A Non-Toxic Weekend

Wow what a great full on weekend. Just spent a long weekend in a beautiful corner of our country, KeriKeri Bay of Islands at Mark Graver’s Non-Toxic Printmaking Studio set in the amazing gardens of Wharepuke. We had a hands on 2 day Acrylic Resist Etching - non toxic intaglio work shop.

Non Toxic Intaglio
Acrylic Resist Etched Aluminium Plait

Water Based ink

Non Toxic Intaglio
Acrylic Resist Etched Aluminium Plait

Water Based ink



Non Toxic Intaglio
Acrylic Resist Etched Aluminium Plait

Water Based ink

First Cuts of November

Got asked to do a bit of a printmaking demo to a small group so did a lino cut and printed a monotype background with block lino cut relief over the top in water base inks on printmaker’s paper

Monotype and Block lino cut relief

water base inks 220g paper
Nov 2010

Sap Rising

Still work in the garden weeds are growing well, seeds are poking there heads up in the trays all is well.

Small Flowers Oct 2010-#4

Soft pastel on blue Mi-Teintes wrong side (10”x8”)

Oct 2010

More Dusting

Yep I have made my mind up I would rather painting than digging but I have told myself that it has to be done and I an a hard taskmaster on myself haha.

Small Flowers Oct 2010-#3
Soft Pastels on light blue grey Fabriano pastel paper (8"x 10")
Oct 2010

Got to love pastels

Still working hard digging the veggie patch, it so nice to take an hours brake and play with my soft pastels

Small Flowers Oct 2010-#2

Soft Pastels on light blue grey Fabriano pastel paper (8"x 10")

Oct 2010

Spring Dusting

Ok we have had a couple of nice spring days back to back and I have been working in the garden to get it ready for trying to grow stuff haha. But wile doing that I felt that I needed to do some painting but setting up all takes time and is boring so I decided to play with my soft pastels as there is a lot less setup and clean up involved with them which give me more time to paint or to dig in the garden.

Small Flowers Oct 2010-#1
Soft Pastels on light blue grey Fabriano pastel paper (10"x 8")
Oct 2010

Inked up

This year is just racing along and it is still raining but least the ground is not shaking up here. Made the most of a day to myself, got out the oil based inks and played all day printing paper and shellac collage plaits.

monotye relief Collagraph

paper and shellac collage plait

oil based ink on 250gm paper

monotye relief Collagraph

paper and shellac collage plait
oil based ink on 250gm paper

And on a different Note

Today I thought I would try my hade at making some small hard covered note book. Had a great deal of fun and it has opened up a hole lot of new ideas that I can’t wait to try.

Small hard covered note books X4

Handmade

Give us our daily bread

Well I have been working hard but I feel that I have not made much progress. It seems to have been a long cold wet winter but they say the end is in sight and spring is around the corner, that will be nice. So its time to think ahead and make some plain and set some goals

I took the time to try my hand at making bread this is the first loaf of bread I have every made hahaha I made it by hand still need to practise the kneading techniques but boy it shore smelt good when baking and even better when eaten

Play Time at Art Group

Well its May allready this year must have its Roller-Skates on it will be October befor you know it.

At art group I played around with making some monoprints so the other could see how i make my monoprints

MonoPrint W/B ink

May 2010

MonoPrint W/B ink

May 2010

MonoPrint W/B ink

May 2010

MonoPrint W/B ink

May 2010

First off the new Press

Well I did not get my wish for a larger studio but I did get a larger printmaking press the rollers are 52 cm wide so I can play with making much larger prints its so much fun.

MonoPrint ( W/B inks on A3)

April 2010

Open Studio Printmaking Workshop

This weekend was a long Easter weekend four day off so I had an open studio printmaking workshop. It was great fun and a lot hard work and the place was a buzz with creative energy. Boy was I tired on Monday evening. Think I need to find a larger studio it, will come.

MonoPrint

April 2010

MonoPrint

April 2010

MonoPrint

April 2010

Time in the workshop

Been a bit lapsed with my blog this month life just seams to get in the way, but I did find time to get into my workshop and make a gold and aquamarine ring for a friend in time for there special day.

Gold and Aquamarine ring

March 2010

Time to clean

I spent this weekend cleaning up my workshop and my studio what a big job haha, but i did take some time out to play and do some printmaking. This is one of the prints.

"untitled"

oil based ink

March 2010

Trial plexi plait prints

I did get around to play aprint up some of the plexi plaits I make but did not get round to blog the results, so here they are i quite like them.

A 2 day printmaking workshop weekend

Have just spent the last two day in a weekend printmaking workshop with Bev Turloff, a very talented printmaker and artist. It was Bev’s first workshop in her new studio. It was a full on workshop, lot of thing to think about, a great group of people and the view out side the studio window was to die for.

monotype/monoprint

Feb 2010

monoprint

Feb 2010

monotype/monoprint

Feb 2010

Third Tuesday of the month

Yay it’s the third Tuesday of the month, its art group Tuesday. A group of like minded people travel to one of the group’s studio and talk, work and share ideas have a really great shared lunch and have a good time. To day the owner of the studio Alison gave a demo of felting making lovely bright coloured hats them got us all to have go.

It was so much fun and well worth the two hours travel each way so now I’m counting the Tuesdays till the next art group day

Felt painting

(14" x 17")

Feb 2010

Alison giving demo helping out doing it for ourselfs

And again

Ok i found the time again today to do another soft pastel painting, so I was thinking if Im going to try do these all month I might as well try some new paper and some different coloured papers to get the most out of the practise.
"Mist on water #1"

Soft Pastels on burgundy Fabriano pastel paper (8"x 10")

Feb 2010

another pastel for feb

Ok I made time to do another soft pastel painting today

seascape feb2010-#1

Soft Pastels on light blue grey Fabriano pastel paper (10"x 8")

Feb 2010

Dusting off the pastels

Well its a new month and as i have not use my soft pastels this year (haha) I thought I would Dust them off and give them ago. They say that repetition is habit forming so Im going to try and use them as much as possible this month, well the practice will be good for me anyway.

" I Wonder"

soft pastels on a Peach Mi-Teintes wrong side ( 8”x10”)

Feb 2010

Marks and Mediums

Just made some plexi plates to test out what I will get using different acrylic mediums and tool

I have used different mediums by there self and combined with each other plus been try different tools to apply it and work into it to see what marks I will get when it come to making a print of the of them.

Now I have to wait for them to dry properly and then find the time to make the print this is so exciting.

Full proof

The finished small set of alphabet lonocut tobe used as elements in some monoprints im going to do next

A B C

Just finished cutting a small set of alphabet lonocut tobe used as elements in some monoprints im going to do next

Small Texture plexiplate

This is a detail of a small of a plexi plate with texture made with acrylic mediums oil base ink on 220g paper

Creaping Ink

Had a play with dry point printmaking

Dry point oil base ink

220g printmaker paper

New Year 2010

Happy New Year all. Had a late night with wife, family and friends. Had a slow start this morning went into my studio did not now what to do there was not a clear work space as the unwanted bits and bobs from before Christmas found there way into my studio. It took me around 6 hour to find it and boy it look good I can get to all my work areas and have plenty of room to spread out.

Went back out and played in my nice clean and tidy studio after tea and made this monoprint “2010”

MonoPrint

"2010"

W/B Printer ink

Print Size: 8 1/2" x 6 1/2"

Jan 2010