Wendy Willis Printmaking

Change Afoot and Two Shows Opening in February!

2012-01-30T00:42:00.002-07:00

The year is starting out on surprisingly positive footings so far. A few days ago we signed to put our house on the market. It is time for us to downsize. I was encouraged by what the realtors we interviewed said about our chances. So big changes are coming on the home front and also on the art front as well. Marlys will be moving into the studio house so I need to vacate my space there. While it is really sad to think that we won't be together in that great space anymore, I am holding all good thoughts that I will end up where I need to be.

Manny Burruel, Artist

Diana Hartley, Artist

Rossitza Todorova, Artist

On the excellent start front, I have two shows opening this month. A LITTLE RELIEF opens Friday at Copper Star Coffee. It was the exhibition Marlys and I conceived and took to Flagstaff last September. We held it over to show Phoenix. This invitational show features reduction linocuts, by artists from Arizona, California and Nevada. These great little works of art are priced the same, unframed at $100 and framed at $140. The opening reception is from 6-9 Friday, Feb 3rd. Come by for a cup of coffee and some truly original works of art.

Susan Hartenhoff, Artist

The second exhibition, at the Shemer Art Center is a Statewide Juried Print Competition. The print I just completed, "Sunbather", was accepted into this show, which made me very happy! The artist reception is Tuesday, Feb 14th from 7 to 9 pm. Bring your sweetie by to see some excellent printmaking by Arizona artists. See the sidebar for more information.

"Sunbather"

2012-01-10T01:36:00.000-07:00

Final updates on my 10 x 10 inch print: Colors 9 (green) and 10 (medium blue) went down on Friday. I originally planned a bright blue swimsuit and pool tile but it just looked out of place, so I toned it down with some grey. Feedback along the way has been to stop with whatever color is there on the bushes/trees. But I continued with my original plan...and printed the darkest color (11, a dark blue/green) on the bushes/trees, and the inner part of the pool. But it was too harsh and put it all on the same plane which just looked wrong. So I added a bunch of transparent base and it lightened just right. That added the 12th and final color.

"Sunbather"

I have forgiven my mistakes on this print, and there have been several. Most you won't notice. One mistake I did have to make up for was cutting off the wheel of the front lounge before I printed the last color. BIG oopsie. So I cut out a hole in the gomuban and popped in a new piece and carved out the proper wheel remainder and voila! Fixed! I just realized that this is the most colors I have ever used on a reduction print. It was nice to be able use all the layers I thought I needed. But I also like the challenge of doing prints with 2 or 3 or 4 colors. Getting your image across with just a few colors is more of an artistic challenge, rather than the technical challenge of more colors. Anyway, I love this print. For me, it felt like I was spending time with my Mom everyday I worked on this. It was wonderful having her around.

More on the 10 x 10

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am tardy in posting my progress. The non-printing parts of my life are piling up as I try to finish this print. I surprise myself with my color selection. Muted tones. I am happy with the way they look. I ended the year printing December 30th and 31st and have begun the new year also printing everyday: Color 5 on New Year's Day, Color 6 on January 2nd and Colors 7 and 8 on January 3rd. I have decided not to fix some of the mistakes I have made. The color 2 cutting mistake, well, in the end it isn't so noticeable and might have been a blessing. Happy accident.

So my New Year is off to a good start. I hope the same for all of you.

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

Back to work after returning from Christmas in Cincinnati, I printed the 3rd color on my 10 x 10 print. I carved a small piece of gomuban with the shape I wrongly cut away and have reserved the ink I mixed of that color. But after 5 colors now, I am waiting to see if I really need to use it. Here is the 3rd color pass. You will note that I am not printing the whole area of the print. This is a change for me...I am trying to think more about putting the color where it is needed and not building up too many layers. Too many make for shiny areas.

Color 4 is the first of three colors for the pool. I forgot to add cobalt drier to the ink and hoped it would be dry enough to print today. A color-a-day is the goal since I have returned.

I am printing on Rives BFK and a kozo paper. The Rives version is turning out clearer, the ink spreads out smoothly. With the kozo there is more of the underneath color showing through. I haven't adjusted to the rougher surface but I kind of like the differences.

Color 5 covered up the brightness of Color 3 pretty well. Certainly enough for what will come next. I had another brain fart carving away this one and had to glue back a piece. I will learn tomorrow whether that worked or not. See if you can spot my error! It will show (or not) after either Color 6 or 7. When I look at the print at this stage, I am tempted to leave it this abstract. But I can't do it. There is something in me that can't wait to see what it will look like after the next color...and the next. But this stage inspires me to think more abstractly and to really try to do fewer colors.

Ten By Ten

2011-12-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have finally started a new reduction relief print. The new print will be 11 colors. I tried to get it down to 10 but felt I needed that one more color. I am one of those printmakers who decide it all in advance and do all my color separations on paper before I begin cutting. The project is to be a commemorative piece to honor the 10 year anniversary of the Arizona Print Group. The print dimensions are to be 10 x 10 inches in an edition of 3. Two will be assembled into books for showing potential galleries the type and quality of our work. One will be used for exhibition purposes. My plan is to make two small editions from the same plates, varying perhaps the color of the swimsuit...? I am printing one set on kozo and one set on Rives BFK. The image here on kozo will be a bleed print and not for the book.

The second color went down yesterday. Here it is shown on Rives. My lighting was terrible and my battery almost dead so the color isn't great on these. The kozo is a bright white paper and the colors are actually brighter and different than the ones on the creamier Rives. It looks the opposite in the photos but that's just my bad lighting.

This project is due January 10th and I am going away for a week. Then I will be having a very special house guest January 5th so I am running out of time...and in my hurry I cut away an essential part of the face. I have to admit I have never made such a bad mistake. I have a couple options in mind to salvage my print but in the meantime I have let it go for now. Breathe deep and enjoy Christmas. I am confidant I will save it in the end and I will share with you how it goes.

Thank you for following my blogposts and commenting as you have. It is another layer of support and nurturing of artists to artists that is inspiring and fun and loving.

Happy holidays to you and safe travels.

Last Night at Five15 Arts Gallery

2011-11-19T10:48:00.001-07:00

The five new members of the Five15 Arts Gallery have a group show exhibiting this month. We are Brendan Ore, Marc Marlowe, Marlys Kubicek, Sarah O'Donoghue and myself. Last night was the Third Friday Reception and the turnout was great. It is wonderful seeing our friends and collectors come by to see what's new and support our new venture in this cooperative gallery. It was also fun meeting Sarah O'Donoghue who drove up from Tucson last night. She's our newest member and will be showing her work exclusively in December. It was also nice to hang with Brendan and get to know him a little better. He drove in from Yuma for the evening.

Mike O'Connor and Catherine Ruane


Marlys Kubicek, Doug Kirkman, Sarah Kriehn, Rosalie Kirkman

I will at the gallery from 1:00 to 5:00 today, if you want to stop by or hang out for awhile. It's a beautiful day for art viewing!

Brendan Ore and parents


Sarah O'Donoghue and Matt

January - March Printmaking Classes

2011-11-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

SOLARPLATE ETCHING AND REDUCTION LINOCUT

It is time to register for classes at the Phoenix Center for the Arts. I am teaching Solarplate Etching and Reduction Linocut, 8 week sessions. If you have always wanted to try something new, solarplate may be the right choice for you! If you have trouble getting your prints to register correctly or can't think backwards, then reduction linocut is the class for you. Either way, no matter your skill level, you will learn something new. For more information click here. You may skip the login and just click on Printmaking, to see the details for each class. Call me if you have any questions or problems registering. 602 750 3845.

Arizona Print Group Reception

2011-10-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last night was the First Friday Reception for the "Trinity" themed exhibition at the Olney Gallery. The weather in Phoenix has finally turned cooler and people were out and about celebrating this turn of events. It was another opportunity for the Arizona Print Group members in attendance to spread the word about printmaking and explain our processes and media to appreciate viewers. And it was wonderful to see old and new friends coming by to see our new works.

The Olney Gallery is an exceptionally nice space, run by the nicest people. They also throw two receptions each month so if you didn't make it last night, come by on Friday October 21st for our Third Friday reception. We would love to show you what we've been doing! The hours are 6-9:30 pm and the location is Central and Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix.

I am putting more images of the art from last night up on my flickr site. See what all the fuss is about...

Exhibitions Coming and Going

2011-10-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

JOHN ARMSTRONG

John Armstrong's Monoprints

Yesterday, Marlys and I attended the opening reception for John Armstrong's exhibition at the Peoria City Hall Art Gallery. It was wonderful to see his prints on display and listen to him talk about his process and techniques. Printmakers do share all their secrets! If you have a chance to go, it is tricky to find - the gallery is IN City Hall. Here is a link to the Gallery. The work will be up until October 26th.

KATHRYN AND ANDY POLK

Kathryn Polk

This afternoon Marlys and I are driving to Tucson and back for the opening of Kathryn and Andy Polk's exhibition at the Davis Dominguez Gallery. Andy's paintings look amazing on the gallery website and I can't wait to see them in person. There is no substitute for seeing art in person. Kathryn's lithos and drawings are also on display. Her work is so full of humor and thought. I can always relate to her point of view and admire her commitment to lithography.

ARIZONA BILL 1070 PRINT EXCHANGE
The 1070 Print Exchange in which I participated has been accepted into the The Border Project: Soundscapes, Landscapes and Lifescapes Exhibit. The prints will be on display at the University of Arizona Art Museum from November 17, 2011 to March 11, 2012.
The exhibit will be held in conjunction with the University of Arizona Border Research Group Symposium, December 2-3, 2011. Both events focus on the relations among arts, culture, politics and history in the US/Mexico borderlands.

Rossitza Todorova's SB 1070 print

Rossitza Todorova is the curator of the print exchange. She started the project when she was living in Reno, NV and now is getting her masters in drawing from ASU. Marlys Kubicek and Kathryn and Andy Polk also have prints in the print exchange. You can see all the images here on Facebook. But remember there is no substitute for seeing them in person!

ARIZONA PRINT GROUP AT OLNEY GALLERY
The Arizona Print Group exhibition "Trinity" opens Friday at the Trinity Cathedral Olney Gallery, at Central in Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. There will be two receptions - this Friday and Third Friday 6-9pm. Stop by either one to say hello and see some wonderful and diverse examples of contemporary printmaking!

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

Having participated in the exhibition "Discrepancy: living between war and peace" now showing at the Napa Valley Museum, and having done so much research on the people who fell from the World Trade Center, I feel very connected to all that is being done to mark the anniversary. I just watched (on dvr) a special pre-game celebration of the 2001 Baseball World Series before tonight's Diamondbacks game with almost the entire team coming back to our ballpark. Our old pitchers, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, threw out the first pitch. It seems like the antithesis to all the pain and sadness, to remember how happy and surprised we were to win such an impossible feat at such an emotional time.

As good as those memories are, it is still so sad. The sadness is staying with me because I learned recently that our soldiers who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, don't understand how much the American people support and respect them. My sister, Nancy Willis, who conceived and curated the exhibition, took a group of veterans from the Pathway Home program through the show where they could see how all the artists expressed their individual points of view about the events of that time. Pathway Home is one of the rare places where soldiers coming home the war can go to get help with post traumatic stress. One of the therapeutic art projects in the program is the creation of masks, where they paint what they feel people see of them on the outside and what they feel about themselves on the inside. Some of the masks were hung in an installation as part of the Discrepancy exhibition. There were quotes from the men on the walls near where the masks were hung. It was a very moving display. Some of the veterans came anonymously to the opening, to see how their masks were viewed, how people reacted to them. This is what Nancy later wrote about the private viewing she shared with the veterans from the program.

One of the most recurring comments from them was, they didn't think people actually cared. so this had a big impact on them. THat people would stop and read, and look. They felt seen and heard. It is a BIG issue. Whether it is the mliitary environment, home, work or community, they are taught to tough it out and deal. not ask for help or show vulnerability. They acknowledged that serves a soldier well for the job he is asked to do, but what about when they come back? For those with "invisible injuries" like PTSD, they have little release, or tools to let go or expose their feelings. It is equated with weakness.

One of the vets said to me, "when I walked around the room and read the artists statement, I understood, that we are not so far apart. We feel the same way. " and that was BIG revelation for him. Others agreed. They said, they were a little anxious about what they were going to find when they came in. They expected something more political or divisive because that is what they see everywhere else.

Before they left, I headed back to the masks to the one guy who had a mask in the show but hadn't said anything. I said, "what do you think?". he extended his hand, and said "Thank you, ma'am for doing this. I really didn't think people cared.". He said low morale is one of the leading causes of death when they are over there. I think they see the divisive left/right nature of the media as overall non support. As we walked out, he told me he had been in Iraq for 2 1/2 years. He told me the exact date of when he went in and when he got out, as if each day was counted and lasted an eternity. He said, he lost so many friends who were married with families.He said, " I only have my parents. they had wives and kids. it just isn't right. I would trade my place today with any one of them if I could. ". I got a glimpse and only a glimpse of how it is different for each one of them. Collective injury, but specific personal trauma.

There is something so wrong with a country that asks the men and women who volunteer, to fight for our country but ignore their needs and the damage that they endure, when they come home. We just aren't doing enough. Here is a link to the Pathway Home website.

A Little Relief - The Opening

2011-09-03T09:29:00.001-07:00

RECEPTION
Last night was the opening reception for the exhibition Marlys and I put together of all 6 x 8 inch reduction relief prints. Wil McNabb Jewelry Studio changes out the art every month and puts on a nice little spread for First Friday's Artwalk. Sue Alpern is responsible for the art at Wil's and has a great eye when it comes to hanging the shows. Marlys and Sue laid it all out Thursday night and did the hanging Friday morning. Diana Hartley, Marlys and I framed all 22 pieces earlier in the week and they looked great with uniform frames and sizes.

I have been teaching workshops in Nevada, California and Arizona and invited some of my "students" to submit prints for this show. My students have ranged from the inexperienced to MFA's in printmaking. I love how some people will learn a process and then just run with it.

And people responded to the work. It is accessible and eyecatching. They are all curious about how it is made and impressed when they learn how challenging it can be. David Williams, the printmaking teacher at Northern Arizona University, was impressed. He said he would send his students to see the show because they are covering this medium in one of his classes.

Here is a link to see more photos from the opening.

FLAGSTAFF
People kept pouring in, driven out of the heat of the desert to the high country cooler weather. We came up on Thursday, late afternoon, and immediately felt happy to step out of the car. After the show was laid out, we headed to Charleys for Burgers and Tiramisu with Marlys and Roger and Sue and Wil.

David and Julie

Friday was a lazy morning and then we headed for a wonderful lunch at Josephine's with Marlys and Roger, Diana and Mike and David and Julie. Julie's prints were on the walls of the dining room we were in and David's prints were in the room next door. It felt perfect. And the fried green tomato sandwich was to die for. After lunch we ended up back at David and Julie's where they graciously let us oooh and ahhh over all the prints on their walls as well as the work they have recently completed. Julie's reduction woodcuts are inspirational and David's etchings are often weird but funny and poignant - but all masterful. David and Julie are more of a draw for me than the cooler weather. It is great to be able to talk about technical problems or new materials with such experienced printmakers. (And they have a great dog named June!)

It's been a great little escape but now we must head back south. Time to hit the studio for more art making!

A LITTLE RELIEF

2011-09-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

D. Hartley, "Faith"

M. Becker, "The Falcon"

M. Burruel, "Rest"

M. Farley, "Shades"

R. Todorova "Buildings in the Desert"

W. Willis, "Swimmers/Grey II"

Looking for a little relief from the Phoenix heat?

Head North this weekend for First Friday Art Walk in downtown Flagstaff...where you can also view "A Little Relief" at Wil McNabb Fine Jewelry (#14 on the map). http://www.flagstaffartwalk.com/guide.htm

Curated by Marlys Kubicek and myself, it is “a collective show of reduction relief prints featuring artists from Arizona, California and Nevada: Miles Becker, Kimberley Boege, Manuel R. Burruel, Alondra Contreras, Meghan Farley, Susan Hartenhoff, Diana Hartley, Marlys Kubicek, Rossitza Todorova and moi. On view until October 4th. All prints are 6"x8" or 8"x6"…just the Little Relief you’ve been looking for.

2011-08-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

REGISTRATION is now open!

I am teaching two PRINTMAKING classes this Fall at the Phoenix Center for the Arts:

8 Saturdays

9 AM to 12 PM

September 17 – November 12

$171

WHAT A RELIEF!

Forget linoleum! Discover new and wonderful relief printmaking surfaces: Gomuban, Borco Board and Sintra. They cut easier than traditional lino and each have their charm. Explore these new materials and expand your mark-making tool box.

6 Mondays

10 AM to 2 PM

September 19 to October 24

$170

BEGINNING SOLARPLATE ETCHING

Turn those photos into artistic masterpieces! Learn how take a photo you have taken and turn it into a fine art etching. You will learn the solarplate process and how to put the artist's "hand" into your image.

Here is a link to register for my classes.

PHOENIX CENTER FOR THE ARTS

1202 N. Third St. Phoenix, AZ 85004

(602) 262-4627

Fall Printmaking Classes at the Phoenix Center for the Arts

2011-08-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

REGISTRATION OPENS AUGUST 22^ND 2011

I am teaching two PRINTMAKING classes this Fall at the Phoenix Center for the Arts:

8 Saturdays

9 AM to 12 PM

September 17 – November 12

WHAT A RELIEF!

6 Mondays

10 AM to 2 PM

September 19 to October 24

BEGINNING SOLARPLATE ETCHING

I haven’t seen the catalog yet but both classes should be under or at $200. Online registration is not yet available but I will post when it is ready.

PHOENIX CENTER FOR THE ARTS

1202 N. Third St. Phoenix, AZ 85004

(602) 262-4627

DISCREPANCY: living between war and peace Opening

2011-08-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

DISCREPANCY OPENING RECEPTION

What a night is was! The show looked amazing. Elegant. Powerful. Beautiful. There were artist statements with the work, so the intention and heart of the artist was clear. And the crowd responded. My print, Ten, One Thousand, about the people who fell from the World Trade Center on 9/11, really touched people. More than that really. Strangers and friends came up to me to tell me how moved they were. Some came to me crying after having just seen it. I cried with them. It is a feeling like no other to move people, to share the intent. They understood. They knew. And they appreciated it. It was a very emotional evening.

The entire show was cohesive. Every artist had a personal point of view of what it meant to live between war and peace and how it tied back to their regular artist practices. The curator, my sister Nancy Willis, had a vision, born out of her own work, trying to reconcile living in the beautiful Napa Valley with images of conflict from the news. She invited artists to create work that looked specifically at the rituals of daily life in relation to three events, the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work varied in media, size and dimension but it all tied into Nancy’s vision. People noticed. One woman remarked that she hadn’t expected it to be so strong. “This is BIG!”

Nancy and Wendy Willis

From her Curator’s Statement Nancy said, “I believe in the power of art to make a difference in people’s lives. In a climate that seems propelled by divisiveness, art can be a powerful tool to remind us that we are all human and there is always more below the surface of what we see.” I saw this to be true last night. One woman told me she would be forever changed because of my print. You just can’t ask for anything more than that.

The Napa Valley Museum just posted 59 photos from the reception last night on their Facebook page. I will be uploading photos to my Flickr page later of more empty museum shots, some reception images and close ups of each piece.

Friends Born of the Internet

2011-08-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

I was just explaining to my husband how I became friends with Candace Nicol. We were lucky to spend a couple hours with her yesterday at her studio, Oxboo Press in Reno, NV. My excuse for visiting was to see the 2.5 x 2.5 Print Exchange Exhibition.


2.5 x 2.5 Print Exchange Exhibition

I first saw her work on Inkteraction, not so very long after it started. I loved her prints and wrote comments about them. She then, checked out my work and liked what she saw too...and an internet relationship was born. I followed her work and one day Kathryn Polk in Tucson invited me to participate in Candace's project "6 Sides to Every Story" where 6 artists each carved one side of a cube based on a topic from the news. (100 cubes were sent out.) I was thrilled to be "playing with the big kids" even though I hadn't done a woodcut in 30 years.


Candace Nicol, 6 Sides to Every Story in background

Then I was invited by Candace to participate in a print exchange - "Naughty, Taboo, Just Plain Wrong" - the title alone reflects on joy and fun she often puts into her printmaking practice. She was going to exhibit the print exchange during Nada Dada Motel (where downtown motel rooms are turned into gallery spaces for a weekend) - and I decided I wanted to see it! She invited me to teach a 2 day linocut workshop and again I said yes. I finally met her face to face! I had never taught before but have many times since. So she has inspired me to grow just by inviting me to participate in stuff.
Yesterday we plotted a plan to bring her to Phoenix (it will be her first time!) and I am looking forward to sharing some AZ print time and hospitality with her.

Seeing Stars

2011-07-08T12:38:00.001-07:00

What do Deborah Oropallo, Hung Liu, Lewis de Soto, Eleanor Coppola, Sibylle Szaggars and I all have in common? We are among the 24 artists invited to participate in the exhibition "Discrepancy: living between war and peace" which will open Friday, August 5th at the Napa Valley Museum in Yountsville, CA. I am pinching myself for being included in a show with them. Plus other California artists I have met during my frequent visits to the Napa Valley - Sharon Anderson, Helen Wilson, Rob Keller, Sue Bradford, Anne Trinca and Alondra Contreras. I am so excited by this opportunity. Curated by Nancy Willis, the call asked artists:

to create a visual response to the discrepancy between being emotionally connected/disconnected to events from which they are geographically distanced. It is an opportunity for artists that typically do not address political and/or emotionally charged events directly in their work to investigate these events on a personal level that will ultimately be part of a public dialogue. In particular, we are looking to present a view of daily life from the territory between war and peace... Discrepancy is centered on three major events; the World Trade Center bombings and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not my typical work, no. But a challenge that immediately got my juices going. I considered the wars and the events of September 11th and imagined what I would want to say about them.

Ten, One Thousand


Ten, One Thousand

In the end I felt the most connected to my memory from the World Trade Center of people falling from the buildings. After discussing it with Nancy, who encouraged me to search for information on the internet, I discovered many of the images that were censored in the US of the people who fell or jumped. It was a difficult but important period for me, the researching the images, the stories and the facts of what happened that day. And in the end my print seeks to recognize their bravery and bring light to their story. At least two hundred people jumped or fell that day. Less than a dozen fell from the South Tower which was hit second and stood for 56 minutes. The North Tower, hit first, stood for 102 minutes. People fell from all 4 sides, from right after the plane hit to just as the tower was falling. No one survived from the floors where people jumped. No one could save them. It was a lack of oxygen and extreme heat that drove them to the windows.

It is hard to read about the conditions and not put yourself in their position. Observers have stated that those who chose to jump were silent as they fell. The fall lasted 10 seconds. Not fast enough to cause unconsiousness in the fall. I have such a fear of high, open spaces that I can't imagine making this choice. Skydivers have told me that 10 seconds is a long time but it seems a short time when that is all that is left. They died instantly. People in the South Tower seeing people jumping from the North Tower immediately began evacuating. Before the second plane hit 1400 had already left the building. So in the end they saved many lives by their act of courage. And as one blogger put it, they chose to die by wind, not by fire.

DISCREPANCY: living between war and peace
Also included in the exhibition will be artwork made by military personnel in a therapeutic program after returning home of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pathway Home facility is located near the VA Home in Yountville. From their website: "The Pathway Program is a Residential Recovery program specifically created for, and dedicated to serve, our Nation’s “New Warriors”—those of any age who have served our Nation’s Global War on Terror in areas of the world such as Afghanistan and Iraq."
Another innovative aspect of the exhibition will be art writers, who will view the installed exhibit and write essays to help put in cultural and art historical context the work presented in Discrepancy.

I am honored to be in this exhibition and hope you will have a chance to see it. The show has been extended to October 30th.

Turtle Reef

2011-06-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

I heard there was a new sea turtle exhibit at Sea World so I HAD to check it out. After we were inside the park we learned it didn't open until June 18th! I was so disappointed. When we walked by the barricaded entrance we noticed a sign saying there was a preview of the exhibit - and it was opening in an hour! Yay! As you may know, I LOVE turtles so I was thrilled with the beautiful (but fake) coral filled tanks in which the turtles swim. They were quite active and mostly small but they packed lots of personality and happily swam by the windows, seemingly as curious about us as we were them.

The exhibit was still under construction, parts were blocked off but I was just happy to be in the right spot at the right time.

You will be seeing some of these little guys appearing in my artwork one day...

MCASD Jennifer Steinkamp

2011-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

The highlight of all the art we saw today at both locations of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, was the video animation "Madame Curie" by Jennifer Steinkamp in the Farrell Gallery. The work was inspired by her research into the effects of atomic explosions on nature. Sounds heavy but the video installation was magical. Flowering branches blowing in the wind in the huge gallery space was awe inspiring.

In between Museum visits we stopped by La Jolla Cove to listen to barking sea lions and watch a young woman boogie boarding. The weather was a perfectly sunny 70 degrees...sigh.

We finished off a great day with dear friends Terry and Marlene and an unusual dinner at Rei do Gado, Brazilian Steak House in the Gaslamp District. With a wood marker on your table you indicate with the green side up, that you want more meat and over time, men with skewers of 16 different types of meat come by and slice off a piece for you. We had beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, chicken and cheese, pork loin, turkey, hump of brahma bull (Steve and Terry only) and one or two others. There is a great salad and vegetable bar too. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our 23 wedding anniversary.

Short Trip - San Diego

2011-06-05T23:37:00.000-07:00


San Diego from Harbor Island

Anthony's, San Diego Bay

San Diego feels like home to us. We are back for a visit and already we are more relaxed. The desert looked particularly brown and unattractive this time. That's hard for this desert lover to say. I usually see the beauty in it. But this trip seemed different. I was amazed to see the border fence so close to the dunes just past Yuma - never realized how close Mexico is to Interstate 8. Then as we were coming out of El Centro we saw this haze ahead. We couldn't tell if it was moisture or smog or what and then as we entered it - duh!!! It was smoke from a wildfire south of Jacumba in the mountains. The news here in San Diego isn't even covering it since it pales to the Willow fire in AZ. Scary and sad, no matter where the fires are.

So sighting the beautiful San Diego Bay as we headed south on Interstate 5 made us very happy. We checked into the downtown hotel and headed back out to Anthony's for dinner. After dinner I tried out my new low light camera and I must admit, the pics look pretty good to me.

Solarplate Workshop Deli June 20-25 2011 and Open Studio in July/Aug

2011-05-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

"I've Got You"

THE SOLARPLATE WORKSHOP DELI AT BILANCIA

This is a reminder that there is still space available for the Solarplate Workshop Deli at my studio, Bilancia, in Phoenix. Class size is small and there will be lots to learn in a friendly and encouraging environment. Come for a day or two or five...From $100-400. I refer you to a detailed blogpost from March here with more details about the workshop. Please be aware I have changed the order of menu items, reversing working from a drawing to Monday and from photos on Tuesday.

Contact me at wendy.willis.art@gmail.com to reserve your space soon.


Takach Press

OPEN STUDIO THIS SUMMER

With Marlys away for 7-8 weeks, I am offering open studio time for those of you who need access to a press. From $25-40 for 4 hours, depending on how much assistance you will need, plus materials for the following dates:

FRIDAY July 8th

SATURDAY July 9th

SUNDAY July 10^th
MONDAY July 11th

FRIDAY July 15th

SATURDAY July 16th

SUNDAY July 17^th

MONDAY July 18th

FRIDAY July 22nd

SATURDAY July 23rd

SUNDAY July 24th

MONDAY July 25^th

FRIDAY August 12th

SATURDAY August 13th

SUNDAY August 14^th

MONDAY August 15th

Availability may change. Contact me to schedule a session at wendy.willis.art@gmail.com.

Tres Hombres

2011-05-07T00:26:00.001-07:00

It was First Friday this evening in Phoenix. Having missed several previous exhibitions, I wanted to pay my respects to three guys who had openings tonight: Manny Burruel, Gennaro Garcia and Joe Ray. First stop was the Phoenix Center for the Arts for the ARTE LATINO EN LA CIUDAD show. Manny had 4 pieces in the show, our favorite being this one:


Manny Burruel's Mixed Media Monotype

Manny and his wife Janet were at the opening. Nicest. People. Ever. I love his art (and their witty repartee on Facebook). It looked like a nice turnout there as we headed onward.

Next up was

Me, Gennaro, beautiful mer-angel


Joe Ray

De Norte a Sur/From North to South, with collaborative works by Gennaro and Joe. It was nice to see actual collaborations, rather than just the work of the two artists. I know Joe Ray has been around for a long time but I just met him last year. He's open and friendly and real. Gennaro too is a recent acquaintance. But you can't find a happier nor busier man. A new baby and 7 galleries to feed! Yikes. My favorite pieces are shown here. The room was filled with colorful saints and mermaids, images from your sweetest dreams...by two of the most dapper and dashing men about town.

Top half of huge canvas collaboration.


Esther's Taiko Group

My companion this evening was Diana Hartley. We stopped by the Olney Gallery where the Waddells were showing his and her artworks and then we headed to East Roosevelt. Getting out of the car I heard the tantalizing sound of taiko drums and saw this group hanging on the street corner. I recognized Esther, the leader of the this motley crew. I took taiko drumming from her in the 90's. What fun it was! I never had the nerve to perform but I loved playing.

On 7th Street, between Butler and Dunlap

We had dinner at Winsor, the new restaurant by the owner of Postino's. Really good food, across from Postino's on Central. As I headed home I was dazzled by the lights of a little neighborhood carnival. Four or five rides, perhaps a fun house and for sure cotton candy. I put my new Canon S95 camera to use and shot these pics with no flash on the low light setting. I'm liking this little camera. It is as simple as you want but capable of doing lots more than just point and shoot.

Catching Up at SGC

2011-03-19T23:53:00.001-07:00


Hung Liu, Lifetime Achievement Award

It's Saturday night and raining in St Louis. They are predicting possible snow flurries in the morning. It was 75 degrees a couple days ago. I love the variety in weather here.
FRIDAY MORNING
When we were out and about on Friday, it was cool and clear. Our day started with Hung Liu receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. She spoke compellingly about her work and how printmaking inspires her paintings (and vice versa). She talked about being a teacher at Mills College for 21 years. She said of her teaching style, "I dare to tell the truth" to her students. She said teachers are like gardeners, with beautiful trees and flowers but it is hard; they burn the candle at both ends. She said it hard to teach and work (make art). "But life is like water in a sponge. If you squeeze, it's still there."

woodcut demo

Afterwards we headed to Wash U to attend a woodcut demo which was largely disappointing. The artist never spoke unless asked a direct question and it appeared you could watch for 5 minutes and get the gist of the whole thing. So we headed to a few other demos and events scheduled and inked up farm animal stencils and taped them to large Farmville prints (yes the evil Facebook app). Searching for equilibrium everywhere we went.

Female Mouth #2


Diana poses

FRIDAY AFTERNOON
We found a really interesting trio from Delaware using a computer router to cut out woodcuts of parts of people's faces (from photos taken and manipulated by computer). After the router cut out the facial feature, another artist would ink it up and print them. It was fun to see but we felt they didn't take it far enough. Maybe that was by design. They did make a 5 minute presentation but might as well not have. Here's the procedure - Take pics. Find the vector paths and save as DFX file. Bring into PC with Cut 2D which turns it into G code. Then send it to the CCR. I guess some people actually understand that stuff. Diana had her picture taken and they made a woodcut of her lips AKA "Friday Mouth #2" She saw it inked but didn't see them print it. Other activities beckoned.

Worthwhile was a panel discussion about Hung Liu's printmaking process and relationship with Trillum Press' David Salgaldo. And a guy from Two Palms Press who prints for Elizabeth Peyton. David's advice to artists "You have to create a place that's yours, a holy place" in which to work. They have created a new process they call Bastard Printmaking by which painting and prints and collage are all worked together but each layer is clear and visible and realistic. The results are amazing. Hung Liu talked about how she starts with an image, usually a historical photo in black and white and tries out colors on the computer. She builds her image and over time she comes to love the image and the story it tells. She creates several versions of her paintings, or the painting is changed into new versions, telling different parts of the story, like the one here with two women on donkey back.

Caledonia Curry (Swoon)

The hit and heart of the conference was the Friday afternoon Community Engagement Award presentation to Caledonia Curry, also known as Swoon. The room was packed, filled up early with young people and me and Diana :) and she sweetly accepted her award saying she had never won an award before. (It is so hard to believe.) She is young and beautiful and smart and so well spoken and her heart is bigger than the sky. She started out as a bit of a rebel but learned to put her name out there and claim her place in beautifying the world and making a difference to the people who live and pass by where she puts her prints. She has lived a life of adventure that most people dream of and made everyone in the hall think they can do it too. She is working on building homes in Haiti and fighting for an end to the Femicide in Juarez. One of her bits of wisdom for artists was to "find your people and stick with them" which is, I think, how printmakers work. When the 300-400 people in the hall gave her a standing ovation at the end of her presentation she actually was brought to tears. She said she had never had that happen before. It will certainly not be the last.

SATURDAY MORNING
Diana and I made a quick stop at the Publisher Fair this morning to catch up with Amanda Verbeck of Pele Prints. She assisted Dan Welden in the first workshop I took from him in Santa Fe and this year was the chair of the portfolio exhibitions at the SGC conference. She gave us feedback on why we were successful in getting accepted for showing when so many other groups were rejected. It helped that we planned for this event in creating the work, so our work was on theme and universal.

Vicki LoSasso, Becca and Candace Nicol

Audrey Van Kirk on left

We then spent the next 3 hours traversing the rows and rows of open portfolios looking for works that caught our eye and sucked up the rest of the cash we brought. I found some new Art Werger prints, and a few others that had swimmers or water themed work. It was exhausting but fun seeing two of our group, Joe Marshall and Audrey Van Kirk sharing their wares and running into old friends from near and far (Kathryn and Andy Polk from Tucson and the Oxbow Press ladies from Reno.) Also hitting the tables were Dan Welden and his honey, Holly, trying to see as much as possible in such a short time. I re-met artists I had met at other conferences, or with whom I shared a print exchange. That is the best part. I also saw Tyler Krasowski who I bought a print from at Tom Huck's on Thursday.

Dan and Holly

Kathryn Polk and me

It is great to see so many people putting their art out there for the world to see. The bad news is that the prices are ridiculously low for such good work. The good news is that the prices are ridiculously low. If you aren't going to give other printmakers your best price, who will you give it to???

After a short break to drop off our prints and down a big burger we caught a late shuttle out to Bruno David Gallery where Swoon had done an installation piece on Thursday. The gallery also was showing the Bastard Paintings of Hung Lui which were so beautiful and intriguing in person. She was in the outer gallery when I noticed she was standing alone so I went over and told her how her work and her speech and her panel discussion were inspirational. She was great and engaged - especially when I told her I saw her show at the ASU Art Museum many years ago. She remembered it well and said it was 2002. I told her that was the year I retired from my job with the City and became an artist full time. She gave me a friendly punch on my arm and said that was when I saved my soul! It was a nice moment I will always remember.

When we got back to the hotel we went right into a movie to clear our heads of art for awhile- happily entertained by Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in the Adjustment Bureau. It will be good to go home and hit the studio!

Another Star Filled Day

2011-03-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

After oversleeping in the morning and dragging through our morning victuals, we finally hit the product fair around 10:30 am. We wasted no time in supporting many artist/papermakers in Japan with paper purchases from the Japanese Paper Place, Hiromi Paper and Awagami Factory. Then came new linocutting tools from McClains, a long chat with Dan Welden about teaching my solarplate workshop and a quick chat with Clark (Melanie's hubby) at the AKUA booth and a happenstance rendevous with other Print Groupers: Audrey, Linda and Joe. None of us had seen

Our print w/ Linda,Diana,Audrey,Leslie, Joe and Wendy

our print on display so we decided to all go together so we could get a group shot. Just as we were heading downstairs (location change to ground floor of Steinberg Hall) we saw Leslie Parsons. We got our group shot. I was disappointed it wasn't under plexiglass as I was told it would be but the feedback from people has been quite favorable.

History of America

We then checked out all the other portfolios on display. We loved the idea and complexity of the History of America. Each artist was assigned a year beginning in 1774 and the total project will require each artist to do a print of 7 different years. The two people I know in this group, Melanie Yazzie and Candace Nicol are two of the most prolific earthmother/printmakers around.

Digital Wunderkammer

Farming at the Edge of Equilibrium

Another portfolio that was impressive was called Digital Wunderkammer. Indeed. Each artist created a digital image and then all the artists used their own and/or other's images to create the work in this portfolio. My favorite a Polk print, which I believe is Andy's (shown here on the right. Katherine's prints showed up in several portfolios...must add her to my earthmother/printmaker list.
We were also surprised by the portfolio about Farmville. It didn't sound interesting in the catalog but seeing the prints totally changed our minds.

Artemio Rodriguez and Groupie

So many prints, so little time.

There were a couple of panels we would have seen but I learned that Artemio Rodriguez, my favorite relief printer, was carving and printing everyday at Tom Huck Evil Prints. So Joe, Diana and I headed there this afternoon where we found Artemio carving away on a woodcut. I apologetically interrupted his work, told him he was my hero and how we used his work as examples to our students of carving techniques. We talked a little about Phoenix. I asked him if Los Manos was gone forever, his studio in Los Angeles and he said it was just now opening again...He's going to be teaching there. Just to be able to meet him today - I was so happy. I explained that we wanted to attend the event Saturday night when his prints would be for sale and he offered us a first pick today. OMG. I now own several Artemio prints!

Tom Huck Evil Prints

Tom Huck's print studio is a warehouse converted into the most wonderful printmaker's heaven. It is a huge space with everything a relief printmaker or screenprinter could want. They were setting up for a big printmaking smackdown taking place tonight between the Dirty Printmakers and the Bastards of Printmaking. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Way past my bedtime though. Check out this link for more info about Evil Prints.

Dan Welden and friend

And we still had one more event to take in - the reception for Dan Welden's one person show at the beautiful St Louis Artist Guild building. We made it there just in the nick of time before the last shuttle left. Dan's prints looked great. It feels like home whenever he's around.
So many stars today. Tomorrow it will be about the women...

From St Louis

2011-03-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

Diana Hartley and I are in St. Louis for the Southern Graphics Council conference - a heaven for printmakers! Several other Arizona Printmaking Group members are here - Audrey Van Kirk, Linda Haas and we ran into Leslie Parsons just as she arrived at the hotel. Haven't seen Joe Marshall yet but may run into him today.

We went to the opening party last night at the Washington University Art Museum which has several print shows including a wonderful exhibition of Elizabeth Peyton prints. If I were a painter I would want to paint like her. We ran into Dan Welden there and got a big hug and more cudos for our (22.5 foot long) print. He asked where is it hung and we told where to look for it(Bixby Hall, 2nd Floor). We will see it today ourselves for the first time.

We took the shuttle back at the hotel; when I stepped off the bus I heard someone calling my name and there was the beautiful shining face of Ms Melanie Yazzie. One's heart can't feel anymore full when in her presence. Someone in the elevator later said she was the absolute center of printmaking (in this country). I think so too.

So we are off to a good start!

Weeklong Solarplate Workshop Deli at Bilancia, June 20-25 2011

2011-03-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have finally worked out the details for the weeklong Solarplate workshop that has been percolating for over a year. It is set up to focus on a particular topic per day so that all attendees can concentrate without distraction. I believe all will learn from each other as we pursue each topic. Since it is at our home studio, Bilancia, we can only take 8 participants, so it will be an intimate community of printmakers. My favorite people! I am calling the event a workshop deli - here is a sample of what will be served:

Select the parts and pieces that interest you to make a 1 to 5 day sandwich of delicious solarplate activities. Each day will concentrate on a specific topic to achieve successful solarplate prints. Whether working from a light box or exposing in the sun, you will be given the ingredients to creating a great print.

SUNDAY – OVERVIEW/DEMO 2-4:30pm

This is a preview day, mandatory for the newcomer or old-timer who needs to see the process in action. Not hands on, but today’s session will open the door to many of the possibilities solarplate can perform.

MONDAY – THE TRANSPARENCY 10-4:00pm

The key to successful prints is a good transparency. This session will cover making transparencies from a copy machine and computer printer. We will have a computer (HP laptop) with photoshop, and a printer (HP)available to make transparencies in the studio. Size matters, how black does it need to be, and which products work in my printer will be subjects of the day. No tweaking or experimenting can make up for a bad transparency. You will learn to identify what works and what doesn’t. For those who don’t have printers available, a side trip to Kinko’s will cover the necessities of copier created transparencies.

TUESDAY – DRAWING 10-4:00pm

The real art of solarplate comes when the artist’s hand is clearly seen. This session will cover drawing directly on a transparency – one sided frosted mylar or on a transparency with an image you wish to modify, enhance or reduce; and creating a frosted glass surface on which you can draw. You will learn which tools create great blacks, like stabilo pencils and a wonderfully weird tusche you will love.

WEDNESDAY – RELIEF 10-4:00pm

Getting one’s brain around “what’s black is white” is the goal today. Solarplates are great for relief printing and this session will cover creating plates from transparency - and working directly on the plate. Look Ma, no transparency! Also covered will be tips on modifying images with photoshop filters which will enhance your success. Working directly on the plate can result in either relief or intaglio, depending on your timing. The variety of artistic effects will be expanded in this session.

THURSDAY – MIXED MEDIA 10-4:00pm

Combining relief and intaglio or combining two or more plates are the goals for this session. Having created your plates doesn’t end the creative process. What else can you do, how far can you go, what if you tried this…This session will help you grow beyond the basics and help you learn to think outside of what is. Chine colle, alternative papers and mixing it up will be encouraged.

FRIDAY – FREE PRINT 10-4:00pm

Take the day to print up a fury. Etch that last plate you wanted to squeeze in, continue the work you didn’t get to in a previous session. And show off the work you made with a critique of the week’s effort.

Contact me for pricing and registration information.

Printmaking Classes in April and May

2011-02-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

I am teaching 7 and 8 week classes in Solarplate Etching and Reduction Linocut at the Phoenix Center for the Arts starting in April. Registration is open now. Click here for a link to the online registration site.

SOLARPLATE ETCHING
April 9 - May 24 (7 weeks/$185)
Saturdays from 9 am to Noon

REDUCTION LINOCUT - Phoenix
April 4 - May 23 (8 weeks/$200)
Mondays from 9 am - 1 pm
$200

Phoenix Center for the Arts
1202 N. Third St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 262-4627

Call me at 602 750 3845 if you have any questions or concerns, or problems registering.

Phoenix Exhibition, Napa Workshop, SB1070 Exchange, SGC Conference Print

2011-02-17T23:55:00.001-07:00

It has been an extremely busy month or so but a lot of art and art related events happened.

APG EXHIBITION AT BEATITUDES


Stu, Joan, Eric

Stu Biscoe coordinated a really nice exhibition for the Arizona Print Group at the Beatitudes Church, 7^th Avenue and Glendale. Here are a few photos from the opening reception January 23rd. The work will be on display until March 2^nd.

NAPA VALLEY REDUCTION LINOCUT WORKSHOP

The last weekend in January, I had the pleasure of teaching a two-day reduction linocut workshop at Nimbus Arts in St. Helena, the heart of Napa Valley. Nimbus is a wonderful family arts center with a beautiful space and dedicated and fun staff. I have spent a lot of time in Napa Valley since my sister lives there, but this was my first January. I loved the mist in the mountains and the mustard growing in the vineyard. It is a very special spot on this earth, lovely every season.

St. Helena, California

January in Napa Valley

Speaking of my sister, I was lucky to sit in on one of her NVCC painting classes. 34 students! But great teaching and much learning took place, even so early in the semester. It was impressive to see so many participating in the critique. Nancy made it fun and safe for them to express their opinions and ideas. I have to say that she is one of the best teachers I have ever seen in action. She spends a lot of time preparing and organizing her materials. With 34 students and two levels, it is like teaching two classes during the same 5 hour class. After it is over she writes up a summary of class activities and assignments and sends it all out in an email to her students. They love her. Lucky, lucky students.

SB1070 PRINT EXCHANGE

"Native Son"

I was invited to participate in a print exchange on SB1070 by an artist in Reno NV who has since moved here to attend graduate school (drawing) at ASU. Rossitza Todorova was a student in my first ever Reduction Linocut workshop and I am thrilled to hear that she has done her print for this exchange in that medium. The primary work for this project was finalized and I printed the edition during the second and third week of February, all the while Marlys and I were working on our major SGC project…

REALITY/DISTORTION

The 30 members of the Arizona Print Group each printed an 8 x 10 or 10 x 8 inch solarplate print (either etching or relief) for the group project that Marlys and I developed and curated. Our intention was to submit the group print to be exhibited at the printmakers’ conference – Southern Graphics Council Int’l in St Louis in March. Our project was approved and accepted for the conference in July 2010. We chose our theme, Reality/Distortion, to fit in with the conference theme of Equilibrium. We asked everyone to include a horizontal line in their print that we would use to unite the prints together. About a third of the group were not well versed in Solarplate Etching/Relief so we held several open studio sessions in Phoenix and Tucson to help our members work through the process. These were happy events, great interactions and studio sharing, the best part of being in a printmaking community.

Finally, from Feb 3^rd to the 13^th, Marlys and I determined the layout and adhered 30 prints to a 22 ½ feet long roll of Masa paper; and then we ran it through the press. We did this 8 times, for an edition of 8. We mailed our exhibition copy to St Louis and it was received Feb 11^th. We also mailed one to the SGCI in Mississippi for their archives and we mailed one to Dan Welden, in Sag Harbor (he donated the solarplates for the project). When we finished the last print, we high-fived each other, feeling quite happy that this year long project was at last completed.

Good Boy

2011-01-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

For the past five months we have had a loaner dog at the studio. His human mother arrived on a friend's doorstep after being homeless and living in her car with Hoover for several weeks. Our friend found a shelter for the woman but they wouldn't take the dog. So we did. He's a 14 year old boxer mix and while the weather was good, he lived in our backyard and laundry room. He was always happy to see us and everyone who printed at Bilancia, would go out for a visit with Hoover. When it got cold, we let him into the studio where our bonding further gelled. We got him a big bed so he could lay at our feet between us in the classroom. He has been a happy, appreciative resident.
Hoover's Mom has worked hard and found a new place to stay and we just learned he can stay there with her. She took him home today. Our hearts are broken a little. We will miss him terribly.

HOOVER, Good Boy

Christmas Eve Art Tradition

2010-12-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

Cameo feature on pedestrian entrance to a parking garage.

I love our new holiday tradition was going to an art gallery/art museum on Christmas Eve. This year we took in the exhibitions at the Weston Art Gallery at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. We were captivated by Elissa Morley's installation "Vision: Things That Fly." And I was intrigued by the paintings of Todd Reynolds in his exhibition "Utopia." We then popped in to the Contemporary Art Center to do a little last minute shopping. Loved the Shepard Fairey pieces in the lobby!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

These two little dogs are among the blessings I am counting this holiday season. They continue to make my heart light go on. Maddie is so loving and Bear, who is getting older and a little slower, also snores so sweetly.

I am also blessed with a wonderful family who has learned to laugh together and love each other in good times and bad. And friends who have come to define unconditional love.

I am grateful for my students, who have listened and questioned and tried and appreciated learning. I have learned so much from them and feel lucky to have shared such excellent time in the studio.

I also want to acknowledge my new friends who I have yet to meet. Most are artists whose work I found on the internet, who I have reached out to and who have welcomed me into their worlds with open arms. Printmakers are the best!

So Merry Christmas to all.

CATCHING UP

2010-12-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

Jo Andersen, Marika Szabo and Marlys

Joe Marshall touching up his relief plate

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY?
It has been too long since I have posted!
MK and I have been spending lots of time on the Southern Graphics Council conference project we are curating for the Arizona Print Group. Dan Welden donated solarplates to our 26 members last year to do a group project. We envisioned all now 30 members' prints collaged together in one long print joined by a common theme and a horizontal line running through each print (at varying orientations). The theme we chose was Reality/Distortion to fit in with the conference theme of Equilibrium. We submitted the proposal to SGC and were accepted as one of 11 exchanges which will be on view during the conference March 16-19 2011 in St Louis. Since many of the print group members had little to no experience with solarplates we have been having some really fun studio sessions helping them achieve their visions. We had two sessions in Tucson hosted by the generous and talented Jo Andersen and have had several sessions at our studio, Bilancia. It has cemented the vision Marlys and I have of a working print studio with collaborations and teaching...sigh. Happy sigh!

THANKSGIVING IN BISBEE


Copper Queen Hotel

Heather Green

We also got out of town for a quickie trip to Tucson and Bisbee for Thanksgiving, staying at La Paloma and the Copper Queen. We had the wonderful CQ Thanksgiving dinner - what a treat! Delicious and so reasonably priced. The day after Thanksgiving, we stopped in on Heather Green in her new studio/gallery and hit many of the great little shops on Main Street. I learned a lot about turquoise from the jewelers there and regret there isn't any being mined any longer. I had never been to Bisbee before but hope to return for what might be a new Tradition every November.

MESA CONTEMPORARY ARTS NEW 2011 CALENDAR AND CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Two new exhibitions opened Friday night, coinciding with the unveiling of the new fundraising calendar. Each calendar has 12 original prints and sells for $200. 29 artists participated, including me (see earlier post here.) It's really easy way to start art collecting. And the work is quite good.


"Grand Tour" by Corinne Geertsen

MK and I really loved the new exhibitions - "Nice Words", with Utah artist Brian Kershisnik - great paintings that were easy to look at but then you discover little surprises and bits of humor...and an exhibition of digitally manipulated photos by Arizona artist, Corinne Geertsen. Some of her photographs made me laugh out loud; some were just beautiful. Great transfixing of old family photos in wondrous new settings.

Your Days Are Numbered Print Exchange

2010-11-09T22:02:00.001-07:00

I finished my print today, for the Your Days Are Numbered print exchange. Todd Christensen of New Mexico Highlands University is the organizer. I met Todd at the Southern Graphics Council conference in Chicago two Marches ago. I had been in another print exchange with him organized by Melanie Yazzie, so I recognized his name when I saw him there. I am curious to see who else is in this exchange but look forward to seeing the work by the other artists whoever they are. The size is 10" x 22" and this print is titled "Heart Broken."

I printed a few extra from the first color pull in a greener version, to play around with later. I wanted to experiment with different color variations to see how to get the figure to pop out. But I am happy with this two color version. It took me awhile to carve the (golden cut) linoleum after having used Gomuban for my last 4 reduction prints. But the Gomuban didn't come in a size large enough to accommodate the 22" image requirement. Gomuban is the name of the product at McClain's. The same product is available at Graphic Chemical but they call it Blue Vinyl. I asked Dean Clark if he could get it in a larger size and he said he would check on his next trip to Japan (where this product originates).

My next two projects are exchanges due in January. Both will utiltize solarplates. So I will be switching hats, after a few days of play with the remaining relief prints.

Expressions of the Soul - First Friday Report

2010-11-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

Many people turned out for the First Friday reception at the Cathedral for the Arts Olney Gallery show "Expressions of the Soul - 5 Artists." Annie Lopez, Joan Yen, Michelle Peacock, Mitral Kamali and myself came together at the invitation of Joan who put forth our proposal to this fine exhibition gallery. The work is as varied and diverse as the artists. We enjoyed seeing and meeting the art appreciators who stopped by, including Congressman and Mrs Ed Pastor.
We also met Pat Powers of Powerzmedia who recorded short audio statements from the artists which will go with the slide show to be made from photos of the evening taken by her husband. This video will be made available to us artists and I will share it with you as soon as it comes out - (within the next month.)

One of the unusual and very cool things going on for the opening at the Cathedral Center for the Arts was a slide show of our artwork on the side of the Church facing Central Avenue, put together and run by Roberta Hancock's son. Roberta is the art director/curator for the Cathedral for the Arts and she treated us all like rock stars.

So if you are feeling like you missed something special, you have another opportunity to see the slide show, meet the artists, see some great art and listen to some music too! Third Friday, November 19th we will do it all again. 6-10 PM Olney Gallery at Trinity Cathedral, 100 W. Roosevelt, Phoenix.

Expressions of the Soul Opening Reception

2010-11-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I am one of five women showing at the Cathedral Center for the Arts at Central and Roosevelt starting this (First) Friday. We are pleased to have two receptions - one for First Friday and another for Third Friday. Stop by to meet the artists and see some wonderful art by a very diverse group of women: Annie Lopez, Joan Jue Yen, Mitra Kamali, Michelle Peacock et moi!

Cathedral Center for the Arts
Olney Gallery at Trinity Cathedral
100 West Roosevelt Street, Phoenix
www.trinitycca.org
First Friday nov 5 6-10pm
artist reception
Third Friday nov 19 6-10pm
collector’s evening
(public welcome)
Olney Gallery is open during regular business hours: M-F, 9a-4p

"Summer Sprite"

2010-10-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

"Summer Sprite"

I finished my print for the Mesa Contemporary Arts 2011 Print Calendar project. It is a two-color reduction linocut. Forty-eight artists are invited to create 50 prints and the calendar (with 12 original prints!) will sell for $200. Such a bargain, my friends. The calendars will be available at the MCA reception Friday December 10th from 6 to 8 pm and thereafter. Save your pennies, they will make wonderful gifts!

Getting Hacked Sucks

2010-10-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much lately. Last month my yahoo and gmail email accounts were hacked and my friends were asked by someone pretending to be me, to send money to London where I had been mugged. The bad news was that for a week I struggled to regain my email and contacts and to get my Facebook page back. I lost everything in my inboxes. Yahoo, who was wonderful to work with and provided a human to talk to, restored my 339 contacts. Gmail, with no human to contact, only restored my email address. All mail and contacts were gone. I learned that because I had a lot of contacts and that I was offline occasionally, I was targeted by someone in Nigeria. There are several countries such as Nigeria, Russia and China where this happens a lot. They went in and changed my passwords; then they forwarded all mail to my email address with an extra "L" in my name. I reset my damned passwords before I discovered the keylogger trojans. Opening email doesn't infect your computer. Clicking on links will. Opening attachments will. Fortunately, this phishing expedition didn't have anything to click or open. So my friends weren't infected. Just phished. I filed a complaint with the IC3, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership with the FBI, National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. I wish I could have done more.
The good news is that because so many of my friends called to make sure I was okay, I felt very loved. And moved when I learned that two people had gone so far as to pull $2450 out of their banks to send to me in London before their wise inner voices were heard saying this isn't right. Thank you for calling even when you knew I wasn't in London. Thank you for worrying, for making sure your inner voices were right.

ANGRY WEATHER GODS
Speaking dark clouds, I missed the first hail dropping storm at the studio last Tuesday. When I got there there was still hail on the ground. Then another microburst came along and dropped a ton of rain and more hail, denting my poor artmobile but not breaking any windows. Phew! Mother Nature had something to say that day! We had 3 inches of rain at the house. That's half our annual rainfall in one day.

BILANCIA Reception

2010-09-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our new studio venture with old and new friends last night. Some guests have seen each other so often at Marlys' parties over the years, that they feel like friends outside of the party circuit. I love it.
The conversion of Ed Knochel's house (Marlys' Dad) to this studio space took a long time. After Ed's passing, Marlys worked hard to find homes for the family treasures, to salvage the useable stuff and find worthy recipients and to let go of the rest. It was an emotional journey for her and for those who knew him; it was amazing to see the transformation of his home into a working and thriving art studio. You will often hear us saying "Thank you, Ed/Dad" at any given moment. He would be so happy to see his house being used and loved.

We actually have been working in the space for a couple months. It feels good. Lots of room, lots of light. Lots of storage. It is great to print alone and it is great to print together. We collaborate well, discussing our ideas and processes. We learn from each other, we admire each other's strengths and we realize how much we balance each other out. That's why we decided to name our new collaboration Bilancia, which is vulgar Latin for balance.
We intend to have art soirees during the year, showcasing our new work and the prints from one of the print exchanges in which we participated. This time we are showing "Passport Required" the print exchange of Arizona Print Group members.
Thanks to everyone who came by to share our excitement and the beginning of the Bilancia journey. Thanks too, to Diana Hartley for hanging most of the art you see on the walls and to Fay Willis for her food and beverage assistance. Photos from the party can be seen here on my flickr site.

BILANCIA Opening Reception

2010-09-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the opening celebration for Bilancia, the expanded studio space Marlys Kubicek and I will share. After Marlys' father died last year, she decided to open the whole house to artmaking and teaching. Our collaboration is now called Bilancia and we will be printing (and Marlys will be painting) in our now spacious studio. We have established Independent Study, Print Studio Rental and Printing with Assistance rates and will be offering small classes and workshops. The location is in Phoenix, 5841 N. 21st Avenue (the southeast corner of 21st Avenue and Bethany Home Road). Come by tonight 7-9pm and see what we've done to the place!

Last Call for Classes at Phoenix Center

2010-09-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

I spoke with the good folks at the Phoenix Center and I still need a few more solarplate and reduction linocut students for the classes to make. If you have been procrastinating, sign up soon. Reduction Linocut starts October 2nd (9 to noon) and Solarplate starts October 4th 6-8:30pm, and both run for 6 weeks. Click here for the class link.

We Heart San Diego

2010-08-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Seeking to escape the heat and to see some dear friends, Steve and I took off Thursday for San Diego. He lived there for several years two years after we were married. You go where you find work and it was a great commuter setup for us. For two or three years. It got old after awhile but what never got old was our love of San Diego. So many great things to do and places to go and wonderful art museums. And on this trip we had an unusual drive by leaving later in the day. We were escorted by a terrific storm to our left all the way across the desert. And as beautiful the desert was with all those clouds, we never had to drive in anything more than a sprinkle.

Friday, we headed for our favorite spot in the city - Balboa Park. After some Christmas shopping at the Mingei Museum we strolled through a wonderful and large exhibition of Toulouse Latrec at the San Diego Museum of Art. I was thrilled to see so many lithographs and got some ideas for things to try in my reduction linocuts. We take inspiration from many places and I can always find some here.


Dr Lakra (Mexico)/Vhils (Portugal) Collaboration

JR (France)

Saturday, after breakfast at Brians 24, we took in a majority of the public art included in the Museum of Contemporary Art's current installation: "Viva La Revolucion," where 20 artists from 10 countries created murals/graffiti art on buildings all over town. We enjoyed seeing the works - many of them are accompanied by an audio commentary you can reach on your cellphone. Great idea! The show will be up until January 2nd 2011.
Following the trail of art we discovered a couple of wonderful shops in Little Italy, Mixture and French Garden. More shopping ensued followed by naps. Gotta go - the day is calling.

GUEST SWIMMERS

2010-08-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

The past four weeks were plum full of visitors who partook themselves of the joys of playing in the water of our swimming pool. World travelers and locals, the enjoyment found in water play is universal. The Chinese kids were teenagers 14 to 16. One determined Chinese girl learned to swim in just two days. It was amazing to watch her overcome her fear and practice in the shallow end before venturing off into the deep end. I am sure you can draw your own analogy to life here. Anyway, she was 14 and apparently you learn to swim in China at 15.
The Dutch girls visiting my neighbor with their parents, reminded me of myself on vacation with my parents. I lived underwater. They too were in the pool next door whenever the could. The twins were 8 years old and the eldest was 10 (if my addled brain remembers correctly.) The girls didn't speak English but underwater you can clearly understand what's being communicated.

My local friends Diana and Daisy, 9, came for a photo session. It was my first time meeting Daisy and she was a little tentative at first. But she was totally game and we had a blast. No one wanted to get out of the pool...we floated around with the satisfied/happy/tired feeling of an afternoon well spent.
After each session with the visitors, it always ended the same. Looking at the photos on the computer. Laughter abounds, groans and teasing...It makes me sad that summer is almost over. But I have hundreds of memories/photos to inspire lots of art. Thank you to all my swimmer friends. It's been wonderful sharing the water with you.

Saturday Reduction Linocut Classes

2010-08-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday Morning REDUCTION LINOCUT

I will be teaching a 6 week reduction linocut workshop at the Phoenix Center for the Arts beginning Saturday, October 2nd from 9 am to noon. Registration is open now until the end of August. Learn how to make the complicated simple as you print 4 colors from one plate.

Monday Night SOLARPLATE ETCHING
Beginning Monday, October 4th I will be teaching a 6 week solarplate etching workshop from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. Beginners are welcome or come brush up on the process if you've been working in other media.

The Phoenix Center is located at 1202 N. 3rd St, Phoenix AZ 85004. Register online or call 602 262-4627. Classes are limited to 7 students.

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FIFTH BIENNIAL PRINT EXHIBITION
I had a print juried in to the NAU Biennial this year. The exhibition is in the NAU Art Museum in Old Main, a great old building and wonderful place to see some fabulous printmaking. The exhibition opens August 24th and goes until September 25th. They are having a reception on Thursday, September 2nd from 5 to 7 pm and I will be there. I can't wait to see the other work in this show. And I am happy to be escaping the heat of Phoenix for a couple days!

SB1070 Exhibit on CNN

2010-08-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

La Ruta/The Route

You never know what will happen. In June 2009 I created a print for the Passport Required print exchange, a project I coordinated for the Arizona Print Group. I submitted my print, La Ruta/The Route, for the "SB1070 - An Artist's Point of View" exhibition at ALAC as I wrote about in previous posts. Well, CNN picked up the story of the exhibition and as a result is showing 9 pieces from the show on their website, including mine and Marlys's. Check it out here.

Artists were invited to submit work on either side of the issue. When I looked more closely, on my second visit to the gallery, there weren't really any pieces in support of SB1070. Marlys' print was the most balanced as it considered both sides of the immigration problem.

Dolce, Annie, Roberto, Daniel

At the second reception, the day after SB1070 went into effect, Annie Loyd introduced me to two kids about whom the Dream Act was envisioned. Children whose parents brought them illegally into the US as very small children, who learned the language, excelled at school, and now are faced with obstacles to attending college. Imagine if you lived your first 16 or 17 years here and then learn you can't continue your education or get a good job because of something beyond your control. To learn more about the Dream Act click here.

I appreciate all the supportive comments I have gotten since the CNN piece came out. Thank you all.

"Camouflage" - a 9 Color Reduction Linocut

2010-08-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

Here it is. My latest baby. I have named it Camouflage. I will be shipping some off to Reno for my students at Oxbow Press. It needs a little more time to dry but it is well on its way.

My friends are asking me what I am going to do next. There are so many things I want to do. After having printed 3 multi-colored reduction linocuts in a row, I am feeling the need for speed so I think some monotypes are in order. But I also want to play around with carving borco board to see how it prints. I want to print more on some of the diffused relief prints I made back in May. I have another print exchange due in November I could start working on and I would like to make something new for an exhibition I am in which opens in November. It feels luxurious to have time not allocated right now and deadlines that feel far away.

Last Supper/Color6/SB1070

2010-07-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to our Chinese kids this morning at the airport. Marlys' older girl kept turning around and waving goodbye as their leader took them away. Everyone was exhausted after swimming last night and their favorite dinner - Cincinnati Chili! I grew up on Skyline Chili and buy the packets of seasoning mix to indulge my chili addiction. Who knew the kids would like it over all the other meals they enjoyed? But 3 out of 4 had second helpings.

After we dropped them off at 7:45am I went home and took a two hour nap then went back to the studio to print my 6th color on my current reduction linocut. The little fish is starting to come out more and more. Two or three more colors. I was happy to learn my deadline in Reno has been extended two weeks. I now feel the luxury of time and in our new expanded studio space, life is good!

ANOTHER SB1070 ARTIST RECEPTION
Marlys and Joan Thompson and I are going to the next "SB1070 - An Artist's Point of View" exhibition reception tomorrow night at the Arizona Latino Arts and Culture Center. After all the events of today, it should get a big turnout. It is from 6 to 9 pm at 147 E. Adams in downtown Phoenix. Come by and check out our art.

New Lino/Student Exchange

2010-07-27T00:55:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I started a reduction linocut. It is one I will share with my students from my workshop at Oxbow Press in Reno, and with my current class at the Phoenix Center. The first three colors were printed with etching ink which I had at our studio. My relief inks were locked up at the Phoenix Center and I didn't have access to them. When I was able to use my relief inks, I noticed that they were much easier to use, more creamy and easy to rollout evenly. (I have Daniel Smith oil based inks.) I am also now using a little bit of Miracle Gel, also a Daniel Smith product, to help release the ink from the plate. I am still happy with the Gomuban plates (from IMcClain's). I wish they came in large sizes.
With our visitors from China I haven't had much time to blog so here are images of the first 5 colors. You will see a little fish emerging from the kelp. I hope to print 3 more colors and get the Reno prints mailed off in time for the exchange party.

Foreign Exchange

2010-07-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

We have been hosting two Chinese boys (15 and 16) in our home the past week. Marlys has been hosting two girls (14 and 16). We have spent all of our evenings together with the kids, feeding them American food and playing Chinese card games after dinner. They love our food, barbecue chicken and pot roast, ice cream, scrambled eggs with ham cut up in it... They are happy kids from 4 different cities in China who didn't know each other before this trip. One of the girls speaks English very well, and the boys not so much. But the more we are together the more comfortable they feel trying to speak. The boys have loved swimming and playing basketball. The girls loved swimming and shopping. Saturday we took them to our studio and introduced them to linocut. They loved the skeleton prints of Artemio Rodriguez, so they used parts of his images learn the printmaking process. They were engaged and encouraging to each other. And they were proud of their accomplishments.

Saturday night we took them to the exhibition opening at the Arizona Latino Arts and Culture Center "SB1070 - An Artist's Point of View". We tried to explain the new law and why people were upset about it. They took it all in but preferred to hang out at the US Airways Center where the Suns play. Marlys said, you never know what they will remember from this trip, 20 years from now. It has been wonderful having them here and getting to know them.

SB1070 - An Artist Point of View - Exhibition

2010-07-23T23:37:00.000-07:00


Marlys Kubicek, Paulette Redmond, Joan Thompson and I will all have work in this exhibition.

New Chapter - Teaching

2010-07-19T00:21:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new chapter in my art life. Teaching. After the two day workshop in Reno, I came back to Phoenix and began teaching Reduction Linocut at the Phoenix Center for the Arts. Tomorrow I will begin teaching Solarplate Etching at our studio. I am excited to be teaching two media in which I have worked the most with since I have begun my printmaking journey. Marlys will be teaching general printmaking at Phoenix College in the fall and we hope our classes will feed into each other. It would be great to grow a strong printmaking program there. I will be offering Reduction Linocut on Saturdays beginning in October for 6 weeks at the Phoenix Center; and Solarplate Etching on Monday nights also in October for 6 weeks at the Phoenix Center. Let me know if you are interested and I will notify you when registration opens.

ROAD TRIP - San Francisco

2010-07-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

First stop, Shingle Springs to visit friends who were married the day before we were back in 1988. And then onto gorgeous San Francisco. No matter how many times we go there, it is always so pretty with views everywhere you look of travel icons: Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, the Presidio, the Marina District, Chinatown. Classic and still alive and well. Sigh. No place like it. We checked in and walked down to the wharf where we popped into the tiny Aquarium by the Bay. There we discovered huge jellyfish, sea nettles actually which blew me away. So mesmerizing. Steve's daughter Barbara picked us up later and took us to their new place for a homecooked dinner by her husband Dan. Steve's son Chris met us there. I have to say, there is no better music to our ears than listening to the kids laugh. We realized that our 30 and 35 year old kids are really happy and our hearts left filled with love. They are smart and funny; connected to the earth and good international citizens of the world.

Barbara took the next day off to show us some special places: the tide pools in southern SF where we peered into the rocks to discover sea treasures such as anemones, and hermit crabs while the occasional seal would exit the water to lay on beach a little beyond our tide pools.

We also went to Chinatown for a quickie shopping sojourn where Barbara pointed out the graffiti of a very famous graffiti artist whose work is so valued they put a plexi plate over it to protect it. Murals and graffiti art are everywhere and it really makes the city feel more full of life. And beautiful.

Steve and I had looked at all the art offerings in the city and decided we wanted to go to the Legion of Honor for a special exhibition "Impressionists Paris". It was mostly works on paper with some paintings and sculpture, all Paris based work by the Impressionists and included some wonderful prints which I was so happy to see. We had never been to the Legion of Honor and since my sister had recently been in Paris and was still in France, it was a way to share in the experience a little.
From there we stopped at the sweetest little pet cemetary in the Presidio. It had been a beautiful little space but freeway construction which was going on all around it and over it, had necessitated cutting down some huge trees on the property. But the little cemetary will remain, with its residents from World War II through the present. As I walked around I became overwhelmed by the loss and the headstones loving comments, I just cried all the way through.
Our last night in the City, the kids took us to a Vietnamese restaurant because Steve wanted crab for dinner. We had two crabs and tons of other delicious goodies. I will always trust the kids' recommendations for eating in SF. It was fabulous. We left San Francisco wanting to do and see more. That's the best thing about it. Leaving your heart there everytime. We can't wait to go back.

ROAD TRIP - More from Reno

2010-07-02T23:36:00.000-07:00

NADA DADA MOTEL

One of the reasons we took this road trip was to see the Nada Dada Motel event where artists rented out rooms in the old downtown motels and turned the rooms into galleries for the weekend. The Printmakers' Conspiracy, a group or Reno printmakers put together a print exchange called Naughty, Taboo, Just Plain Wrong and invited me to participate. I learned that it would be exhibited during the Nada Dada event and thus we decided to go. Plus, Steve's sister and her husband lived next door in Sparks and it would be nice to visit them. Given the revised schedule to include 2 full days giving the Linocut workshop at Oxbow Press, we were able to pop in a few of the motel rooms Friday afternoon and found some fun and interesting offerings. Our favorite was a room dedicated to old robots, called Skid Robot - where old robots go live out their last days.

FAMILY MATTERS

The weather was perfect, 80 and sunny with cool nights and the vista from Linda and Rod's home was beautiful. It was especially nice to meet Daisy, their new dog. A rescue, part lab, part shepherd, she was skittish and anxious at first but quickly learned we were dog people and let us be her new best friends.
The hospitality shown was generous and warm and we were surprised and lucky to be there when Steve's grand niece from Boise came in for a visit the day before we left. Nice to recharge the family connections.

ROADTRIP - The Workshop

2010-06-30T22:23:00.001-07:00

Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20, I taught a Reduction Linocut Workshop at Oxbow Press in Reno, NV. It felt like a challenge to try to accomplish a multi-color reduction print in just two days but I practiced with the fish and leafy sea dragon prints to see if I could print more than one color in a day. With some success under my belt, and an easy registration system, off to Reno I went. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. There were 10 students, almost all printmakers but none well versed in reduction lino. Everyone brought images to review and discuss the pros and cons of using for reduction linocut. We used Gomuban, a product widely used in Japan, described as somewhere between ez cut and linoleum. It is very easy to carve and will hold fine lines. With the short time period, it made for a quicker cutting time. The majority of the first day was preparation for printing, altho at the end of Day One, Miles was ready go and printed his first color. On Day Two with two available presses, everyone printed. And printed. On one press, we could print 4 at a time. So there was no waiting. The artists decided to pull editions of 20. Candace Nicol, director/founder/goddess of Oxbow generously allowed workshop participants time to come back to complete their prints. Rossitza had printed 3 colors by the end of day 2. Everyone spontaneously decided to do a print exchange with each other and come together in celebration with final prints at a party in August. So the community of printmakers in Reno is alive and strong. Miles Becker was the first to finish his print and he sent me a jpg of it which he has allowed me to share with you. It is titled The Falcon. I couldn't be more proud of such a fine first print.

I realize I may have gone on too much about this workshop, but it was my first solo teaching experience and it was huge for me. It was such a good experience, I think I will keep on this path. Thanks to the students in Reno and Candace and Vicki at Oxbow Press for throwing a fun and organized workshop in the middle of a major art event weekend.

ROADTRIP - The Beginning

2010-06-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

My plan to blog enroute has failed. I have returned home, and now I hope to make up for it. My ROADTRIP took me from Phoenix to Vegas, to Reno to Shingle Springs CA to San Francisco to Riverside and home.

The trip started out about art but seeing family became the priceless part.

At the last minute Steve had to stay for more Census training so Marlys volunteered to be my road companion on the long drive to Reno. Lucky for us, we got to spend a morning in Reno with Candace Nicol, the heart of Oxbow Press, a 2700 square foot haven for press-less printmakers. Wanting to do something similar in Phoenix, we soaked up all the knowledge Candace shared about how Oxbow works, in some fine detail. She is generous and open and just about the nicest person I have ever met. She and her hearty crew (an impressive number of enthusiasts - is it the water in Reno???) turned an industrial looking metal building space into a fabulous creative zone...I could go on and on but you should just check out their website.

Here are some photos showing their space - the press room has two presses and a large print rack; the inking station room has tons of glass topped counter space and the work room was the classroom setup for my workshop. More on that in the next installment.

PRANCER

2010-06-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the 6th and final colors. It is a leafy sea dragon I have named Prancer. Overall I loved the process. I used gomuban from McClain's instead of linoleum. It is much easier to cut and does hold a fine line. It only comes in one size so working larger than 11.75 x 15.75 wouldn't work. But it is still a nice size for most of my typical prints. I am already contemplating my next print...

Fish Out of Water

2010-06-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

It took 3 days for that orange ink to dry. I am getting excited to see the final version - just two colors left. I will post both of them together probably to drag out the last reveal. I only have 3 days left before a trip to Reno and SF so it might not get finished until the end of the month.

If you see these blogposts from Facebook, my last post took 3 days to get posted to Facebook. What's up with that???

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Really you should quit reading now. It has been so frustrating and I don't want to be one of those who rant...BUT - the bottom line was that Microsoft blamed HP and HP blamed Microsoft so we hired Data Doctors who have taken my laptop and external hard drive away to clean them up and reload everything. It will be $400 at least. I can't believe how many times in one day I have wanted something that was on that computer. BTW the Data Doctor rep blamed AVG, our security program. We are switching to Webroot Antivirus. Enough said.

Orange You Glad to See Me

2010-06-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

(My title pays homage to OPI Nail Colors.) It was a tough cutting day today, time consuming. Found a couple errors. Will probably be more but I might get lucky. The aqua ink was still a little tacky but I was anxious to put down another color after all that cutting. It may not look like much, but there is a lot to line up...it will make more sense at the end.
I mixed my color a bit differently from yesterday's four test strips. I used orange, a little Miracle Gel and a bit of burnt umber. All the inks I have used on this print have been oil-based relief ink from Daniel Smith.
The next cut will be easier, the sea horse body. But I need to wait till the ink dries; even with cobalt drier it will probably take a couple days. See you then!

Color Mixing

2010-06-08T00:31:00.000-07:00

Today didn't go as I thought it would. I imagined myself knocking out two or three more colors today. Yet all I could manage was one. Printing over green was an experiment. I decided to go for a light aqua by printing what turned out to be a very light blue over the green. I liked the color I ended up with but before I could print, I needed to cut away the areas I wanted to save as green. As you can see from the line drawing (in an earlier post here) it is very detailed. And confusing, I might add. I made some changes along the way in what was cut and what was added. But now I am left with making sure my improvisations don't leave behind glaring cutting errors. Something Fishy was a whole lot easier to cut.
So my next decision was do I print orange next or a raw siena kind of color? And how much will printing a not totally opaque orange have when printing over aqua. When I mixed the two inks on the palatte, the white in the light blue made the orange turn coral. So I prepared four different oranges, one pure, one with a little red, one with a lot of red and the second with a little umber added to it. I needed a real test of printing on the actual print. And frankly, I was a little surprised by my results.
The orange was dulled only a little. They all came out a whole lot truer than I expected.

I noticed that the aqua was still wet and on this particular print I hadn't used any cobalt drier. The orange didn't cover smoothly so I will have to watch that tomorrow. Hopefully the aqua will be dry and I won't have any problems. Tomorrow's challenge will be cutting the blue. I have to say though, I love seeing the prints after cutting away another layer. Secrets are revealed.

Escape from Windows 7

2010-06-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ever since my husband installed Windows 7 on my HP laptop, I haven't been able to use my printer. Two weeks later after many hours of online help with both HP laptop support and HP printer support they finally gave up. Then we bought a new printer and that didn't work either but Steve found a number for Microsoft. Several days have passed and many tests and more referrals back to HP but finally Microsoft has owned the problem. They want to reinstall everything. So I escaped the stress of our home office to the studio to print blissfully away on the first two colors of the SeaHorse. The colors here don't reflect the actual colors but you get the idea.

It is our 22nd wedding anniversary today so I had to leave the sanctuary of transfer-image-carve-roll-print to go home to find out my laptop now can't read the new external hard drive on which we must back everything up before the reinstall. AAARgh! We chucked it all and went out for a lovely dinner where we wondered what the world would look like 22 years from now. It is amazing what has happened in the past 22 years. Hopefully, we will start taking better care of the planet and all its inhabitants.

New Reduction Print

2010-06-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Spent all day yesterday working on color separations for my new reduction lino I am planning. It is a dragon seahorse which I saw at the Newport Aquarium last year. With this print I hope to be printing multiple colors in one day and am struggling now with the order to print them. I have learned that to get a bright yellow you need to print that first and I have an orange that I think needs to be next. But then I want a pale green and pale blue and have learned that over yellow a pale blue makes a pale green. If I were just going on the values, the pale blue and green would be first then the yellow and then the orange. Hmmmmph. This will be interesting. I am going to try to not have any expectations on what the colors really have to be. Let's see what we get!

Registration Extension
The Phoenix Center for the Arts has extended the registration deadline for classes starting later in the summer. So there is still time to register for my 6 week Solarplate Class which begins July 12th and the 8 week Reduction Linocut Class which starts June 30th. Call 602 262-4627 to join in the fun!

"Something Fishy"

2010-05-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. Finished up today so I can fly off to Cincinnati tomorrow with a clear plate. Going to visit my Dad! I tried using a new product on this image, not linoleum but gomuban from McClain's. I really liked how easy it was to cut and it held fine lines great. I also made one mistake in cutting and was able to Elmer's Glue it back in place. It went by quickly which just encourages me to do it again. I have two more in the pipeline, of more sea creatures. Watch this space, as they say.

It has been a mild spring and the front patio is blooming all sorts of beautiful flowers. It is wonderful to come home to this after an exhausting day in the studio...Life is good.

Whirl Winds Blowin'

2010-05-25T23:54:00.006-07:00

Lots going on the past few days:

CONGRATULATIONS JANET
Janet Towbin is now adjunct professor at ASU and will teach Relief Printmaking. Yay, Janet. Your students will be lucky to get you. I can't wait to see what she cooks up for them.

BON VOYAGE, NANCY
My sister is headed to London today for several days before hooking up with 7 lucky students on her fabulous tour of Paris, Bordeaux, and Bergerac for 10 days. It will be the trip of a lifetime for all concerned. Let's hope that volcano behaves itself for the next month or so!

PRINTING WITH DIANA PART II

We spent another day filled with stencils under inked mat board, yesterday. We played with different types of paper and thicknesses of board and stencils and printed on both sides...We discovered you can print just about anything under the mat board plate (see process in my last blog update.) I have to remember to schedule more play dates. I totally give up all control for an anticipated outcome and just try to "see what happens."

NEW REDUCTION LINOCUT - SOMETHING FISHY

I am teaching a two-day reduction linocut workshop in Reno next month. I have been a little worried about how much can be covered in just two days, so today I did a test of the process I intend to show. I have never tried to print more than one color in one day but today I printed 3 colors! I amazed myself. I would have never considered doing such a thing if I hadn't been a follower of Sherrie York and other relief printmakers. So many times, I just do it the way I do it, without thinking of trying it another way. I LOVE reading about other artists' processes. Have you noticed how open and sharing printmakers are? Anyway, I still have one more color to go on these little fish. The finished print size will be 6" x 8". If you would like to learn this process, I am teaching it in a workshop this summer at the Phoenix Center for the Arts. Classes are 8 weeks, Wednesdays from 1 to 4 starting June 30th and costs $160. Call 602 262-4627 to register. Registration ends May 31st.

Print Play and Lunch Dates

2010-05-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

PLAYFUL PRINTING
It has been a fun week. Diana and I had a playdate in studio Monday. I had attended the Monika Meler demo in Philadelphia on alternative relief processes and wanted to try it out myself. So for several hours we each cut out a stencil from mat board. Very labor intensive. We inked up a second piece of matboard and placed it over the cutout stencil. Then placed hosho paper over it, with one blanket, and ran it through the press. Interesting results. Totally fun and often unexpected, how just rotating the placement of the stencil nets differing results, without even re-inking the plate (mat board). Now I am driven to cut more stencils. I certainly need to build up the strength in my hands, as it is hard work. Diana and I will be back for another play date this Monday. Can't wait to mix it up again. To see the very same demo I saw in Philadelphia at the Tyler School, click here and scroll all the way to the last item.

SOCIAL CONTACTS
This week happened to bring two lunch dates, with two of my favorite artists, Janet Towbin and David Manje. Marlys and I met up with Janet at Wally's Pub. I am so glad that Janet and I have re-connected. We went to college together in Cincinnati and hadn't seen each other for over 30 years when art brought us back in touch again, here in Phoenix. She is an amazing printmaker and a fabulous photographer as seen here on flickr.

We joked about being ladies of leisure, having lunch out a second time in three days, when Marlys and Diana and I had lunch at Rosa's in Mesa with my first major printmaking teacher, David Manje. Not only is he a great teacher but his heart is so big and open. He was full of life and love and reassurance. I am grateful to have him in my life.

First Friday, May 2010

2010-05-09T01:15:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER GALLERY
We had a great turnout for last night's First Friday event. Several new artists were showing work and it was fun getting to meet them and commiserate about artist life. (Ok, so we also talked about friends and family...the universal language.) It was especially fun to get to know Sandra Ferris Goldin, who painted the beautiful black and white paintings hanging over the table. Nicolai Sinu's Japanese style watercolors are powerful and delicate...I really enjoyed meeting him. Joan Yen is a fan of his work too and stopped by to show support.

I was happy to see my old buddy John Siefert, from my other life as a City of Phoenix employee for 23 years. I retired in 2002 when times were good. It is hard to see what the economy has done to our City and to the good folks who still try to provide the services we need.

Saturday was lightly attended. It was nice hanging out with Larry and Ellie and Andrea Rusing. I will miss seeing them monthly over the summer but hope to be well occupied teaching Solarplate Etching and Reduction Linocut at the Phoenix Center for the Arts.
Registration is open until 5/31. Click here for more information.

New Print/Register this Saturday for Summer Classes

2010-04-27T22:27:00.001-07:00

FROM ALL DIRECTIONS
I finally finished the edition for the print exchange. Shipped them off today. I have never done so much pre-printing before and feel I learned a lot about getting to the image in my head. It surprised me a little, how hard it was, but I am really glad it worked out the way it did. This is my 12th print exchange. I accept invitations to be in them, or ask to be in them, because of who the organizer is - someone I respect or would like to work with; or because of the subject matter. I consider how much time I have to create a piece...because I can't just knock off a simple print. Four or five color linocuts are more the norm. I have committed to another PE due in November, Your Days Are Numbered, and I already know what my image will be and that it will be a reduction linocut.

This piece would not have been completed so easily on time without the assistance of my friend, Diana Hartley. It would have taken me 3 times longer without her help.

OTHER BLOGS I LOVE
I haven't quite mastered the blog world and how to set stuff up exactly as I would like - yet. But there is a blog I hold up as my model. Sherrie York is a very talented Colorado printmaker who does amazing drawings from nature. She writes so well, interesting mixes of "this is the print I am working on" and "this is happening in my life" and general philosophy or instruction. I have never met her but feel like she's living an honorable life and her blogging about it inspires me. Here is a link to it, called Brush and Baren.

Another blog I love is written by Sharon Anderson, a San Francisco artist who has branched out from painting to art management services. Her blog, Create Your Time, has a Friday feature she recently started where she asks working artists how they make time to actually create art. The first artist is my favorite, my sister Nancy Willis. Here is a link to her Time to Create feature in Create Your Time.

SUMMER PRINTMAKING CLASSES AT THE PHOENIX CENTER
I am teaching my first solo classes at the Phoenix Center for the Arts this summer. Registration opens Saturday May 1st at 10:30 am. Here is link the online registration page. Put in May 1, 2010 and 31 Dec 2010 in the date range and use the keyword Printmaking. You will see the details for my 6 week Solarplate Etching class which starts 7/13 and my 8 week Reduction Linocut class which starts 6/30.

In the Studio

2010-04-17T22:29:00.001-07:00

I have been working in the studio everyday the past week. I have a print exchange due May 1st. It is titled "From All Directions" and the paper size is to be 8" x 20". After I finished my taxes last week I started to concentrate on finalizing my concept. Then I started drawing and cutting stencils and more drawing. I tore my paper, I transferred my image to linoleum. But I still wasn't sure what my final image would be. Normally I do reduction linocuts and once I am at the drawing stage, it is pretty much decided. But I am trying something different. I am trying to show depth of field using uncut linoleum as a monotype plate and cut linoleum. Here's a peek at my first effort. I don't like the white line around the figure so I pulled a ghost and like that better. So for the past few days I have been playing with the lightness and darkness of the background and the figure/fish. Yesterday I carved the linoleum. I think I have hit on my layout and my process. I will be printing in 3 pulls. Tomorrow I will still work out the colors. I am happy with greys and dark blues but I want to see what it will look like with noticeable blues. And maybe greens. Such a dilemma.

DIM SUM/Collaborations

2010-04-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

Joan Jue Yen invited 4 artists to join her in applying for an exhibition at the Cathedral Center for the Arts. In celebration of being accepted for an exhibition in November 2010, Joan brought us together today for a 3.5 hour get-to-know-you session over Dim Sum at the Golden Buddha. It was wonderful to meet Annie Lopez, whose cyanotypes I have admired for many years; Mitra Kamali, a former petroleum engineer who now does what she loves - life sized figurative paintings and Michelle Peacock who was born in Zimbabwe and now teaches art at Sahuaro High School. Our diversity was noted and enjoyed We talked about how we met our common bond, Joan. We talked about families and jobs, a little about the men in our lives but mostly we talked about art. It was easy and comfortable and I couldn't have appreciated the connection with these women more. Thank you, Joan, for including me in this creative circle.

ASU Visit/Visiting Artist

2010-04-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

When we ran into Mary Hood at SGC last week she invited us to visit ASU while Annette Olsen Caspeller, an artist from Copenhagen, was in town to work with Mary for the week. So Thursday Marlys, Janet and I took her up on her offer. I had never been to the ASU Art Building before and enjoyed seeing how everything was set up. We talked to Annette while she was printing a large reduction linocut and learned she was printing a variable edition, which was new for her. She was varying the ink on two of the 3 or 4 colors she had planned to print. On the first runs she printed the lightest color in gray and then added a little blue until the last which was all blue. Then on her third color she varied the brown to a purple color. I love that the printmaking teacher, Mary, (shown here on right with another student) was teaching Annette to "break the rules" and mix it up.

Gallery Closed This Weekend

2010-03-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Gallery will not be open this weekend, First Friday and Saturday of April. If anyone was planning to stop in, I would be happy to set up a time to meet you there. Larry and Lesa, the gallery owners are not available but will be back in action in May.

More from SGC Philadelphia

2010-03-26T20:21:00.002-07:00

Thursday, March 25th

U of the Arts
We started out at the University of the Arts. We first saw the exhibition "Social Remarques" with ASU's John Rissieuw's piece made from the clothing of landmine victims. There were also 5 print portfolios/exchanges on view which were very exciting to see. We love to examine them, trying to figure "how did they do that!" From UArts we went to the Penn. Academy of Fine Arts for the rest of the day.

PAFA
We attended 3 demos: Viscosity Color Printing = C-; Spooning Large Format Woodcuts = B and The Drum Leaf (book binding) = A. Joseph Lappie was an infectious presenter who had the large crowd quite attentive to his process. We saw our first exhibition which was part of Philagrafika with some VERY interesting works like Orit Hofshi's woodcuts. The wood used were ordinary planks and after being carved and printed were hung as part of the piece, along with the prints. We also enjoyed 6 more print exchanges and a wonderful show of prints from the C.R. Ettiger Studio which included a print from our friend, Janet Towbin. We ran into Dan Welden in the halls but didn't really see any other people we knew. Too busy looking at the prints to check out other people's name tags.

Friday, March 26th

This morning we started with the Vendor's Fair, our second favorite part of the SGC Conference (open portfolio tomorrow is our favorite). We managed to find a few treasures like a wheat paste shaker, a funny tube of rice paste and some drypoint tools from EC Lyons. We attended then, the presentation by Judy Pfaff whose work was fascinating. She is a favorite of Marlys' and I can see why. She definitely works "outside the lines". After the lecture we headed to the curb to catch a shuttle to Temple University's Tyler School of Art. We passed an amiable 30 minute wait at the curb with John Rissieuw and Joe Segura. On the bus ride, I again noticed how many murals abound in the Philadelphia area.

Tyler School of Art

What a wonderful place Tyler is. Great spaces, lots of room, great accoutrement. Lucky students. We found another great Philagrafika site here with a video showing Thomas Kilpper creating a huge linoleum cut on the floor of an old East German building with 90 images documenting the history of surveillance in East Germany from the Nazis to the present time. He narrated the piece and said it took over 24 hours to carve one figure. My arms ached just watching it. Then we attended another demo, this time with Monika Meler, who showed us an alternative approach to relief printing. She rolled out ink on mat board and placed a stencil cut in matboard under the inked board and then put a Japanese paper down on the inked mat board and ran it thru the press. Et voila! A soft edged transfer, which she repeats and repeats up to 30 times. Phew! We only got to see 2 layers. Here is a photo of the two layers and a ghost. Definitely an "A" demo! Afterwards we cruised through the Rochelle Toner exhibition before shuttling back to our hotel.

Philadelphia/SGC

2010-03-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Marlys Kubicek and Janet Towbin

Today was a glorious, sunny day. Perfect for a double decker bus tour of the city. We got the lay of the land, ate a Philly Cheesesteak and dropped by the Print Center for the Drive By Press event. All in all a very good day. It was especially nice to see ex-Philly artist, Janet Towbin, in her big city element! We started the day collecting our registration materials and ran into Mary Hood from ASU who will have a guest printmaker from Copenhagen, printing in Tempe next week. Funny to come all the way to Philadelphia to meet another AZ printmaker.

Janet Towbin and Chuck Close

2010-03-21T00:39:00.000-07:00

See/Perceive

Janet Towbin's exhibition opened at Modified last night. I haven't been there since they remodeled. It's a really nice space now. Janet's amazing drawings from her "Meditations on a Black Stone" series create their own space in which you can linger. Delicate and powerful. Mesmerizing.

Collaborations
Enjoyed the free Thursday night entry to SMoCA's exhibition of the Chuck Close prints. What a remarkable technician he is; a planner extraordinaire. I loved seeing the linoleum from which he printed and the woodcuts with the multiple colors remaining, showing that he printed several colors in one pull. I like to see the process almost as much as the result.

Southern Graphics Council Conference

2010-03-18T00:58:00.001-07:00

Heading EAST!
Marlys and I are flying to Philadelphia next Tuesday to attend the annual Southern Graphics Council conference. It will be 5 fun filled days all about printmaking. Sigh. If you are participating in the open portfolio, I hope to see your work. It is my favorite part of the conference. It will be wonderful to meet some of the printmakers I have only met online. Vicki LoSasso from Printmakers Conspiracy in Reno will be showing the "Naughty, Taboo, Just Plain Wrong" print exchange that I am in, during the Second Session.
I understand the weather will be in the high 50's which suits me just fine. I really hope Philly's winter days are gone. The freaky snow at my Dad's house in Cincinnati in February fulfilled all my snow longing.

SOLARPLATE WORKSHOP REVIEW

2010-03-14T22:07:00.010-07:00


Marlys Kubicek, Dan Welden, Sarah Kreihn

END OF WORKSHOP DECOMPRESSION
Today was the last day of a 2 and 3 day/or 5 day solarplate workshop with Dan Welden. It was held at the Armstrong-Prior studio, organized by John Armstrong, Joan Prior and Marlys Kubicek. I was a volunteer studio assistant and travel arranger. The happy participants were blessed with small class size (7) and lots of personal attention. Dan was blessed with some very talented and fun artists who really took his instruction to heart and ran with it.

The work was amazing. Many of the participants focused on creating relief plates by working directly on the plates and then trying all kinds of different ways to print them, varying the color, orientation and number of pulls. Some used stencils, chine colle and of course transparencies to work their magic. There were some pretty happy smiles as the prints were revealed. The solarplate process is fairly easy to learn. But it can be as difficult and challenging as the most complex printmaking process in the variety of methodology and the desire of the artist to reach a defined result. Even Dan, who knows more about solarplates than any other person could, was frustrated after several failed attempts to achieve his desired result. But in this class, no one gave up. Those who encountered failures, quietly kept plugging away until they found a way. This is the environment Dan Welden brings to his workshops. A safe place to fail. Allowing the artist to learn even more from the failures than the successes. Plus you can't find a nicer man on the planet than Dan.

So here is the latest class portrait in his long list of worldwide workshops:
L to R: Wendy Willis, Janet Towbin, Marlys Kubicek, Diana Hartley, Libby Kalinowski, John Armstrong, Joan Prior, Dan Welden; in front: Susan Marquez, Sheri Compton and Sandi Long. Not pictured: Sarah Kreihn, Paulette Redmond, Audrey Van Kirk and Glory Tacheenie-Campoy.

March First Friday/Art Detour

2010-03-08T00:43:00.000-07:00

VISITING ARTIST OF THE MONTH: DAN MOORE
The place was jumping Friday night. Dan Moore's fans and followers came in to show the love for his wonderful photographs. People came I haven't seen in years, happy surprises that just cheer you up. I worked with Al Van Duyn on the Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1990; he was the promoter and I was with the City. We had a great time back then. So it was a highlight to see Al and Susie walk in the door. They were sure surprised too to see me and learn that I gave up being a bureaucrat to become a printmaker. I have put more photos up on my flickr page so check them out if you want to see who else came by. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wswillisart/

WORKSHOP IN RENO - JUNE 19 & 20 2010
Earlier this year, I participated in a print exchange titled "Naughty, Taboo, Just Plain Wrong" put together by Candace Nicol, Vicki LoSasso and the Printmakers Conspiracy in Reno, NV. I mean who could resist a title like that? When I learned they were going to participate with the prints from NTJPW in an event called NadaDada Motel where artists take over rooms in some of the older motels downtown and turn them into mini art galleries, well, I just had to see it. So my husband and I are planning a road trip to Reno in June. Now they have invited me to come as a guest artist and do a two day Reduction Linocut workshop to which I have agreed. I plan to get back in the studio and do some more linocuts after the past month or two of monotypes. The event will be held at the Comstock Art Factory.

GREAT KIDS

My stepkids came home to surprise their father for his birthday. They live in the Bay Area and are bright and funny and so much fun to have around. I just love them so much. They leave tomorrow and the house will not be the same. We just love to hear them laughing, which they do quite often. We are so lucky, plus they love each other and get along so well. We couldn't be prouder of them.

FIRST FRIDAY/ART DETOUR March 5-7

2010-02-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

BIG WEEKEND


Drypoint

The annual open studio tour in Central Phoenix will be next weekend and Another Gallery will be full of new work, including all new monotypes and more unframed work by yours truly to entice the savvy buyer. There is plenty of parking and the north shuttle stops in front. We will open Friday night, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 5. I plan to be at the Gallery for most of the event altho I may be late on Saturday as it is also our neighborhood's annual yard sale and we have been saving lots of stuff to sell.

I will also have a few drypoint etchings to show you. I have really started to enjoy the drypoint process and want to combine it with monotype and photopolymer etching. This one, Green Sea Babies, is 7" x 2.5".

Art Detour is a great opportunity to get out and see a lot of local art. I encourage all my friends and clients to come out and see what's new. Maps are available at the Central Library, the Phoenix Art Museum, and of course at our gallery.

PURE PRINTMAKING
And for the those who only want to see fine art prints, this Sunday, from 2 to 4 pm many of us Arizona Print Groupers will be at the closing reception of our exhibition at the Arizona Artists Guild's new building. The address is 18411 N. 7^th Avenue which is just south of Union Hills on the east side.

More from Life as Women Artists

2010-02-20T01:41:00.000-07:00

I want to share a much clearer insight and summary of the panel discussion in Tucson, sparked by my last post, provided by my friend and mentor, Marlys Kubicek:

Good Girls Go..., Marlys Kubicek

Besides saying thanks, which there is too little done in that area, there were a couple of other points as well. That these were three women who were successful in three completely different areas of the world of fine art. Barbara Rogers makes beautiful decorative art, her love is gardens. Bailey Doogan makes what our contempory culture regards as ugly beautiful, her love is the idea of words and images. Julie Sasse is a curator, she makes art because she has to, for herself. Each woman was able to find her place in the art world through trial and tribulation. I think that the trial and tribulation is is still there for women artists. For women in any career it is always a choice.

There also was the fact that as an artist one feels that they are never ready. I think most women artists feel this way. All of these women at one time or another got involved in juried shows or competitions when the work was not finished or may not even thought of. They had the confidence that they would be able to complete the work. In other words they do not work in a comfort zone. Another point was that it is a good thing to enter juried compositions as curators find work that way. Both the curators (I went to a lecture at the art museum given by the curator of photography about how she found artists) whose lectures I went to said that they found artists through juried competitions and from having the artist send them CD's and images for them to look at.

Another thing is that artists need other artists to have conversations with. Many can find contacts through the internet, and going to openings and finding people whose work you love and telling them so. I think this is a way to always keep your work fresh and interesting. I think that human beings in general have a tendency to repeat; it is safe. Yes, you can be influenced but it is a matter of confidence that you are your own person. I feel that looking at other peoples' works and listening to others can cut your learning time down. You would eventually make the discovery yourself but when.

And finally you have to give whether of your time, your work or your experience. It is one way of paying your dues. And no matter how you feel about it the world still works on paying your dues. Paying your dues is also a way of building one's confidence and making connections and expanding your horizons.

Thank you, Marlys, for your feedback and allowing me to print it here.

Life as Women Artists - U of A

2010-02-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

PANEL DISCUSSION
Last night MK and I drove to Tucson to attend a panel discussion titled "Life as Women Artists." I wasn't sure what to expect but with the panelists being Barbara Rogers, Julie Sasse and Bailey Doogan, I was sure I wanted to hear whatever they had to say. They came out of time when women weren't allowed to teach at the university and had to fight for their places in the art world. But all three are highly successful and last night, very generous, artists who shared their histories, work and advice for those who aren't there yet. What I really liked was the advice to send notes to those whose who work you admire; thank you notes to teachers who have helped guide you. And to the women artists like Barbara and Bailey and Julie, who forged a new territory for women in a man's world, say thank you for being the trailblazers.

THANK YOU


David Manje and Marlys Kubicek

So I thank them. For their bravery and tenacity and individuality. And the most heartfelt thank you's to Jim Bridwell, Nancy Reyner, Joe Baker, Marlys Kubicek, David Manje, Pegan Brooke, Dan Welden, Ron Pokrasso and Nancy Willis, wonderful teachers who have all had impact on the artist I am today. I hear their voices and see their influence in my work everyday.

Old Dog/New Trick

2010-02-09T11:53:00.001-07:00

CONFETTI
I have to fight the feeling that every print I make is precious. Even the ones I don't care for much. So I am trying to take the mistakes and "just a little off" prints and play with them or redo them altogether. In Santa Fe two years ago I bought a handful of Caran d'Ache crayons and promptly never used them. This week I broke them out and started experimenting with them and AKUA ink. Several days ago I drew on my plexi plate and rolled out the release agent and tried to print on top of an older print (on Arches 88) with dried ink. The transfer didn't work very well. So last night I started afresh. I drew on plexi, rolled out the release agent and printed on unused Arches 88 paper. It transferred nicely. I added my monotype swimmer and then added more caran d'ache marks in a last pull and it also transferred. Now I need to work on my mark-making.

PANEL DISCUSSION AT U of A SATURDAY
MK and I are driving down to Tucson Saturday to attend a panel discussion titled Life As Women Artists. Moira Geoffrion is the moderator and the panelists are Barbara Rogers, Julie Sasse and Bailey Doogan. I especially love Doogan's paintings and I'm excited about hearing her talk about her life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADDIE

For those who saw my header and was thinking there might be an actual dog item, here goes: My little girl dog will be 10 years old this week. She is sweet and cuddly and quite vocal. She is half poodle and half pomeranian and weighs 11 lbs. I call her my supermodel dog.

Another Gallery Open This Friday, Saturday

2010-02-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

I will be at the Gallery this weekend, so please come by and see what's new.

More Monotypes

2010-02-02T12:36:00.001-07:00

LILLY UNDER

I am still getting to know AKUA inks and how they work in monotypes. They have their good points, staying open on my palette for days, easy to clean up, and now I am learning how to predict what I will get when I roll out black for a black trap.

In this Lilly print, I printed the skin color in the first pull. Then I rolled out pthtalo blue with transparent base and wiped out the areas I wanted to remain lighter. The result is above. Then I printed the hair, goggles and swimsuit in the next pull using the additive method. (Right).
I wanted a little more definition in the figure so I rolled out pthalo blue and green mixed and wiped out all but the shadows and the pool tiles. The elbow came forward but the back arm was too bright. The face got lost in the chest. (Forgot to take pic.)

So I added a black trap (a layer of black ink rolled out and wiped to "trap" the color underneath.) I changed presses and printed this one without gridlines. So my registration was a tad off. The ink came off lightly so I reprinted in the right place with a tighter press. There is a bit of double edge-ing but what the heck. The good news is the chin came forward, the back arm moved back and the elbow came closer. It's really all just magic.

A Monotype Kind of Day

2010-01-22T00:26:00.002-07:00

Hurray! I happily spent an afternoon in the studio playing with monotypes. I had spent the better part of two days in the studio bouncing from idea to idea, the result of having made a 2010 To Do list. So much I want to do, so many ideas that need to come forth and work their way through the birthing process. In reading other artist blogs, I see I am not alone. Maybe it is the time of year. Maybe it is the unusual Arizona rain. So to clear my head, I just played with the AKUA ink and learned more about Transparent Base. In the first pass of this print to the right, I added the figure in one color, wiped out a little white areas and painted in the trunks and the rolled out the ultramarine blue on the right. Then I cleaned the plate and rolled out the entire plate with Phthalo blue w/white and lots of transparent base. I wiped out the light areas on the body and printed it again. For the third pull, I rolled out ultramarine blue again with transparent base and printed it over the body and the rest of the right side. I wiped the light and middle tones on the body which created the darkest shade on the figure. I was really happy with how it turned out. I've called it "Plunge" and it is 10" x 10."

Dan Welden in Phoenix in March and Path of an Artist Tour to Paris, Bordeaux and Bergerac in June

2010-01-19T23:07:00.000-07:00

I would like to recommend two wonderful artist activities for your consideration. The first is a solarplate workshop in Phoenix with the world reknown Dan Welden. The second is a unique opportunity to experience some of the most magical and art inspiring locations (and way of life) in France, accompanied by painter/printmaker/teacher Nancy Willis (my sister).

Introduction to Solarplate March 10 & 11; 9-4:00pm

Honing Your Solarplate Skills March 12, 13 & 14; 9-4:00pm

Preview/Demo Tuesday March 9; 6-8:30 pm

Dan will be conducting two short workshops at Armstrong-Prior Studio in Phoenix. I will be one of his helpers in both classes, having taken his workshops twice. Of course, I had to go to Santa Fe for the first one and Napa Valley for the second. Hard duty, huh? He's a really nice man and teaches in the most friendly and helpful ways. Let me know if you are interested in either workshop and I will get you all the info you need to register.

Path of an Artist Tour to Paris, Bordeaux and Bergerac
June 3rd to June 13th 2010

With Nancy Willis

This intimate tour is designed to open your eyes to the particular nature of French sensations-- the city, the landscape, the light, the food, the wine, and the pace—and refract that experience into your painting/writing/photography.

$3875* Double occupancy * $600. single supplement
For more information contact nancy@nancywillis.com
or www.pathofanartist.com

Catching Up

2010-01-14T23:20:00.001-07:00

WINTER RENEWAL

The New Year is often a time of reflection and I have been enjoying an unhurried look back in trying to decide what goals I want to set for myself this coming year. I have always been a listmaker but don't always think of a whole year when planning what I want to do. My painter/printmaker sister and my printmaker/studiomate are both teachers and have been working on what they want to accomplish during the next semester. Talking to them about their plans and ideas has gotten me working on my own life syllabus. I am excited about some of the projects I plan to work on this year and hope you will enjoy seeing them reveal themselves over time. For now I am in the hunter/gatherer stage of pulling together bits and pieces that will find their way into my art. Sometimes it feels like nothing is being accomplished but this part of the process is necessary to the creative effort.

SATURDAY JANUARY 16TH AT ANOTHER GALLERY

I am staffing the gallery Saturday from 10 to 4. Kimberly Harris will be by to work some ceramics wonders in the back room. Stop in see what's new! Bring a friend. It's a great space and it has some wonderful works to inspire us all. I was able to show off the gallery to my sister who was visiting from Napa Valley last week and today to an old friend from Albuquerque. I would happy to share it with you too!

Christmas Eve at Contemporary Arts Center

2009-12-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

MARILYN MINTER
My sister, Nancy, my husband and I carved out a quick visit to the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati this morning. I most enjoyed the paintings, photographs and video of Marilyn Minter in her "Chewing Color" exhibition. The paintings of enamel on metal were large and had amazing detail, greats colors - my favorite was the extreme closeup of a woman blowing a bubble gum bubble. We also saw an exhibition called "Purchase Not By Moonlight" by Albanian artist Anri Sala. He had one film in which he was drumming while a woman tried to get him to "Answer Me!" The rhythm was catching and real drumsticks on real drums would vibrate nearby. Very interesting.

FOUNTAIN SQUARE

After cruising the gift shop we stopped by the ice rink on Fountain Square to watch the daredevil kids and the awkward adults. We passed the horse drawn carriages in front of the hotel all lined up in their finery.

It is midnight here in Cincinnati. Merry Christmas, World! Peace on Earth.

Close Call in Sunny Phoenix

2009-12-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

CHUCK CLOSE EXHIBITION COMING TO SMOCA IN FEBRUARY
Saw this link on Facebook from the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art:
http://www.smoca.org/exhibit.php?id=193
Alert all the printmakers you know to put it on their calendars! 118 works! This should be wonderful!

ANOTHER GALLERY 3RD SATURDAY

Beautiful weather today and sunny inside the gallery too as several friends dropped by who missed our opening weekend. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. Kimberly, Mark and I had some new work to show and Larry brought in two of Greg West's paintings for display. We appreciate all your support and hope you will come back to see what's new on a regular basis. Tell your friends. Another Gallery is a special place and small businesses are precious resources to be nurtured and encouraged. So thank you again - see you next YEAR!

Monotypes and AKUA Ink

2009-12-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

PLAY TIME

For some reason this year I found myself with all my Christmas presents wrapped and mailed off two weeks early. This gave me 4 unexpected days to play with monotypes in the studio.

After the controlled process of reduction linocut, it felt freeing to break out the ink and brushes and plexi plates. I had done a little 4" x 4" monotype a couple years ago of a friend's little boy (with oil based ink) and it just made everyone smile. So in that small format I printed a half dozen experiments using AKUA Intaglio and AKUA Color inks.

I like how the ink doesn't dry on your palette from day to day. Like magic, it dries when applied to the correct paper, in my case, Arches 88. But seeing the images here, the colors just aren't as bright. My techniques are not the same and I applied too much ink to both of the new ones, but I am learning.

STOP BY ANOTHER GALLERY

If you would like to see these 7 new prints up close and personal, stop by Another Gallery tomorrow (Saturday) from 10 to 5. I will be happy to explain the process further if you are interested. The address in Phoenix is 3806 N. Third Street. There is plenty of parking and refreshments will be served!