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.
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Fall Art Tour . . . 2013

Fall Art Tour!
October 18, 19, 20...2013 and coming up fast.
I'm #19!

Right now, today, this drawing table is the scene of linoleum block proof printing,
the making of frames for some of these prints,
the drawing up of my Grant winning Rocket Ring project,
and my favorite place for whiteline woodblock printing.

I cut blocks for letterpressed Wedding Invitations and all the collateral pieces
which peaked my interest in this printing process,
so I kept cutting, which will result in some small notebooks, and cards....
just to see what they would look like.
You'll see them too,
and the wedding invitation set...
and their similarity to White Line woodblock printmaking...
and how it all fits together for me.



The nine Red Herrings will all be present in force
and are ready for new homes,
along with some arting I rarely get out, but know it's time to move on, so I'll grit my teeth and release them.

I'm still determined to get the entire studio concrete floor stained, but for the moment I'm preoccupied with other curiosities.

Printmaking Show at Plymouth Arts Center

I am one of 24 printmakers in the:

Plymouth Arts Center
Total Print Show,
October 4-November 29th, 2013
Plymouth, Wisconsin.
 
This looks to be a strong show
with FOUR of my prints:
My whiteline prints "I live here", and "Mill Creek",
along with...
"the Religionator" and "Some Mice are not Meek"...these two I'll find and post for you...
will be up THERE for the Fall Art Tour.

I might be able to have a second print of the latest one completed by that weekend.

Learning Letterpress

SO, I've been cutting on linoleum blocks lately.
After Cherry wood, it feels like I'm cutting into old chewing gum.
I made a couple prints last night just to see if what I've been cutting will actually print.
The FRAMED Trout is now at CrossRoads CoffeeHouse
and the notebooks and cards will be done by Fall Art Tour time. 
The Bicycle one is a tester, just to see if I could.
A larger block of MORE bicycles which I tried to get done for the DairylandDare
has three other blocks cut for color.
I made a few prints with my woodblock ink.
I like printing wood better, but it will be interesting to see how these print on a letterpress.
Stay tuned.
More later.

Vote for Project 5 for Crafthaus Grant!

HI! 

I and 7 others have applied for this grant.

The voting is public,

but would only want you to vote for what you think is most worthy.

So, take a look.

There is a wide range.

I'm one of the more selfish applicants,

but, definitely think my RocketRings very worthy,

although my writing is probably the most ungrant-like of the bunch.

Thanks...

Linda

(THIS is a link that goes directly to my RocketRings, Project #5)

 

The 2013 crafthaus Project Grant is now open for your vote!

7 diverse projects are in the running. Support your favorite project by voting for it. Everybody has 1 (one) vote.

If your project wins it will get fully funded and the crafthaus member will reciprocate by blogging about the experience on crafthaus for you to follow along.

CLICK HERE for this year's lineup.

Voting is PUBLIC - no membership required - and possible from September 3-18, 2013 (6PM EST)

OK, in answer to a few questions,since a few people couldn't find mine,

 HERE is a link that will go directly to my Project #5, the RocketRings

Whiteline prints after teaching a class of whiteline printmaking

There was something about teaching that whiteline class

that got me working a little differently on my own blocks...

it's good.

 I like to leave the completed print on the block until the next morning,
when I wake up, with a coffee...and take a new look at it.
It's always a nice surprize to see it there....needing nothing more from me.
And then when it's flattened....
OH, my...it's  like some magical transition into something else...
it really stands on it's own...
and this one's really nice.
12.5" x 14" wide...Mill Creek at Coon Rock Road.....where the LongHorns Weren't



8.5" wide x 6' tall ................................A LongHorn

7" wide x 9.5 " tall...........KnotRat

the Peninsula School WhiteLine Woodblock Printmaking Workshop

I got so involved in this Peninsula School of Art workshop...

we really got moving, covering a lot of ground...

I  never thought about documenting the step by step

so I could later say, "here, look...this is what we did."

Well, I got some to show a little bit...

mostly, I was amazed at what we accomplished...

and what all I learned from them...

which was the real surprize.

Here they are" Joan, Anne, Sue, Anne,Donna & Donna.

Peninsula classrooms are simply great.

 

Joan had done more linoleum cutting than wood, so the pine I brought was like cutting through butter.

I wish I had the presence of mind to photograph of ALL the final prints everyone did.
Once they were all flattened, they took on a real presence....
yeh, wish I could have slowed me down...
get me arting, and I fire up, tending to forget some of the non-arting things that I should be doing.

Donna did a great duck besides this landscape:

Sue and Anne cut the same scene into earlier blocks...which of course I didn't take snaps of....

j

 

Donna was fearless.

I wish I got a picture of Anne's last block,
on the large pine I brought....
complex....we ran out of time,
so she would be completing it on her own.
It's going to be a wonderful piece.
Anne has official Japanese woodblock printmaking under her belt, so it was interesting to see how she took to this process.
(I was envious of her working orderlines)



OH...and on the last day, Joan saw to it that we got to have a Cherry Pie.....geez.......

Yes...me.  
This was great.  
I want to do it again.  

Thanks, Anne, Anne, Donna, Donna, Joan, and Susan...you were a great class.
You really got a lot done...I think you learned a lot.
You caught on well,  you kept your knives sharp....your prints were wonderful.
 I hope you print those blocks again...and keep going.  
Cut and print another....you felt that thrill that grows as the print develops...............
it gets better.  
Keep me posted!

Calling card for me as WhiteLine Woodblock Printmaker

Leaving in a couple days to head up the whiteline woodblock printmaking workshop, and I realized this afternoon that I had no calling cards!

  Got cards now!

5 days before the Peninsula School of Art WhiteLine Printmaking workshop

I am trying to do one white line wood print a day

to find, or cause myself as many problems as I can

in order to be as prepared as possible for the Peninsula School of Art Workshop I'm heading up in a few days.

The French Horn and the Trumpet are carved into crummy plywood...think it's called underlayment.

The Guitar is in pine....

newer pine than the 100 year old pine I used for the Small Dog.

I decided to see how fast I could go...

so it was begun and completed between when the coffee kicked in and sometime in the mid afternoon.

Not bad....

not quite what I'm used to seeing...but ok. 

What I thought interesting...was how good the color was off the pine.

Tomorrow I'm going to make one of the pine I just got for class...

it's only fair and right for me to know what I'm getting them into.

Funny...except for the "small dog"....

I don't think I've carved much pine. . . cherry, mahagony, shina plywood...I think that's about it.

For the Guitar.....I decided to see how fast I could go...

(remember, I'm trying to do one-a-day)

so it was begun and completed between when the coffee kicked in and sometime in the mid afternoon.

Not bad....not quite what I'm used to seeing...but it's ok. 

This came from a scribble I made when at Bill Bryant's Open Mike at CrossRoads CoffeeHouse in CrossPlains, Wisconsin

What I thought interesting...was how good the color was off the pine.

Tomorrow I'm going to make one of the pine I just got for class...

it's only fair and right for me to know what I'm getting them into.

Funny...except for the "small dog"....

I don't think I've carved much pine. . . cherry, mahagony, shina plywood...and sugar pine...

yes, sugar pine...really nice.

...I think that's about it.

OK...more later.

Whiteline woodblock prints started

I finally shifted mental gears and have begun doing the whiteline prints...

making notes and snapping pictures to prepare for the 

Peninsula School of Art Whiteline Woodblock Printmaking Workshop I'm heading up July 1, 2 & 3.

I snapped this last night with my cell phone.

I will post some step by step photos when I get them off the real camera.

I woke up early to see what I did last night.

Always, always, always......

the next day, or after some time passes, it becomes a surprize for me.

I love the surprize.

Sometimes it needs a little extra help...

sometimes it's standing strong on it's own.

This one doesn't need me anymore.  

It's pretty nice.

I have to do another.

The Career of a Linda Kelen Paddlefish

 The PaddleFish I carved for the National Endowment for the Humanities Grant documentary,
Rhythm of the River is....much to my delighted surprize, still very much alive and well!
It really is great to know that SO many smiles come from it's existence.
This really makes me smile.

So, check out what Flo's been up to now.

(yes, the Paddlefish has been named Flo, and works with 

Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway )

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.