Print Exchange Mania

Print exchanges have been an important part of my art practice.  When I was first starting out, Melanie Yazzie invited me to be in a print exchange.  I made a 5 color reduction linocut - a major effort I since learned and because I put so much into it, I got invited to another, and another, and another.  And so on.  In a print exchange you create an edition which you send off and in return you get a print from the other artists participating.  I now have an amazing collection of prints from artists all over the world.  Another benefit is that the print exchanges are almost always exhibited somewhere, galleries, universities, and with Melanie's exchanges, the prints become part of major collections.  These are nice resume items for sure.  By participating in these exchanges, I have learned about some fantastic artists all over the country, and they have learned about me.  It is so fun to cement this knowledge with Facebook friendship and come March, even meeting some face to face at the Southern Graphics Council Conference in San Francisco! 

I recently completed a print for a Melanie Yazzie exchange called Birds and Animals of My Land.  This time (whatever was I thinking) I did a 7 color reduction.  But I really loved doing it. 

 

And now I am working on yet another M.Y. exchange - Animal Mammas and Their Babies.  I printed the first of TWO colors and am happily carving away (my favorite part of the process) in preparation of printing this weekend.

I will post the final version when it is finished.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I last posted.  A lot happened with the opening of my exhibition at Five15 Arts for the month of October.  My sister, showed with me and came for the Third Friday reception.  We had such a good time.  I wonder if there ever will come a time when we live in the same city.  She is very settled in California and I love Arizona.  I guess we are lucky we aren't a continent apart. 

I had a great year teaching at the Phoenix Center for the Arts.  The people who work there are just the most fun and best people to work with.  And the students are so open to learning and happy to be there.  This year I topped off my year by participating in the Phoenix Festival of the Arts, sharing a booth with Marlys Kubicek.  It was a fun event and great to see so many people out enjoying the beautiful weather and great deals for art. 

NEED MORE STUDENTS for January Classes!
I will be teaching 5 classes in two weeks.  IF I get a couple more students in the Thursday Monotype class.  This is painting with ink on a plate and then running it through the press.  Immediate gratification for those used to longer processes like oil painting.  I also need two more students in Wednesday night Relief Printmaking.  This class, for beginners, shows how easy it is to begin creating art with little or no drawing experience.  For those who can draw, it is a way to make multiple original prints from a single plate.  Students in this class have created editions for print exchanges where their work is exhibited around the country and the world.

To register, or for more information click Phoenix Center for the Arts Registration. Click on the Printmaking tab to see the classes I am teaching.  I am also running TryMe like classes through Amazon Local - deals end Friday 1/3.  Go to Amazon Local PCA Printmaking to get the deal and then call the Phoenix Center to sign up for one of my 3 hour classes.  The TryMe type classes are for those of you who aren't sure you will like printmaking.  So you get to experience the thrill of pulling your first print in a single noncommittal class.  :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I hope it is art-filled!