WHAT IS MOKA HANGA?

I found an excellent website (blog) called 'Woodblock Dreams' put together by Annie Bissett. If you take the time to search through the site, you will find all kinds of information on Moka Hanga and woodblock technique. She has included a very good description of the art form here http://woodblockdreams.blogspot.com/2005/07/what-is-moku-hanga.html , and there is a link to another detailed description at the bottom of her page. Well worth the visit.

WOOD VS LINO

Linocuts are so much faster than woodcuts, and much easier. Working to complete a woodblock can take weeks, where the same subject on lino is only days. The bonus with wood is the fact that the edges of the cuts are much sharper and hold detail better. 'Say Something' is a print made from two woodblocks with reductions done on the main block.

REDUCTION WOODBLOCK

Back to basics...though the technique requires a bit of planning, reductions woodblock prints are really rewarding. The fact that they also are a little less expensive (one block vs multiple blocks) is a bonus.

It has become easy for me to remember that whatever I cut away from the block will show as the last color that was printed on the paper. This print I named 'Devil Music' (best viewed from a distance).

PRINTMAKING

I will continue to make attempts at painting a watercolor that I actually like, but working on different print techniques is still my anchor. I did this two cut reduction lino cut and then went back and hand colored parts of it. Probably the closest I come to 'mixed media'!

I also have this print on the Illustration Friday website for their 'Fast' topic submission. http://www.illustrationfriday.com/

STILL LIFE

A still life study either from Teri's table or a photo I found on the internet (it's been a while since I painted this one). I used acrylics again on Rives watercolor paper.

BIG BEAR HISTORY

In an earlier post I mentioned how traveling in the eastern United States allows you to find so many picturesque scenes that you want to capture somehow in art. I tend to forget that living in Big Bear gives me the same type of opportunities. All I need do is take a walk in any direction and I can stumble upon great subjects for my art.

I did this painting of an historic old log cabin that sits in a large meadow in the east end of our valley. Acrylics again plus some watercolor pencils for small detail.

BACK EAST

This is a painting (acrylic) that I did from a photograph we took on one of our trips back east. I need to go through those pictures again as everything was so very painting worthy back there.

DIVA

It has been a while since I've posted anything here. I spent a great weekend with my son and his family. My grandson is so much fun to be with now. That perfect age when everything is so new and fresh to him.

Jazztrax has shown some interest in using one of my Jazz series linocuts for one of their concerts. That would be pretty fantastic!

TWO PAINTINGS

I started working (not really the right word) on my art again about nine years ago. Looking around my studio last night, I realized that I've done a lot in the years since. The fruit still life is a small watercolor I did that actually worked for me. The painting is an acrylic of an old house the I photographed up in Los Alamos, California.

LIMITED PAINTER

In the medium of watercolor painting there is a technique called 'Limited palette' where the artist uses a small selection of colors. I think I, in my quest to try and learn how to paint with watercolors, have created another technique. I call it 'Limited Painter'.

Another attempt gone bad!!

STORM BREWING

I worked on this 'Monoprint' for about three hours. This type of print is created by painting and inking the design onto a sheet of plastic, then working the design with tools such as cut up credit cards, cotton swabs and painting knives. A sheet of Japanese print paper was then placed on the plastic and run through the print press. It is a challenging process as you never quite know what the result is going to be. The composition didn't work for me here, but I do like some of the effects that were obtained!