Warped woodblock

I should have photographed the block in it's most warped state. 

It would rock on a table as a shallow bowl.

It never was the best piece of wood,

I was only testing out sharpness of my knives,

and I just got carried away.

A couple weeks ago I started my attempt to flatten the block.

It's cherry, about an inch thick. 

Yes, I'll take a photo of the block so you can see.

I should do that.

I put it in a plastic bag, put a towel over it, 

sprayed it with water and sealed the bag, 

and put two thick copper sheets,
 one really heavy big solid rubber block,

and about a 40+ pound anvil on top.

And, crossed my fingers.

Yesterday I upwrapped it.

It was flat enough to print.

Not fun, but I got 8 beautiful prints!

I got some good first prints on Kitakata paper.

This year I discovered what Torinoko did with my blocks.

Luscious, is the only word I can use to describe what the prints are now.

You can see this and more

 at this years Fall Art Tour...I'm #stop25.

2017 Fall Art Tour

I'm still reorganizing, rearranging and reclaiming my work space

which has to happen first 

before I get around to downloading the photos 

that I'll post here so you can see either where you were and what you saw, 

or what you missed.

I have posted the remaining 18 TICK cards on EBAY...

 Thank-you everyone who stopped by!

It was a good Fall Art Tour.

Beginning a woodblock print

Under the watchful eye of 7 Pound Betty, 

now occupying the position of studio Muse, 

I begin the first official block of the Garden of Eden project.

FALL ART TOUR !

The Cedarburg Art Museum now has a selection of the small whiteline prints.

 
This year, I'm Artist # 21 on the FALL ART TOUR.

Since 27 of my works are in the 
Cedarburg Art Museum 
until November 8th when the show closes,
I printed little bits of the more detailed blocks
just for this weekend.

Paddlefish Visitation

FLO came over yesterday,

and will stay through the Fall Art Tour.

Many of you have known about the Paddlefish I carved for the

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant

Documentary "Rhythm of the River"

seeing it on television or in the news.

Well, she's here in my backyard...

after a really active summer 

attending numerous events 

bringing awareness to the Wisconsin Riverway.

 

HERE are links to it's beginning, 

and to some of the events she's attended

since helping Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway.

I'll tell you more later in this blog, if I find the time.

I'm trying to ready for the tour.

In my attempting some order here,

I've discovered that my 7 Pound Betty

does NOT like her routine altered.

Fall Art Tour 2014

This year's Fall Art Tour will find my etching press squared up and working!

It happened in early summer.

I bought it new blankets, new ink and tarlatons.

Since my collagraphy class proposal was accepted at the Peninsula School of Art,

I had to remind myself how to print!

I got out the Art of Etching by E.S. Lumsden, the book I learned from at the Chicago Art Institute,

and read and practiced the printing chapters.

I got some hints and advice from a printer at Takach Paper, and another from McClains.

I went through lots of papers, and finally settled on a couple which worked wonderfully for my plates.

I printed...printed...printed...printed...printed...printed...printed...

and finally, I saw my abilities not only returned, but better than before.

NOW I could teach that collagraphy class, no problem.

I was armed, and ready for any kind of problems students magically present. 

SO....

After completing jobs promised to others,

and surviving the Peninsula School of Art's Guenzel Gallery Print Fair,

I've got a little time before welcoming the curious into my studio, #26,

October 17th through the 19th.   

Linda Kelen Teaching at Peninsula School of Art

I've got so much going on,

I forgot to post about the WhiteLine Woodblock Printmaking Class I'm teaching this summer!

These are WhiteLine Woodblock prints:

The one thing I just love about whiteline prints is that no two can be exactly the same.

I'm going to try to be armed with multiple prints from a few select blocks. 

Print #2 of Mill Creek at Coon Rock Road is about done now. 

Paper is too wet for me to continue, 

so I snapped the photo with my cell phone to show you.

Here's Print #2 of Mill Creek at Coon Rock Road, 

fresh off the block.

(I'll do my homework here, and get more of these prints up for you.

Can't believe I've not posted more of them!)

 This is the third print from this block

and there will be two more, one of which is already sold.

 It's done, but I like to remove prints from their blocks 
first thing in the mornings.

Yes. 
I started a blog about this, 
specifically to post the prints,
but somehow got teetered off into printing, painting, or whatever else it is that demands my attention.
(I'll make a point of loading the site with more up to date work)
I've been posting some in one of my FaceBook albums, which you can visit in the mean time.

Collagraphy at the Peninsula School of Art...and MOWA

I've started a blog, LindaKelen-metalprints

where you can see what some of my collagraphs look like.

I'll be instructing how I do this at the Peninsula School of Art in July.

I follow the safety-first collagraphy system of 

Carol Robertson and Robert Adam's book 

INTAGLIO.

(My largest WhiteLine woodprint is in the MOWA show.)

Letterpress NOTEBOOKS!

I'm assembling the notebooks

inbetween my efforts to ready for the Fall Art Tour

which starts TOMORROW!.

The 3-4 weeks of nasty poison ivy set me WAY back.

BUT! I'm busy getting done what I wanted to get done,

and will be STILL getting things done, and demonstrating HOW 

all this weekend during the Fall Art Tour...

the notebooks, the linoleum block carving, the rocket rings,

the whiteline woodblock printmaking...

and then I discovered how to make those frames out of aluminum flashing,

and a little while ago I figured a great way to make card hangers of simple wire....

it doesn't stop

I can't help it

I art.

Thank-you! Flying Rabbit Press for helping me with the printing,

teaching me about presentation, and assembly, and simply taking care of me

because I tend to jump into projects without considering all the supporting factors.

Thank-you1 Mark of Spring Printing in Spring Green, Wisconsin 

for the stapler instructions

Thank-you! Mary D'Alton & Eric Ferguson of Convivio

for the encouragement to LetterPress.

Aluminum Frames

In trying to make some kind of order of this place for the Fall Art Tour, (I'm Artist # 19)
I uncovered these clay tiles that keep floating about.


I couldn't help myself.
I had to find out if I could make frames for them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oh! Oh! Oh!! Oh,my!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Framed artist proofs for Fall Art Tour

The Fall Art Tour is October 18th, 19th, and 20th.

I'm #19.

On the left:
The Honey Bee is one of a limited number of artist proofs.

On the right:
The Religionator is one of three hand colored drypoint variations.

Below are a couple artist proofs of a bicycle block I cut as an experiment.
\

Fall Art Tour, Spring Green, Wisconsin

This year I seemed to have turned into the General Contractor for my new studio.

It will be down the road a bit, and on the other side of the hill...

that's where you'll all be going for the 2012 Fall Art Tour.

This year's Tour will also probably be the last year in this studio, which is really sad.

It has been my home and safe place for so many years...

but, I have outgrown it.

The etching press might stay for a while,

and maybe I'll use the space for something special.

As more and more of my time seems to be eatten by this new studio,

I have simplified my arting goals to simply trying to complete the second print

off the "I live here" white-line wood block.

(The first print sold in my show at the Anaba Tea Room show last November.)

If all goes right, I'll be able to get it photographed and have prints on hand,

as well as prints of the one in the photo above.

I'm also aiming for half-sized prints of the "40 days and 40 nights" woodprints.

"I live here", artist print #2, in progess.

If all goes right.....

If not, prints WILL be available a little later.
Those who ask will be notified first,
and finally I will have something official to sell through my Etsy site.
This Fall Art Tour, I will be demonstrating how I do this White-Line woodblock printing.
I'll be pulling out a lot of arting that I've had packed away on purpose...
the original "40 days and 40 nights" woodprints will be on display,
and whatever else I can manage to pull out will be out.

Fall Art Tour Fish

I hand colored a print of the plate I was working on during the Fall Art Tour...

4"x6" , printed on Rives BFK

Because I can't leave well enough alone
there are no two plates which are the same....
I think the official term for this is "Edition Variation #2"...
$80.00
yes, there is a #1....

The Religionator in the Garden

...or part of the Garden...
it's a very large Garden....

2.5"x3.5"...printed from scrap aluminum flashing

The Fall Art Tour is October 17-18-19....I am number "24".