Jewel Box, Red-haired Woman

Here is a jewel box recently finished. I've been taking a break from them, we need some

space, those ladies and myself!

On the Streetcar

A fresh print ready for the show. I made a few cards with it and also printed it on 'good paper' that I can paint on.

Creature from the Black Lagoon

UPDATE: The finished product!

My son is going to a birthday party today and while laying in bed waking up, I realized we didn't have a birthday card for him. I proceeded to run down to my studio while everyone was still asleep and stamp out the only 'boyish' stamp I have on a card. (My husband chose it from a stamp store I made him go to while visiting Cambria, California - a stop after Hearst Castle.)

Anyway, I hope to color in a background before my little guy wakes up. Good thing the party is inside since we are having another snow storm this morning - what ever happened to Spring?!

Quilter's Confidential II

Another quilt, I'm really in a brown, rust, ochre, orange phase this past year - revisiting my childhood, I suppose. This is merely in the block process, it's the Cabana pattern from Kaffe Fassett.... my color and pattern hero.... love him so much!!!
Who knows when I'll ever pick this one up again... but I've really been in a quilting mood lately.

Flowers in her Hair

Jewel Box Painting to be finished in the next few days.

Dry Ink, Dry

I printed yesterday and can rest easier knowing the ink is now drying. Next will come the painting - one of my favorite steps in my printmaking process. I do know how to print the Japanese way (Moku Hanga) - I went to Graham Scholes' Boot Camp in Victoria B.C. and learned there -what a fabulous experience it was! (He has workshops every June, & has a nice website -- http://www.woodblockart.ca/) However, I'm out of practice with the 'wet box' for the damp paper and the bokashi methods etc. Plus, carving one plate is just more feasible for the Mama lifestyle right now! (Not to mention I love using my press).

Quilter's Confidential

Confession: I love to make quilts. The majority of sewing I do is by hand, though because it's the only way I can really control my piecing, triangle points, etc. It also enables me to sit on the floor with the kids and work on something and they can be right there with me.

Here's the latest creation it's a quilt top right now... I added the brown border and skinny pink border to the blocks but now, I find it way too dark and graphic looking. After putting it away for a long time... I decided I needed to resolve it and recently found a fabric I am going to applique in strips on the brown while still keeping some of the brown showing. I'll show an update after the April show.

Jumping Off

Test print on practice paper, part of a diptych... I did some more 'edit carving' today, so I'll be printing it again.

Bleeding Hearts

Here's a page from a book I'm making and may finish after April. It is full of different prints I have done - all printed and colored in unusual and experimental ways.

Pensive Milly in Easy Chair, 1954

Jewel Box in progress...

More Borders

More jewel box borders...

A Little Painting-a-Day Announcement....

Wow, it's been pretty rough keeping up with bloggin' since having the flu and taking care of the kids, etc. I've been thinking about changing the focus of this blog to an "Art Journal" or "Painting-a-Week" since I've rarely posted a finished painting! My life is too hectic right now to finish a painting that fast and be satisfied with it. So... one of these days, I may have a new name for this painting/print art blog, and probably post less often but with more finished pieces! :) My goal WAS to join a daily painters website but, that probably won't happen until our kids are both in school full time.

Test Print

Here's a test print of Barefoot Friends in dark blue ink. I have more carving to do now!

Auburn hair

Another jewel box painting. I have been doing so many, faces are my favorite, I really never get tired of them... endlessly fascinating to me. I have been thinking about backgrounds and borders... the hard part is to resolve each painting and decide when it's finished!

Gatsby Girl

Another Bobbed Hair Woman...

Relief Crayon Rubbing

Barefoot Friends Woodcut

Here is a preliminary rubbing I achieved with my son's art supplies. I use his 'big paper' (newsprint) and an unwrapped crayon to rub my woodcut and see how it's

looking. (the newsprint works better than the computer paper I've been using). This is a great way to check it at the table before even doing a test print. Since we all have head colds, printing the other day did not happen - but I'm shooting for sometime this week!

In his Garden

Here is part of a large painting I did a few years ago. Still carving and will test print 3 new images this afternoon if baby will nap while the other child is at school!