Readying for new whiteline woodblock prints!

OK..pictures will be following...
I'm cutting wood for a wedding invitation and some extras to be printed with letter press...
and in the sharpening of the knives, the setting up of my cutting table,
I'm leaning strongly towards some new whiteline prints..
the process I will be documenting.

I've also sold prints of the Small Dog of Power

two, actually...that I STILL have to print,
so you will be seeing how that goes.
The wood block for that print has been spoken for.
I'm hoping to get two, maybe three prints yet off that block before I seal it.
I'll show you pictures and tell you all about what I"m up to as I go...
more later..................Linda

Concrete floor staining update

The Bathroom floor is done...
except for a little touch up I'm going to do on the vertical surfaces left behind by the cuts...
I never thought about them until now....so I learned something.
Yep, a little touch up is in order...
THEN it gets sealed, waxed, and photographed with a REAL camera...not this cell phone.
Sooner than later I'll post ALL the floors I've stained so far!
...and yes, I will be available for concrete floor projects...

Sketchbook

It's been a long time since I've had the mind space to think about putting some colors in my sketchbook
which has been used more as a receptical for words carrying all the unnecessary non-art related stuff tripping up my mind...it's all got to go...it's in my way.
 This is not the best I've seen slipping out of my hands...not even reasonable,
but, the fact that it's shown up is a good sign.
Yes, the Rooster is still with me.

Dog who recently discovered Chicken Terrorizing is great sport.

Feathers are the Chickens Defense system against attack...giving the attacker mouth after mouth of feathers, which when spit out for better biting, allow the bird to escape and run like hell. The wind, coming out of the south, which you see here, has blown the feathers into the woods behind me. No longer does it look like a pillow fight might have occured. The Rooster is fine.

the Silver Fish

The Silver Fish, and a few others of my fish related artings

are at the CrossRoads CoffeeHouse for the May 4th Trout Days Celebration in Cross Plains, Wisconsin...

with a grand Beer Parade celebrating Essers 150th anniversary.

From their lower lip to the tips of their tails, they are 7/8" long.
Chased and repoussed, stamped as sterling silver, and signed by me.
There are only 5 left of the edition of 7 sets I made.
I will make more if needed.

FishSpoon in Woman Made Gallery Silent Auction

This is the spoon and holder that is in the Woman Made Gallery 21st Anniversary Gala Silent Auction. 

 The spoon is 5.25" long, 

the spoon bowl is 1 5/8th" wide at the widest part, 

 about 2" long, and holds nearly a perfect tablespoon of water. 

 The holder will take up 2.75" high and about 5.75" wide of wall space...

and the spoon "shelf" is about 2 deep".

The Art for their Silent Auction can be seen here.

I have also donated one of the reduced size "Strong, Brave, and Handsome" woodblock print sets.

Fish Spoon #2 at Artisan Gallery...Paoli Gallery, Paoli, Wisconsin

THIS is Fish Spoon & Holder #2.
I've given it to the Habitat ReStore Salvage Art Show.
It can be seen at the Artisan Gallery, located at 6858 Paoli Road in Paoli.
The Artists' reception for Artisan Gallery will be held April 19th from 5 to 9 PM;
I expect to be there.
This is NOT an auction.
You should visit the gallery...so can hold the Fish Spoon in your hot little hands!
It's cold forged, chased/repoussed white bronze,
in a very fine holder made of aluminum flashing and wire.
There are felt wall bumpers on the back.
Both the spoon and holder are signed, dated and numbered.
Yes...it is for sale.

 the spoon is 5.25" long, the spoon bowl is 1 5/8th" wide at the widest part, about 2" long, and holds nearly a perfect tablespoon of water. The holder will take up 2.75" high and about 5.75" wide of wall space...and the spoon "shelf" is about 2". I forgot to measure it so I'm taking the measurements off the other one.

Fish Ring!

 (Don't worry...the WhiteLine Woodblock printmaking workshop information is two posts down)

Under the ceiling light here, 
this doesn't look like the sterling silver it is, 
but it's my first, chased/repoussed sterling silver fish ring. 

Yeh, more fish. 

I've got this thing in my head to get as much done as I can for Cross Plains, Wisconsin's  Trout Days....

it's just a nice target for me. 

I'll have better photos....but not now.....NOW I'm just excited about finding out it's fun to wear!

Some Spoons

(Don't worry...the WhiteLine Woodblock printmaking workshop information is next post down)








I was in a mood
to complete some of my spoons!

 

So, today, April 8th....

after spending the last two days making possibilities

for a holder for this spoon,

I finally got something I was happy with...

so I think it might be the Calling Card I leave

with those who like this avenue of activity.

WhiteLine Woodblock Printmaking Workshop

The Peninsula School of Art's Summer Catalog is officially on line
which includes my WhiteLine Woodblock Printmaking workshop
in which I will be instructing the curious in how I make my prints.
Here's a link directly to information about my class: http://www.peninsulaschoolofart.com/PD1321.php

As SOON as I complete and seal the concrete floor staining in the studio,

I'll be back at cutting new blocks for a few shows, and this class....

and will be posting more updates.

In the mean time go HERE, HERE,  HERE, and HERE to see a few past posts. 

My first experience with the school was through a  

chasing/repousse class up there from Victoria Landsford.

Now, I'm thrilled to be able to say I'm part of this years faculty!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

more later..........................Linda

Bathroom concrete floor staining...in doorway

I had to come up with a way to end the staining in the bathroom
since I got way carried away...
which is what happens to me when I don't have a plan.

 I couldn't bring myself to end it with a straight line as a closed door would command....

so, I'm still at it...water inside.....rocks on the outside...

besides I'll figure out something that the rocks can turn into

once I get in the mood for working on the floor

THIS side of the door.

why doesn't concrete doesn't absorb color at cuts

I believe I got a good answer to this problem....

and also believe I might have a solution for it

if I were to run into it again....

the jury is still out...and I"m still open for other possibilities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I need to know why the concrete is not absorbing the color at the cuts.

All  floors were first cleaned and washed before being carefully washed with CHO,

I used a scrub brush, neutralized with BakingSoda...

nothing dried, and then rinsed twice with clean water...all wet was vaccuumed up.

My cleaning methods are the same for each floor.

I've one that had NO problems at all.

The Bathroom floor had only slight issues.

I have been working from the west end of the building to the east end,

and am watching the concrete resistance to the colors at the cuts increasing.

The concrete resists as though oil was involved.

I was not present when they cut the floors..

so I don't know what was necessary to keep the blades going.

I have never added any water resistant product to the floors.

The cut lines above with the bee hive were not bad....

but the mechanical room at the east end of the house as seen below

shows this problem the most.

It was not given the respect of the other rooms,

so solder, flux and other drips and drops have been spilled...

I don't care about that...

I DO care about WHY this is happening around these cuts. 

It LOOKS like the cuts were wet...but they were not.

With the heat IN the floor, warm concrete doesn't tend to stay wet.

I've purposely WET sections of another floor to get a delicate wash,

and was able to work other colors into it.

The areas around these cuts will not accept color anywhere near as readily as the rest of the floor....

and that's what I want to understand.

I really need to find out what's going on...

so I've posted these pics here with the hope of making it easy for those really experienced in this floor staining can tell me what I'm trying to deal with here.

I'm using Butterfield Color's Elements waterbased stains....

on concrete that is just waiting for me.

Thanks for looking.

Concrete floor staining nearing completion

Sidetracked by life complexities, I'm now back to completing the bathroom concrete floor staining. 

I wondered what the flexibilities were of making changes, additions....

and not being able to leave well enough alone...I tried it.....I could always cover up problems with a rug.

HA! I'm not going to need a rug!!

$30.00 paintings

i was told my two paintings got "snapped up"  yesterday at the SGAAC fund raiser.

I did not go due to icy weather.

I heard it was a packed, lively and wild event....

sorry I missed it.

I will post about this again next year,

when you will once again

have the opportunity

to get one of the $30 paintings.

You can also follow them on FaceBook.

Oil Paintings of Korback Road

I was not going to be happy with my selected Fall Art Tour images being only
chasing/repousse and wood prints.
I wanted more and I wanted new...really new....
so, I set up an easle,
which I've not had room to do in too long,
and proceeded to paint what was out the window.

Korback Road....8" x 8" oil painting on canvas

 8" x 8", oil on canvas, will be part of the SGAAC's Art Out of the Closet event...details are HERE.

......and then I painted another....

Seven Sunflowers in January...8" x 8" oil painting on canvas

Spring Green Charter School, Queen Elizabeth I

These portraits of Queen Elizabeth the First
by MY Charter School Class
came about
because one of my students was interested in history,
and another got to talking about what sugar does.
I had just read the following passage about the Queen.
I brought the book to class on our last day
and had them draw what they "saw" when I read the following passage to them:

It has been common knowledge for thousands of years

that sweet foods encourage tooth decay.

In the Greek book of PROBLEMS attributed to Aristotle, the question is asked,

"Why do figs, which are soft and sweet, destroy the teeth?"

Nearly 2,000 years later,

as Sugar Cane was being established in the West Indies,

a German visitor to the English court

named Paul Hentzner described Queen Elizabeth I as she appeared in 1598:

Next came the queen, in the Sixty-fifth Year of her age, as we were told, Very majestic,

 her Face oblong, fair, but wrinkled;

her Eyes small, yet black and pleasant;

her Nose a little hooked;

her Lips narrow,

and her Teeth BLACK;

(a defect the English seem subject to, from their TOO great use of Sugar).

The rest of their arting can be seen in the very next post.

Spring Green Charter School

I was fortunate to teach one of the art classes for 9 of the Spring Green Charter School 3rd-4th graders.

Our  focus began with pinecones which grew into heads of what they felt like that first day, to portraits of Queen Elizabeth the 1st, (which I'll post when I get photos of them) ending with 5 page books.

Here they are! A.C., A.D., N.Z., O.I., B.L., E.A., L.H., C.Y., & R.O..... My class!

  

Woodblock print set that tell story

This is a set of prints that tell a story.


A TRUE STORY! My dog Booger went missing for 40 days and 40 nights. These prints are all true, supposed events, worries and happenings, except those that are very real, that I was consumed with while he was gone...and were so vivid in my head after he returned that I had to cut them into woodblocks.
(Also, I couldn't pass up the religious ticklings of the 40 days and 40 nights....really, it was 40 days and 40 nights.)

I'm very proud of these.

These are easily frameable fine art prints, which are as interesting to grown-ups as they are to kids.

They have been purchased by schools, libraries, pediatricians, home schoolers...for framing and to be laminated so kids can color them in and tell their own stories.

I believe picture books should be just that, with minimal words. My minimal words are include here as guidance.

Each print is packed with story telling material....
as I tend to entertain myself with visuals while I cut the wood...so there is way more than is really necessary in each print.

These prints are smaller than the originals, and are perfectly sized to pop into frames.  I do have the original full sized prints...which I'll get posted once I fine time to photograph them.
These are the remaining sets....which I sell through my Etsy shop, or in person should I run into you.

PINECONE Fish

It's not just Sardines and RedHerrings I play with,

but also.....

PINECONE Fish!

I've come across a box of fish I never finished,

so, as I DO finish then, I'll be posting them here and adding them to my Etsy Shop.

Pinecone Owl #3

Pinecone Owl #3 is now present in my Etsy shop.

Pinecone Owl #3

This and the rest of my pinecones are made with

real Wisconsin pinecones!

LindaKelenArtings now on ETSY!

I am officially beginning to arm my Etsy Shop.
I will attempt to add one new thing every other day.....or so.
Due to the holidays I thought I would begin with some of my pinecones.

Pinecone Owl #1

Pinecone Owl #2

I've made fish, all sorts of farm animals, other kinds of birds.

The oldest are 31 years old, never put away...

but are collected from their household positions to reside, temporarily, near, on, or above the holiday festivities.

I wish I numbered them all.

I would love to know how many I've made to date.