes very quickly. Some of the less successful prints I plan on binding into visual journals and drawing over the top of the prints.

My favorite of the two was the reductive monoprints. I related to the painterly process much more than the stencils. I had taken a similar workshop last year, but we used oil-based inks instead. I like the soy-based Akua inks better for this process.

One of the techniques presented involved using sharpies. Yes, sharpies! I am excited to experiment with this and see how it works in my visual journals. (I may add this to my Savage Mirror workshop agenda this fall!)

Gallery Source 9th Annual Juried Show

In my creative goals for the year I indicated that I wanted to apply to some art shows. Back in May I got the courage up and applied to the local Art Source Gallery 9th Annual Juried Show. There were 216 submissions and only 55 were chosen. I am thrilled and honored to be one of the chosen few.

Next month  two of my Solar Prints "the Protectors" and "all that is left" will be in another show. Exciting times for this graphic designer with a fine artist heart.

All that is left

"All that is left"
hand pulled solar plate print + hand colored with watercolor and touch of colored pencil
created for the "Leftovers" exhibit in Salt Lake City, UT & Boise, Idaho
individual images 1.5" x 2", over all print size 4"; x 4"

While drawing the individual images, my thoughts kept wondering to the idea of what do we leave behind in this world? The shell from a birth and the shell from a death. Through the process of creating the prints I realized that the imagery also resonates most all relationships. My emotions are stirred up as I contemplate how this all fits into my life.

illustration for the Christmas Holiday

 

Finally posting the illustration I drew for our Christmas cards and some gifts.

The first is a in progress detail, 2nd is the finished pencil drawing 8"x8", 3rd is was colorized on the computer and used as an image transfer onto sparkly gold 80lb paper ~ they were sent to friends and family for our holiday cards, and the last one is a hand pulled intaglio solar print 5"x5" ~ these were given as gifts to family and artist friends. I had so much fun printing them!