Category: Nature

Resident Visual Artists Exhibit 2013

5/15/2013

The Resident Visual Artist Exhibition is on display at the Howard County Center for the Arts through June 23, 2013. This is a great chance to see what all the resident artists have been working on in their studios. Come check it out! Also, please mark your calendars for the closing reception, June 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., with open studios from 7 to 8 p.m.

This woodblock print is one of 5 pieces I have in the show. It is based on a view of the Niagara River, in Niagara Falls, NY. The artwork is printed from one Shina woodblock. It was printed using the reduction method, in which a single block is carved and printed in stages.

Title: Niagara River
Medium: Woodblock Print (Reduction Method)
Paper: Rives BFK, White
Paper Size: 10 x 14"
Image Size: 8 x 12"
Block: Shina
Ink: Akua Intaglio
Edition size: 13

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New Woodblock Print: Alpacas

5/6/2013

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Alpacas for the Ace of Hearts in an Art in Hand animals deck.

I previously posted about the Alpacas in Progress and here is the final print! My goal was to get One Good Print for the Art in Hand deadline. When both my kids were sick the week before, I wasn't sure how it was going to happen. I carved my color blocks at home, over several days, then printed in my studio, on the very day/night that they were due! There must have been some magic in my studio because it all came together, calmly and not in a hurried frenzy. I was even able to go to bed at a decent hour, and for that I am grateful!

I took some photographs of the process:

This is the black and white proof, which I hand-colored with watercolor crayons. I have a set of 40 Caran d'Ache Neocolor crayons, which provide a great range of colors and I can get a sense of what will happen when I layer colors, as well.

The key block is on the far right, and to the left are three of the color blocks. The fourth color block is actually the backside of another block.

Here is the set with the two-sided block flipped over.

Side note: check out my new Ribba picture ledge from Ikea! It is great for getting blocks and frames up off my table tops to clear the surfaces (or make room for more stuff, as you can see here). Next time I go to Ikea, I plan to stock up on these and line my studio walls with them.

So, there it is! I said before that it is for the Queen of Hearts but it is actually for the Ace of Hearts. I'm looking forward to seeing the decks in a few months. In the meantime, my next step will be to print my edition of alpacas--I'm planning for an edition of 35.

Here are the details:

Title: Alpacas
Paper: Rives BFK
Paper Size: 10 1/2 x 13"
Image Size: 8 1/2 x 11"
Block: Shina--5 blocks
Ink: Akua Intaglio
Edition size: 35

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Cherry Blossoms for Spring!

3/30/2013

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A simple, black branch with pink and white cherry blossoms.

Title: Cherry Blossoms
Paper: Magnani Pescia
Paper Size: 6 x 8"
Image Size: 4 x 6"
Block: Shina--2 blocks
Ink: Akua Intaglio
Edition size: Open Edition (unnumbered)

I sketched, carved, and inked the blocks by hand, and printed on white paper with an etching press. The artwork is signed and dated.

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Form and Fabric of Our Lives IV: Artistic Gifts of the Season Exhibition, Willow and Garden Galleries at Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis, MD.

11/16/2012

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Fairy Woods in Winter, Woodblock Print (5 blocks), 2012

Form and Fabric of Our Lives IV: Artistic Gifts of the Season Exhibition, Willow and Garden Galleries at Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis, MD. November 14, 2012—January 6, 2013.

I'm thrilled to have many pieces (woodblock prints and handmade paper) included in this exhibition, currently on view at Quiet Waters Park. The opening reception is Sunday, November 18, 2012. 2-4pm, and it is free to the public to those who notify gate attendant.

Click HERE for a preview of the show.

Click HERE for directions and info on the park or HERE for The Friends of Quiet Waters Park. It is a beautiful place, with lovely trails, a playground, and even ice skating!

Hope to see you there!

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Woodblock Print: Fairy Woods in Winter (version 2)

3/8/2012

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This print is based on a photograph taken in central Illinois by my Gran. Several years ago she sent it to me, with a title written on the back "Faerie Woods in Winter." She did not like the cold, but would always comment on how sparkling and beautiful the snow looked on a sunny day. I like to think that she would like my interpretation.

Title: Fairy Woods in Winter (Version 2)
Paper: Rives BFK White
Paper Size: 12" x 16"
Image Size: 10" x 14"
Block: Shina--5 blocks
Ink: Akua Intaglio
Edition size: 45

Below are photos of the blocks, in the order that they were printed. Though it was printed last, I actually carved the black, tree block first. Then, I printed it on Yupo (a recyclable, synthetic, non-obsorbent paper) and transferred it to the other blocks. That is why you can see the trees prints on some of the color blocks.

Pale yellow sun-- a mixture of yellow and titanium white

Pale, transparent blue--a mixture of titanium white, pthalo blue, ultramarine blue, payne's gray, and transparency base.

A darker version of the blue above. Same colors in the mixture, minus titanium white.

Carbozole violet with a small amount of transpancy base.

Carbon black.

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Woodblock Print: Birds and Branches

2/10/2012

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Two birds, on tree branches, silhouetted against the pale blue sky.

Title: Birds and Branches
Paper: Magnani Pescia, Pale Blue
Paper Size: 6 x 8"
Image Size: 4 x 6"
Block: Shina--1 block
Ink: Akua Intaglio
Edition size: Open Edition (unnumbered)

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Amanda

I'm a woodblock printmaker who is committed to a non-toxic (or less toxic) art practice. I started out as a painter but found my way to printmaking through a love of paper and process. I seem to be falling for papermaking in the same way. I went to Syracuse University, where I studied painting (BFA) and museum studies (MA). I am a Resident Artist at the Howard County Center for the Arts. My husband Christian and I live in Baltimore with our two beautiful children. This blog is for posting works-in-progress and new works, as well as a few creative projects I've done with my kids.

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Resident Visual Artists Exhibit 2013

New Woodblock Print: Alpacas

Cherry Blossoms for Spring!

Form and Fabric of Our Lives IV: Artistic Gifts of the Season Exhibition, Willow and Garden Galleries at Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis, MD.

Woodblock Print: Fairy Woods in Winter (version 2)

Woodblock Print: Birds and Branches

Amanda

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