I'm jumping on the blog bandwagon! My intent is to connect with others who, like me, love art, beauty, nature, and life, and to share my own artistic meanders. I'll start off with my newest love: printmaking! I made this monotype last night in a printmaking class being given by the talented Noel Sandino. I rolled black ink onto a plexiglass plate, wiped away the ink to "reveal" a bird, rolled green ink over a little vine I brought from my yard, arranged them on the press bed, laid damp printmaking paper over them, and cranked the lot through the rollers. One of the joys of using a printing press is peeling up the paper to see how the image looks - always a thrill, even if things don't turn out as you had hoped/expected. A lot of fun, and a great learning experience!
Inspired by the class, I also made this little (3x5 image) lighthouse linocut print at home, pressing the paper to the inked block with the back of a plastic mixing spoon, and added watercolor. I'm excited about carving another block or two for the sky and sea to make it a three color print. It's so fun experimenting!
Have you tried any new art techniques lately? Did you learn anything, and most importantly, did you enjoy yourself? I'd love to see what everyone is up to and maybe pick up some pointers.
Quote for the day: "The practice of art isn't to make a living, it's to make your soul grow." Kurt Vonnegut
