Process Shot of the Week

Well it was a bit of a crazy week getting stuff together for an exhibition, and sending out applications, and a misplaced package at the post office so I didn't get in a whole lot so studio time, but here's some stuff from the past couple weeks.

The prints may look familiar: I made them in my Stencil Madness: Monoprint Gone Crazy class at Arrowmont this summer. At our final mini crit, another student in the class said how she would love to see these translated into jewelry, which I thought was interesting, so I tucked that in the back of my head. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw a fantastic piece by Kathryn Osgood (always a favorite of mine) at the Greenville Museum of Art. It was a pretty sizable piece, and it was framed. I'm not sure if it was wearable or not, but it got me thinking about making really beautiful enamels just for the sake a making really beautiful enamels, and not necessarily worrying about making them wearable. I know, I know, getting away from the idea of making these images into jewelry, but I thought maybe there's room for both.

So, I went back to the imagery from the prints I made this summer, and pressed some die forms and tried to make that translation. Well, the first one, the dark red color scheme, was so bad. It just came out looking like mud. So I decided to do some watercolor "sketches" first, to lay out compositions. I find these watercolors immensely satisfying, but I tried another enamel anyways. Still not so great. I've been using the under glazes and over glazes on these, but I think they would translate better with the acrylics, so I might try one more with those. Or maybe I'll just go buy some water color paper.

Happy weekend.

Stencil Madness

Sorry for the lack of blogging by life at Arrowmont is INTENSE! I can't believe I've been here over a month already! I just finished up my second class: Stencil Madness: Monoprint Gone Crazy with Jeniffer Ghormley. It was frustrating at times, but all in all a lot of fun, and I finally came up with a few prints I'm happy with.

Last week I was in Plastics and Resin for Jewelry with super energetic James Thurman. We did all kinda of crazy plastic casting and mold making. We even made layered paper "Thurmanite", which I really enjoyed. I made a few little things, which I haven't photographed yet, but I'll post them later.

This week I'll be in "The Enameled Image" with Jessica Caulderwood. I'm super excited. It's all kinds of painting and drawing techniques in enamels, which is the area where I feel like my skills are lacking.

Just one more week, and then I'm off to Peter's Valley!!!!

Post Card Print Exchange

I participated in my first ever print exchange this semester. It was sponsored by the University Print Society at Iowa State, and was a postcard print exchange, meaning that all the prints had to be post card size and sent separately through the mail. The theme was "X", and you could use any method of printing. 352 people from 10 countries participated. The idea of a print exchange is to send in an edition of prints (this one asked for 13), and then the sponsors keep one for their collection, and send the rest out to other people participating in the exchange, from who you receive prints.

I got my prints in the mail this morning, and was confused for a minute as to what was going on. I kind of forgot about being in this exchange. But once I figured it out, I was very excited. Twelve prints were chosen at random from all the participants and sent to me. As you can see there are many styles, techniques and interpretations of the theme "X". My friend Laura Wood participated too, and I can't wait to see what she got!

Prints

This is about a semester's worth of prints. Minus a few still on the drying rack, a few at home and a few that I misplaced/gave away. It seems like a lot on the one hand, but on the other hand it doesn't. I feel like there's so much more to explore in these. Not to mention the mezzotint I didn't finish. In the future: printing plates on top of one another, more chin colle, and more soft ground.

Process Shots of the Week

Some photos of the prints I'm working on. These are based on the sun prints I've been making. More on Flickr.

Sunday Sun Prints

I got my hands on some more Nature Prints paper, and spent the late morning making cyanotypes on my window sill. Once they're dry, I'll go back in and outline everything in black Micron pen. I'm hoping to be able to use the transfer paper I was just introduced to to pull sections of these and turn them into intaglio plates. More on flickr.

Prints and a Vessel

These prints aren't really anything special. Just playing around. All of the little plates that I printed came out of my scrap bin. The vessel has that snotty kind of texture because the chemistry in our electroformer is off. I plan on enameling it, so maybe it won't be so bad.

Sketching is one thing, but actual drawing is quite another. These are drawings for a mezzotint and an etched line print that I'm going to do. I'm much happier with the sketches than I am with the drawings. Luckily, since the school doesn't open until noon today because of the snow, I didn't have my meeting with my print instructor, and I've got a little more time to work on these.

Process Shot of the Week

Wow, these are some truly awful pictures. But I don't care, I effing love these prints. This was Friday night, I've since trimmed them into bleed prints.

Process Shot of the Week

So I spent practically the whole week working on a bunch of intaglio plates. A couple, like this one are meant to be a group of four prints with chine colle in four different, but coordinating colors. I'm having a bit of trouble with this color grouping, which I don't even want to get into. The other plates, I'll print and then enamel (champleve).

Here's me looking a little inky. This was about the cleanest I've been in the print studio since Thursday night. I've been using a graphite colored etching ink, which I'm pretty in love with.

Prints

Process Shot of the Week

Neckpiece of prints tinted with gouache, stitched together with enameled electroforms.

Giveaway!

Ok, so I meant to get a nice, splashy picture of the stuff in my giveaway, but I obviously haven't gotten around to it yet. So here's the run down. . .
The winner of the giveaway will receive:
- 2 small intaglio prints
- a bead embroidered felt brooch
- a set of 6 handmade notecards in super cute spring fashions

So if you haven't already, leave me a comment (or shoot me an email) and I'll announce a winner this weekend!!! (choosen at random of course)

Process Shot(s) of the Week

More smashing of rocks using hammers, rolling mill and hydraulic press. The prints were made using four of the smashed forms. The paper has some lovely embossing. See more pics here.

Process Shot of the Week

This is actually sideways.Check my flickr site for a more accurate view, plus some other cool pics.