Something Fishy

Finally! I had a chance to develop a solarplate print today. Did a Rainbow Trout as a relief plate and printed using akua ink on arches paper. "Borrowed" some of Tami's watercolors to create the color.

I love trout, and not just because they are fun to catch (and eat). Their patterns and coloring are so amazing; art at its very finest! I'm no where near capturing the brilliance, but I'll get there!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Since it's been snowing and raining here in beautiful Southern California, I decided to rework a plate with some mish-mash of color and concepts. Used akua inks and some of Tami's stamps. Image size is 11x17. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Yosemite Valley

Finished up a linocut of yet another National Park. Yosemite Valley is one of those places that is surreal in its beauty. Seeing it for the first time is overwhelming; you can't imagine that anything can be so perfect. No wonder that John Muir devoted himself to this wonderful place. This print depicts El Cap and Half Dome with the Merced River flowing through the valley.

Hopefully, I'll be posting some solarplate work soon. Just got a shipment in that I'm dying to try out. We'll see what happens.

And the Winner Is.......

By virtue of a roll of the dice by my lovely assistant, Tami, the winner of the Big Horn Print is

LISA PURCELL

Thanks for commenting and all the positive support. As I print more things, I'll periodically offer some more. Thanks and have a great weekend!

Painting With Light

Back in my old days of 35mm photography, I always wanted to mess with painting with light. But, the turnaround time for film processing, coupled with a lot of hit & miss shots meant it could be costly. No such issue with digital!

The shots are from tonite out on the Rim. Nothing fancy, but fun!

Great Tits & Global Warming!!!

Some stuff you just can't make up. Take, for instance, a recent article in the Los Angeles Times on the effects of global warming on the Great Tits of England.

According to scientists, "few Tits have been analyzed as long as the Great Tits of Wytham Woods, near Oxford. Since 1947, scientists have tracked the fate of nearly every Great Tit, using tiny bracelets." Ouch! They have determined that the Great Tits of England are"thriving and growing in abundance compared to, say, their Danish counterparts, which seem to be shrinking." While I'm sure the blokes in Britain are thrilled, I feel some pain for the gentlemen in the Netherlands.

Being the concerned environmentalist that I am, I decided I need to take a much closer look at the Great Tits. I googled Great Tits and, after filtering out many offers for hot XXX, I found good, reliable information.

I learned from Wikipedia that "Great Tits are easy to recognize" and that they are "large in size at 14 centimeters" (thus making them great, I suppose...). I also found that "Great Tits come in many races." It's so refreshing to know that Great Tits have moved beyond racism to a world only envisioned by civil rights activists.

The website British Garden Birds says that "The Great Tit is the largest of the European Tits." Makes perfect sense to my way of thinking. Anything less would not and could not be great. They also advised that "the Great Tit is doing well and expanding its range and abundance." No doubt assisted by science, i.e. plastic surgery....

And, I learned that Great Tits are not the only Tits out there. From the World Bird Guide, I discovered Stripe Breasted Tits (think Austin Powers?); the Somber Tit (perhaps upset it's not Great); the Elegant Tit (as opposed to the trailer park variety); and in the spirit of equality, the Pere David Tit (freaky, but hey, who am I to question these matters).

So, at least now I know why Al Gore is so passionate about global warming. Aside from weather issues, glacial melt, and drought, that sly dog was all about the Great Tit from the beginning, starting with Tipper way back in the day.

And, I'd rant about the boobies in the Caribbean, but that's a whole other story......

I included a photo just to show how truely beautiful Great Tits are......

Blog Candy Print

I got busy playing with different versions of a print of Big Horn petrogylphs from the Anasazi Tribe. Nice thing about printmaking is that you can experiment over and over with your image. In this case, I played with different layers of color trying to achieve some depth and texture. I used Akua soy based inks on soaked Rising Stonehenge paper. The plate is an intaglio solar plate.

If anyone's interested, I'll offer up a print as blog candy. Just leave a comment and I'll use a sophisticated unbiased means of picking someone (roll dice and pick a number....) I'll include shipping as well and pick someone next Saturday!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!

Off to the Races

The philosopher Anonymous once said "It's not the size of the dog in a fight, but the size of the fight in the dog...." Never a truer insight, particularly when Shelly and Mabel get out and start doing windsprints.

Testing the sports mode of my new camera (yup, finally committed to getting serious about photography again). Shelly leading with Mabel in hot pursuit. It kinda sounded like "thumpeta, thumpeta, thumpeta....tippity, tippity, tippity. Quite the sight.....

Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow

I just spent 3 days printmaking with Dan Welden, a master printmaker and the creator of solarplate printing. It was an amazing experience, not only for pushing new boundaries, but for meeting some extraordinary local artists.

In the world of printmaking, I'd say I'm a neophyte enthusiast. I'm somewhat rigid to rules as a result of A) being a man, B) being a cop, and C) being a photographer. So when Dan laid down the rules, I was very attentive. Until he got to the final rule... There are no rules. Free your mind!

So, on the final day of class, I'm looking at a ratty plate which I over exposed a portion of it. "Free your mind....." I lopped off the over exposed potion with a cutter and began inking it up. Not the way it was intended, but in whatever way I felt. Throw some color here, some swirl there, burnish a bit there, and SLAP THAT SUCKER ON THE PRESS! Mass hysteria; anarchy.

When I pulled the print from the plate, I was stunned. It was like the part in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy goes from black and white to technicolor. It was an irreverent epiphany.

So, I guess the moral to the story is break some rules and conventions. There may be pay off at the end of it!

Solarplate intaglio printed as a relief with Akua inks on soaked Stonehenge paper. Scroll down a few posts to see the original photo.