wings & the descent, Monotype of the Day #756

Day 24 of Year 3

I'm so happy! No more self portraits, at least for now. However, I am in a bit of a muddle, I'm in that in between stage, the ebb between two flows. Usually I feel a bit lost during these periods. The antidote to this is to keep working but forget about the product. I try to do this anyway, but it is so much more important in an ebb. If you focus on making good work in an ebb you will get frustrated.. This is a major cause of artist block. Instead, I am using this ebb to experiment. I desperately miss cadmium red light. It is such a passionate color and not available in my inks so I'm experimenting with acrylic paint. I had many disasters tonight- paper gluing itself to my plate and tearing, paint drying to quickly, etc. I was fun though. Here are a couple of my attempts. I've barely scratched the surface here. Looking forward to playing some more tomorrow. xo

print 1: wings

print 2: the descent

dawn, Monotype of the Day #717

Day 347 of Year 2 (Actually Day 352)

This print is what I would call a hot mess, but I decided to post it anyway! It's so important for artists to know that failure is part of the process, an essential part. Every piece can't be great or even good. Struggles with an unsuccessful piece so often bring new discoveries, techniques, imagery or etc. They can also serve to jolt us out of complacency. They are a call to wake up, not from doing anything wrong, but to be more alive and present in our practice, to grow and be more conscious. That's a beautiful thing. Artists must make peace with "failed" work and trust that everything we create is an essential part of our journey. It has meaning and purpose though we may not consciously understand why. Creating art is at its most basic level an act of deep and profound trust and intimacy. So trust yourself, trust your process, and know that all will be well in your studio.
PS I've also posted the ghost of the second layer on a more muted paper.

boat and ladder, Monotype of the Day #712

Day 342 of Year 2 (Actually Day 347)

Here is the final print and a ghost print of one of the layers. Tonight I'm liking the simplicity of the ghost, a chance to breathe. Meanwhile, I'm busy researching and plotting how to make bigger prints!

Ladder
By Jane Hirshfield

Read it here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/oct/19/poem-of-the-week-it-was-as-if-a-ladder-by-jane-hirshfield

From Given Sugar, Given Salt https://amzn.to/2zYBhbv

emergence & emergence ghost, Monotype of the Day #694

Day 324 of Year 2 (Actually Day 329)

I put a little too much ink on tonight. I has been raining a lot here and it is very humid. When that happens you definitely have to use less ink. Art materials are very effected by the weather and if you're not paying attention, it can cause a lot of trouble. I liked my first print tonight but everyone else here preferred the ghost. What do you think?

treescape ghost (plus 2nd print: treescape), Monotype of the Day #660

Day 290 of Year 2 (Actually Day 295)

I have completely abandoned cleaning my monotype plates! I love the depth the old (ghost) ink adds under the final image. Tonight I'm posting two prints. The first posted print (the one I am using as my daily print) is actually a ghost* of the second posted print. Printmaking (at least the way I practice it) is about giving up control. You never know exactly how ink will mate with paper. A ghost print is more of an adventure because even the way an artist lays ink down is altered. This method amplifies the ink's own special voice. Artist materials have voice and purpose if you listen. Even alone in the studio, an artist collaborates with the physical world through their materials. It is a constant back and forth, sometime a smooth collaboration, sometimes an epic battle. A good ghost print captures a precious moment of trust and harmony between an artist and the material world. *A ghost print is the a second print taken off of a monotype plate. Because it uses the leftover ink, the image is always different from the first print.

open boat, 3 parts (and a pile of technical mistakes😊), Monotype of the Day #603

Day 233 of Year 2 (Actually Day 238)

A rough night in the studio, but I learned a lot. I had one technical problem after another. I made so many prints that went straight to the trash due to bleeding over the edge, smearing, sticking, or you name it. I'm also not loving the image. I wanted to try something simple, but this image was too simple, not enough inscribed lines to get the interesting effects from last night. These are the three best images, none of them excite me. I feel frustrated. You might think that's bad, but on some level being frustrated is a great place to be. I know I have so much room to grow and that's exciting. I can't wait to try again tomorrow. Hopefully I have something I like better to show, but if not I'll be looking forward to trying again. I trust that what I am going through now is necessary to where I am going. Every work of art can't be a masterpiece, but holding through the difficult moments will ultimately bear fruit. Until tomorrow. xo

listen: four part harmony, Monotype of the Day #602

Day 232 of Year 2 (Actually Day 237)

Something new today! I made four different monotypes on top of a single drypoint etching plate. Technically, this is called a monoprint, but because I did monotypes on top, I'm still counting it as part of the monotype of the day series. 🙂 Last year I purchased a rickety old press that I thought was in good working order. I let it sit in my studio for a full year as a reward for finishing my show. As soon as the show went up, I had an expert come over to get it working. Sadly, it's not in great shape. He advised me to get rid of it and find something in better condition. However, there was nothing available for a reasonable price. If you've been following me, you know one of my mottos is "if there is a will, there is a way". So we got it rolling as well as possible and today I tried it out for the first time. There's a big learning curve and the wheel is definitely hard to turn but I'm pretty happy with the results. I had my studio assistant to help turn the wheel, but I'll have to figure something out for future sessions. Here are the four prints, the base plate inscribed with a drypoint image, and a picture of the press. I've tentatively named her Myrna after Myrna Loy. xo

at sea, Monotype of the Day #381

Experimenting with printing on multiple plates at one time. It’s a lot of fun and it’s stretching my brain in a new way which is excellent. We are here to grow. Embracing change as it naturally unfolds in our lives and, for the artist in their artwork, helps us grow. There are moments of vertigo as an artist jumps into the unknown. However, artists who have faith in the process of working know that any discomfort is temporary, the Artist (with a capital A, universal source of all creativity) will embrace us and provide. Just show up and keep on working, all will be well. Tonight’s poem expresses it perfectly...

The Avowal
By Denise Levertov

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
free fall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

The Visit, a temple for hearing, & the artist arrives, Monotype of the Day #136a, #136b, #136c

I loved being able to play the piano. Even though I can’t do it anymore, I use what I learned in my art practice. One of the exercises my piano teacher taught me was to play a piece very slowly so that I could get everything perfect and then so play it as quickly as possible forgetting everything and not even worrying about hitting the right keys. When you go back to playing the piece normally, it is transformed. So tonight, I’m working quick again, suspending my mind and judgement. Here are a few examples titled respectively: