Studio update December 5, 2024

 I have new prints in progress, and I just took a relief printing course that taught multiple block relief printing.  I'm enjoying improving my skill range and printmaking vocabulary.  I found the woodblock printmaking course to be much easier than I had expected.  This was in no small part due to the talent of the instructor, Charlie Spitzack.  The course was offered at the Pratt Fine arts Center in Seattle.  https://www.pratt.org/

I was so impressed with the Pratt Fine Arts Center.  The printmaking studio is large repurposed industrial building, with high ceilings and huge glass windows.  They have an enviable amount of equipment for all types of printmaking.  There were 8 of us in the class and plenty of space to work.  The teaching was some of the best I have experienced, and I'm a university trained artist.  Charlie was very good at meeting people at their skill level and helping everyone be successful.  He has great energy and enthusiasm.  You can see Charlie's website here:  https://www.charlesspitzack.com

I hope to return to the Pratt Fine Arts Center next year to take more workshops with Charlie and perhaps some of the other teachers.  It was a very enjoyable day!

I kept this print very simple so I could do it in one day.  This is a variation of one of my white line woodcuts.  I'm looking forward to more of this kind of printmaking.

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Works in progress, white line woodcuts.  I'm doing a series of florals from my garden.  Each block is about 16 x 20 inches.

Drawing of first floral

Floral # 2, partially carved

Printing floral #3. Still on the block, not yet finished.

Studio Update November 15, 2024

 New drawings and Works in Progress.  I'm also working on new prints and will update soon.

I'm experimenting with some colored pencil drawings and combined graphite and colored pencil.

Farmers market onions-Graphite and colored pencil-In progress

Pumpkins, sketchbook drawing

"Lake 22" colored pencil drawing in progress

Studio update October 28, 2024

 I've been taking a class in printmaking up in Wilmington this fall and have some results to share.  I'm continuing my work in drawing and white line woodcuts, but wanted to expand my knowledge and skills into other types of printmaking.  I'm still working on learning relief printing (linocut), however I really like drypoint etching.  I plan to color the drypoint etchings at a later date.  These are my first prints in Lino and drypoint.

"Mending Autumn" Monotype collage

"Eat Your Veggies" Drypoint etching

"Mt. Rainier" Linocut print

"Nana's Hat" Drypoint etching

October greetings!

 

(The more I look at this picture of the fall pumpkins, the more I think it would make a fabulous woodcut.  But then, who would buy it?  I'm not sure anyone would want pumpkins hanging on their wall all year round!!!)

I am starting a new body of work this fall, and doing some continuing education in printmaking.  Traveling back and forth to Wilmington to access the course and the etching press at the Delaware art museum.  I have at least five new woodcuts in the works and a new landscape drawing.  No photos yet, but will post some soon.

One of the topics that we discussed at length with our guests during the studio tour was about printmaking.  There is much confusion about what a print is.  Artists are partly responsible for this confusion, because when they sell reproductions of their paintings, they call them prints.  When a printmaker makes a print, or even an edition of prints, they are all considered original works of art.  They are not a reproduction like a photocopy or a giclee.  While a reproduction might be an affordable way to own an artists work, it will not increase in value the way an original print might.

I found a great resource at the Print Center in NYC.  Read more here:  https://www.printcenternewyork.org/resources#/glossary

Studio Update September 25, 2024

Let's fly Away to- NEW YORK!!

Let's Fly Away 1/15  (8 x 8.5 inches)

Flight Equipment 1/15  (4 x 4 inches)

Preparing to send off my prints to the SAGA membership shows in New York for exhibition this fall.  Both prints are for sale through SAGA.  The Mini Gems exhibit is being held December 7th to January 4th at the SAGA gallery 32 Union Square East, Suite 1214, New York, NY.  The larger piece is being exhibited at the 89th Annual Members exhibition, October 22 to November 3, 2024 at Arts Center Governors Island Arts Center, NYC.

Now that the Studio tour is behind me I'm getting back to work and looking forward to the shows for next year.  This was our best year ever on the tour, my studio had more than 220 visitors.  Congratulations to Jeannie Smith who won the raffle prize!  We didn't realize before she came to pick it up that we had met once before in the Philadelphia Airport!!  What a small world.

 

Studio Update August 22, 2024

 I'm nearing completion of another print of "Worms for Sale".  The first print is being shipped next week to the ISEA's international exhibition in Grand Haven MI.  I will have the second print available for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour on September 21, 2024.

https://www.iseaartexhibit.org

This is by far the most labor intensive print I do, taking over 250 hours to finish.  I love the bright colors and the whimsey in it!

For more on the making of this print, see this post:  https://turningleavesstudio.blogspot.com/2023/08/studio-update-august-12-2023.html

I just returned from the framer with a beautiful assortment of work for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour!  Getting excited about this event!

https://www.lewesartistsstudiotour.com/artists

The 11th Regional Juried biennial exhibition opens at Rehoboth Art League tomorrow with a reception from 5-7 PM.  I have two drawings in this exhibit as well.

https://www.rehobothartleague.org/exhibitions/upcoming/11th-regional-juried-biennial-exhibition/

The finished print!  This print is being framed and will be available for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour Saturday the 21st of September.

"Worms for Sale" 2/15 -20 x 30 inches

Studio Update: Monday July 29, 2024- and good news!

Some good news!  I've had two drawings accepted in the Rehoboth Art League's 11th Regional juried biennial exhibition.  The drawings are: "Wabi Sabi Shadow Box" and "A Day in the Woods".  Both drawings can be viewed in my pages section under "drawings".

I'm back from a trip to the Pacific Northwest where I found some inspiration for new work.  We have 8 weeks until The Lewes Artists Studio Tour so I won't be starting anything new before that.  I'm making prints and getting my work together for this fun event!  There is a link for the tour and a map at the bottom of this page.

I'm also submitting work to the SAGA membership shows in NYC and have an entry accepted in the ISEA exhibit in Michigan in September.  More on those later!

In the meantime, I'll share some photos of a lovely hike to Wallace Falls in Washington.  It was 10K round trip with about 1000M of elevation gain to get to the middle falls.  I was carrying a backpack with my camera equipment and lots of water since it was a hot day.  It was a nice hike, strenuous in places but not overly so.  The middle falls are more than 300 feet tall so the photo doesn't do it justice.  We were told by someone who hikes there on a regular basis that the water during the snow melt is raging so much that you can't see any of the rocks.  Some of the boulders in the river are as tall as I am!

Studio Update July 17th-Art Open Space! UPDATE- July 27th

So thrilled to announce that the print sold, as did most of the work in this exhibit!  Very happy to be a part of helping this worthy cause!!  Just heard that 10,000 dollars was raised!

Also:  A big shout out to Tony at Peninsula Gallery for all the work he did organizing this exhibit:  https://www.peninsula-gallery.com/

And a thank you to Ed at Gallery 50 in Rehoboth for the fantastic framing job he did on my piece! https://www.gallery50art.com/

If you are in the area go visit these businesses!

Even though the art sold, you can still make a donation to this cause through the link below.

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One of my prints is being donated to Art Open Space for the Fourth Street Forest preserve in Lewes.  The Auction is Friday the 26th of July and Saturday the 27th of July at the Inn at Canal Square Lewes.

Here is the link to view the works:  https://osalewes.org/artshow/

 

 

Studio Update -July 6th 2024

New prints this week.  Stay cool wherever you are, it's going to be brutally hot.  Let's all fly away!!!

Let's fly away-mini 4 x 4 inches

Flight equipment- 4 x 4 inches

Let's fly away-9 x 9 inches

Studio Update June 18, 2024

 New prints this week.  I'm preparing for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour and the SAGA membership show in NY this fall.  I've returned to the garden for inspiration because it's such a beautiful spring.  Those drawings and prints are still in progress.  I'm also donating a framed original print of Mary Vessels Park in Lewes to the Fourth Street Forest fundraising auction this July 27th at the Inn at Canal Square in Lewes.

Mary Vessels Park 3/25

After the Storm 2/20

The Back Porch

Studio Update June 3, 2024- AND a new print!

 The exhibit is up at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.  Here is the link to view the works:

https://salmagundi.org/2024-scny-46th-annual-open-painting-sculpture-graphics-exhibition/

I'm please to be invited to be part of this amazing exhibition!

Many thanks to the Cape Gazette for their coverage!

https://www.capegazette.com/article/lewes-artist-selected-juried-exhibition-nyc-through-june-28/275612

I finished this new print this week and took a quick photo with my phone to share it!  I'll update the website when I get a proper digital photo made.

The Back Porch-White line woodcut print AP -18" x 24 "

Studio Update- May 27, 2024

 It's been a busy week here at the beach!  I have finished the large landscape drawing I was working on and am pulling several prints this week.  In addition, I learned that I have been accepted by SAGA-Society of American Graphic Artists as a member.  I am so pleased to learn this news.

I'm working toward the autumn shows and Lewes Artists Studio Tour.  Our new brochures are out and the website is being updated.  There is a link on the lower right of the blog for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour website.

 

Mary Vessels Park 3/25

After the Storm-AP

Pleistocene Nomads- Graphite and charcoal on Canson paper- 24 x 28

Studio Update May 14, 2024- and more good news!

One of my drawings has been accepted in the 46th annual painting, graphics and sculpture exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in New York.  I'm so pleased to be part of this exhibition.  I will update this post as more information is available.

https://salmagundi.org/2024-scny-46th-annual-open-painting-sculpture-graphics-exhibition/

 

 A Day in the Woods, graphite on bristol 14 x 17 inches

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I received notification last evening that one of my prints has been selected for the International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA) 33rd Annual International Juried Exhibition!  This is an exciting honor!

https://www.iseaartexhibit.org/

Here is the statement I wrote about the submission:

My primary practice is realistic work in graphite and charcoal. White line woodcuts are by their very nature experimental. It is almost impossible to achieve realism in this media. It is difficult to know what will happen with the grain of the wood, or if the color work will be successful. The reference photo for this piece was a small black and white photograph I took more than 25 years ago. The subject was a dilapidated bait shop in Maine. I had no reference for the colors in the work. I always imagined this in bold bright colors, as it would look if everything was new. The sign in between the windows caught my eye from the start and still makes me smile.

 

Worms for Sale- White line woodcut Print, 22 x 30 inches

Both these works are special to me in a number of ways.  I's so pleased they will be shown in these wonderful venues.

UPDATE:  May 21, 2024

The new brochures for the Lewes Artists Studio Tour are back from the printer and the website is being updated.  I'm very excited to be participating in the tour again this year!  I'll be featuring many new works and lots of prints!  Stay tuned.

Studio Update May 12, 2024

 I wanted to show my sketches from the "Lessons in Classical Drawing" course by Juliette Aristides.  This is intended to be a semester long course and I am doing more than one version of some of the exercises.  I'm still working on some of them, and in the book she tells you not to make finished drawings (something that is HARD for me to do).  I'll keep posting them as I get through the chapters.  I have a very strong background in drawing with many excellent teachers, but there are always things that present challenges to even the best draftsman.  I'm enjoying the approach she has to solving the challenges.

These are intentionally light drawings, one of the things she stresses in the book is starting out light!! Some of the exercises involve master copy drawings but all the rest have been drawn from life in the studio.  I am working on a master copy drawing that is not far enough along to post yet.

Lesson 1:  Beginning Lines:  Master Copy Sketch

Note the lines of reference from all the angles and directions in the figure.  It becomes easy to see where your drawing is off when you do this.

Lesson 2: Harmonious relationships:  Measured drawing.  Again, lines of direction aide in seeing where the drawing is off.

Lesson 3:  The Elegant Contour: Rhythmic line drawing

Her example was a branch of a tree, which I will go back and do when the weather improves!

 

Lesson 4:  The Illusion of Depth:  Volumetric Drawing

I chose several subjects for these exercises, and am still working on the still life with the onions-

Studio Update May 4, 2024

New drawings and prints are in the works in the studio this spring.  Here are a couple of quick photos.  The first is a scene in British Columbia, the second is Deception pass looking toward Whidbey Island.  The boulder in the drawing is so large you can see it on Google Earth photos.  It is nearly the size of a VW Beetle!  They were carried there by glaciers during the last ice age.  Impressive!

In addition to my studio work, I have been studying Juliette Aristides courses from the books "Lessons in Classical Drawing", and "Lessons in Classical Painting".  Some of the information is review but some of it is a fresh perspective on drawing and painting. More on that later!

 

After the Storm-Vancouver BC

White line woodcut print, 16 x 20

 

 

 

 

 

"Pleistocene Nomads" -Deception Pass 

Charcoal and Graphite on Canson paper, 24 x 28

 

Studio Update April 2, 2024

 I've been notified that my print "Worms for Sale" has been juried in to "Fest Art" at Camp Rehoboth in Rehoboth Beach.  This is an art show for a great cause, and my second year being invited to this event.  Here is the calendar of events:

https://www.camprehoboth.com/womensfest/womens-fest-2024-schedule

Opening reception is Friday April 26 from 2-4 PM.

If you have a chance to attend and support this worthy cause please do!

Here's the press release from the Cape Gazette:  https://www.capegazette.com/article/fest-art-exhibition-open-april-26-camp-rehoboth/273643

Here is the link to the Camp Rehoboth Website:  https://www.camprehoboth.com/arts/CAMPgallery/fest-art-2024 

"Worms for Sale" White Line woodcut print, 20 x 30

In the meantime, I'm starting a new body of work and will post updates as soon as I can!

Studio Update March 9, 2024

 A very cold and raw day here on the east coast.  Feels exactly like Puget sound did last week!  I got right back to work upon returning home and have completed two pieces this week.

The first is a drawing of the beach at Kalaloch on the Olympic Peninsula.  I initially started with the intention of it being charcoal and graphite.  As I got into it, I liked the result I was getting from working in all charcoal.  There is some grain from the tooth of the paper but I like the effect.  This drawing is one of the most complex subjects I have tried in some ways.  It took two months to complete.  The movement of the sand was challenging, but important to the composition.  So was capturing the personality of each of the rocks.

The second photo is another pull of the print "The Bell House".  This is a favorite print but very labor intensive due to the rocks.  I worked the sky a little differently than previous versions, using the wood grain more than before.  The sky in this location has very distinctive clouds, and I wanted to reflect that in the work.

The rocky beach is a jumping off place to a rocky landscape I want to start.  I'm loving these big landscapes.  I'm also enjoying bringing geology into my work.  There are reasons why these landscapes resonate with me, I'm a geologist!!

"Fire and Ice" 14 x 18 inches, Charcoal on Canson Mi Tientes paper

"The Bell House" 2/20 -18 x 24 inches, White Line Woodcut on Rives BFK paper

Studio Update February 28, 2024

 Exciting news to report this week!  I have been notified of my acceptance into the International Guild of Realism as a professional member!  I submitted some of my drawings and one watercolor painting as part of the jurying process.  I am excited and pleased to receive this news!

One of my goals has always been to reach a high level of proficiency as an artist and illustrator.  My drawings can take a month to complete because of the level of detail involved.  This acceptance is wonderful encouragement to keep going with my work!

https://www.realismguild.com/ 

 I'll leave you today with a photo of the beautiful Olympic Mountains from across Puget Sound.  I'm just back from my trip to this beautiful countryside.  So many landscapes, so little time!!

 

 

Studio Update February 17, 2024

 I've been busy this month and have finished the large print I was working.  This is part of a series of Maine prints I have been doing.  I have wanted to paint this for a long time!  A very colorful and fun subject.

I also am working a drawing of the beach at Kalaloch Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula.  This isn't finished yet but I will share a progress photo.

I am planning to be part of the Lewes Artist Studio Tour again this year.  Mark your calendars for the third Saturday in September.  The tour starts on the 21st at 10 am.  More information to follow!

"Worms for Sale"

White Line woodcut Print on Rives BFK paper

20 x 30 inches 

 

the print on the block

"Fire and Ice"

Charcoal on Canson paper

28 x 30 inches