ALWAYS READY

There are times when I don't have the motivation or energy to start a painting or print project, but still feel like doing something in my studio. I try to have a scratch board on hand to work on but also find that doing a monoprint is quick and easy on the brain. Spread some ink or paint on a sheet of plastic, run it through the press and see what happens!!

WOODBLOCK PRINTING

Below is a link to a Youtube video showing one type of woodblock printing. It shows how printing was done (in this case, playing cards) in the late 1400s and early 1500s,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgCYovlFRNY&feature=related

HOLIDAYS II

Spent time with family over the last few days so my art has been on the back burner. I did find time to do one acrylic painting which was quick but enjoyable.

HOLIDAYS

The upcoming holidays have limited my time to attend to this blog. I haven't been able to get down to my studio or post anything. Because my son and daughter in law will be gone for Christmas, I did get an early celebration with my grandson though. He loves to play my drums when he visits Big Bear, so our gift to him this year is his own kit. Pretty sure we aren't the neighbors favorite people right now, but Liam is in heaven. Nice being the grandparents that get to head back home whenever we want!!

GREAT INSTRUCTIONAL SITE

I have purchased a few instructional DVDs over the years and have found them to be very helpful. Seems like it's impossible not to pick up helpful techniques and tips watching other people work. Now I use this site that makes DVDs available to watch by renting them for a period of time and watching them on the computer. Very good artist instruction in watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, oils and other art forms. Well worth a visit.

http://www.artworkshops.tv/

LOOKS EASY...PROBABLY NOT!

Anders Andersson, a Swedish artist has a wonderful watercolor demo on Youtube that makes it look so easy. Because I find working (for me it really is work) with watercolors such a challenge, I have watched this video many times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SE&hl=sv&v=3r2ThBxOUCo

On a different note, I did another pastel just to keep me out of trouble!

NEW ART

My friend from the Pacific Northwest sent me scans of two new paintings that she has recently completed. One in pastels and the other a watercolor. Her watercolors are one reason I continue to try and paint with them myself. Trust me, my results never come close!

Visit her site at http://www.annewhirledgekarp.com/

WATERCOLOR (KIND OF)

The holiday gave me a bit of time to work down in my studio. Actually, experiment in my studio would be the proper call. I did what I guess would be called a 'mixed media' painting. I used some of my Akua Kolor printing ink, plus watercolor paint and watercolor pencils to do this painting from a M. Kahn photograph that I really love. This may be the closest I ever come to creating a watercolor painting!

SNOW

Winter has officially arrived in my little town. We received about 4 inches of snow yesterday. Not a huge amount, but enough to keep me busy moving it around. I took a break from shoveling and started a small pastel.

SCRATCH THE ITCH

Still having time issues but I did find a little time to pull out a scratchboard drawing I had been working on. I can always add a few more lines and feel like I'm doing something creative.

NOT ENOUGH TIME

I have been running up and down the mountain for various reasons and finding it hard to spend much time downstairs in my studio. Just to clear my mind, I did a quick pastel. Years ago I did an acrylic painting of this spot on Ile Verti, but from a different direction.

WOOD ENGRAVER

Here's another great printmaking site. Simon Brett, an artist making prints and book illustrations.

http://www.simonbrett-woodengraver.com.uk/

ANOTHER PROOF

Pulled a new proof from my lino-cut. This one, printed with black ink, shows the reduction cut.

LINO CONTINUED

I was able to get a lot more time in on the new lino-cut. I am using my traditional cutting tools but also speeding up the process with a rotary tool.

LINOCUT PROOF

Last night I took advantage of the fact that my wife went out to dinner with friends of hers, by pulling the first proof from the linocut I've been working on. I used a darker ink to allow me to see the changes I might want to make.

MICHAEL GORO - PRINTMAKER

One of the fun benefits of my blog is that people send me information on artist and sites that I might find interesting. Michael Goro is one such artist. A printmaker who has won many international awards for his etchings and engravings. His prints showing urban environments are really exciting but I really like his watercolors (under drawings on his site).

http://www.mgoro.com/

FIRST CUTS

I spent about an hour last night doing the initial cutting on the new linocut.

HERE WE GO...

Received a batch of new Art Print linoleum (Battleship) from McClains, and now need to put it to use. Starting with a black and white (plus gray) 8X10. Planning on three reduction cuts and just finished the basic drawing on the block.

ART FOR A FRIEND

A good friend of mine, who teaches here in Big Bear, gave me a photograph that she really likes and asked me if I could paint it for her. I went back to my old stand by, acrylics and think I like the results.

TOM KILLION - PRINTMAKER

My interest in all forms of printmaking, and especially wood and lino prints, finds me exploring the internet looking for artist who excel in these techniques. Tom Killion is one such artist. He has a studio in Point Reyes, California, and his fantastic prints show the beauty of that state. He combines a traditional Japanese technique along with his own special touches in his work.

http://tomkillion.com/

On the right is one of my Woodblock prints.

SIMONE BINGMER

I have found myself working with pastels a lot over the last few months. I think part of the reason is the pace they allow you to work at. Also, I struggle with watercolors so much, never being able to correct problems I encounter. With both pastels and acrylics, I find it much easier to fix things that I am unhappy with. I was sent a link to Simone Bingmer's web site. She is a wonderful pastel artist who lives in Cologne. I've never been quite sure weather to call the pastels I do paintings or drawings. Hers are definitely paintings. They look like beautiful oil portraits.

http://www.simonebingmer.de/index_en.html

On the right is one of my attempts.

GREAT ART SITE PLUS NEW PASTEL

Here is another great website with tons of information and links to all kinds of art techniques. If you are interested in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking (my favorite), pastels or ceramics, you find something you like here. Also great links to artists on the home page. The painting at the left is a watercolor by Lori Pitten Jenkins.

http://www.artshow.com/resources/printmaking.html

The painting to the right is another pastel from my trip to Colorado.

COLORADO PASTEL

Spent the last couple of nights working on a pastel from one of the pictures of Colorado. My plan is to use it as a value scale for a larger acrylic painting.

BACK IN BIG BEAR

I have been away for a number of days but now happily back home. We flew to Colorado for the Navy, Air Force football game over the weekend. Spent a few extra days taking pictures of the fantastic scenery the area provides. This should give me subject matter for my art for a long while.

ILE VERTI

I was looking through old photographs for subject matter for some new art, and found some pictures from a trip we took to Quebec a few years ago. Part of our visit was spent on Ile Verti (Green Island) on the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It is an island that few people know about but it has great history and beautiful views. We were there late in the year and almost had the whole island to ourselves. Ihad already done a couple of acyrlic paintings after our return home, but now I would like to try a pastel or two.

ALMOST FINISHED

I worked (not really the correct word) on my new pastel a bit more yesterday. Now down to adding a little more detail, an area that I can easily screw up!

NEW PASTEL

I started another pastel yesterday. I'm going a bit bigger this time, so should be interesting.

A LITTLE MORE ANNE

These watercolors and pastels are some of my favorite things from Anne's art. The two watercolors are not yet on her web site but are really great. It's her pieces like these that keep me trying to do a watercolor every once in a while.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE

Over forty years ago there was a girl in my life that I was engaged to be married to. As often happens when people are young, our lives took different paths and we drifted apart. At first I thought about her a lot, and then time dampened the memory. After thirty some years of absolutely no contact, we reconnected about ten years ago, and have remained close ever since. One of the things that I have learned about her in our new relationship is that she loves art. She also did when I first knew her but, for some reason, I wasn't aware of it. Anne lives with her husband on beautiful Lopez Island in the Pacific Northwest where she has her own studio which was part of a studio tour last Labor Day weekend. It seems funny to me that when we were younger, I thought I was the art person with my photography and painting, never paying attention to the fact that she is pretty damn good herself. She works in pastels and also paints beautiful watercolors just to annoy me, I'm sure.

http://www.annewhirledgekarp.com/

STARTING TO FINISH SOME THINGS

I am slowly trying to complete some pieces that have been sitting for a while. This is a linocut that I started about two months ago.

TORTURED PAPER

I forgot (probably on purpose) to post the watercolor when I finished it. Nothing seems to change in my watercolor skills...

DRAW, DRAW FAST AS YOU CAN

Summer seems to be leaving quickly from my little community of Big Bear Lake. Cold mornings and chilly evenings. For me, that means getting everything ready for winter. Our boats are now off of the lake and gardening things put away. With all of this activity, I have not found much time to get down to my studio. I did get to do a practice session I read about, that has you just start putting down colors at a quick pace and hope that it looks like something somewhere along the way. Really fun with very little pressure.

BACK TO WHAT I KNOW

The last couple of pastel pieces I have done were floral subjects. They were fun to do and , obviously, pastel colors and flowers go together. The part that doesn't fit quite as well is me! I'm just not much of floral kind of person! I decided to go back to a subject that I'm a little more comfortable with...music. I'm still really enjoying doing things with pastels because they happen so quickly. Haven't stopped the printmaking though. I have linocut and woodblock in process.

PHOTOGRAPHY, BLUES AND ART

I have found myself spending more and more of my time around music and art over the past few years. I guess it's never too late to do the things you enjoy and not just the things you're expected to do! One of the people who follow this blog sent me a link to a great site that shows some wonderful examples in these areas. Brandy Kayzakian Rowe is a photographer and painter who grew up and lived in the south (Memphis). Her photographs of the Delta and it's blues music are simply fantastic. She has recently moved to the Pacific Northwest and continues her work in it's rich jazz scene.

http://www.brandykayzakianrowe.com/

THE YIN AND YANG

I believe that the Yin and Yang are supposed to be opposites that interact with each other at times. Mine seem to have no connection to one another. I'm working on another attempt at a watercolor, and just finished another pastel drawing. As usual, the pastel has turned out the way I planned (except for the leaves) and the watercolor, well.... Actually, the watercolor may turn out better than most if I just try to keep it loose.