The Tree

October 30, 2005
Aluminum Monotype
7"x5"

At first I was not happy with this print and the drawing almost never made it onto a plate. But there is something about the variety of marks that is starting to speak to me.

The lone tree is broken up into several different groups of leaves and branches but still reads as a single form. And the agitated sky reminds me of the cool fall we had this year.

Grass, brush and hill all move silently around the tree as if to embrace and support the tall form all alone in this field.

The Tree (Ghost)

October 30, 2005
Aluminum Monotype
7"x5"

This ghost was manipulated with additional ink and some pushing and shoving of the ink on the plate. I am not as happy with this one as the original. It seems a little weak and tense.

Test Plate II

October 30, 2005
Aluminum Monotype
7"x5'

I taught The Intro to the SPA Press in Barre yesterday and used this plate as my first example of what you can do with a monotype. You can clearly see how I have pulled, rubbed, smudged and drew on the plate with a variety of tools

The little landscape at the bottom is a nice addition and I think I will stick to this pattern for future classes.

After I pulled this print and a ghost I sent my students off and everyone pulled 3-6 prints. The monotype proved easy for students to grasp and was not very difficult to master running through the press. And everyone had a great time.

Self-Portrait

October 30, 2005
Aluminum Monotype
7"x5"

I very little time left yesterday in Barre
So I took my inked plate,
And a dozen Q-tips into the bathroom.
In less than five minutes
I had this strange little self-portrait

At first I hated it,
But after a little while
It started to grow on me.

There is something solid about it,
And just a little monumental.

Moonlight I

August 17, 2005

Aluminum Monotype on Paper
7"x5"

This little print was pulled at the beginning of the semester and I wanted to post it on my blog. It is very successful and was taken from one of my first nighttime sketching expeditions. The print is starting to really speak to me.

The cloud cover this October was so thick that there was no point in trying to sketch the full moon. I was thinking about it and getting a bit depressed. So I thought it would be nice to share it here.

Little Machias Cove

October 19, 2005

Aluminum Monotype on Paper

5"x7"

This little Monotype came out very well and was taken from a drawing done in Maine this past summer.

The sky is a little uneven across the top but the islands are starting to have a conversation of sorts. There is a relationship between the land masses and I enjoy the movement of the water. I did pull a ghost from this plate but the paper shifted when I pulled it off the press and smudged the image.

Bailey Brook

October 19, 2005

Copperplate Etching
4"x6"

This little landscape etching has so many problems I can't possible count them all.

First of all I spent almost three hours scratching the drawing on the ground and then ruined the surface before I could etch the plate. So, I had to clean the plate, re-ground it, and then spend a few hours scratching the drawing on for the second time. There are several drypoint marks visible throughout and in the upper right hand corner there is some little marks that must have been on the ground from me handling the plate roughly.

The lines etched very evenly and there is not enough contrast to make the line drawing interesting. I think I am going to work into the plate a second time by burnishing some light areas back into the drawing and then try a second round in the acid bath.

On top of all that the plate could have been wiped better but this proof is just a tool to make the next state better.

Self Portrait Set II

October 19, 2005

Copperplate Etching
3.75"x1.75"

This is the second state for this self portrait and I am pleased with the way this plate etched and is printing.

In the first state I had placed some text in the space at the bottom and did not like the way it looked. It was kinda shoddy as it is difficult to do. You have to write backwards to make it come out correct and in the end it just looked crappy.

So I decided to etch a little cross-hatching texture on the bottom and experiment with time in the acid bath. I scratched three rectangles into the bottom of the plate one at a time and bathed them in the etchant solution for about five minutes each. The smallest rectangle was in the solution the the longest and can be clearly seen on the left. In the end I will probably trim the bottom of the plate off and run some final proofs.

Self Portrait Set III

October 19, 2005

Copperplate Etching
3.75"x1.75" (each)

I had been thinking about printing this plate in different colors from the start.

When I have the plate at a final state I will try to pull some really clean proofs and possibly mat them together as a set.

If I am really ambitious I may try to print them on one sheet of paper but getting them to register in a straight line may prove to be difficult. As a final note the red and green ink were really hard to wipe as the ink was hard to see on the copper plate. The green print could be a lot better.

Next to a Dumpster

October 12, 2005
Permanent Marker and Whiteout
5"x6.25"








An early morning stop
on the way to work.

I saw these clouds
And looked at this stretch of river,
Right next to an ugly pulloff
In a brand new way.

Muted morning light,
Bathes everything in an Inness like mystery.

Clouds were long and dark
With a bright light coming from behind.

The land is bathed in the dark, cool tones of autumn.

Self Portrait Set

October 9, 2005
Copperplate
Etching Proofs
Set of Three
3.75"x1.75"

These three little prints represent the first intaglio etchings that I have attempted since the 1980's.

Soft ground was used as a resist on the copper and Ferric Chloride was used to bite the plate.

I pulled five prints from this plate, but with prints four and five I had some problems with my press and they were ruined. The middle print was over-worked and is light when compared to the other two.

It is interesting to note that when I was writing the text on the plate I was unhappy and removed the wax. After I re-ground the lower section of the plate I scratched the words again and bit the entire plate with acid. The original scratches left a drypoint burr on the plate that can be seen clearly on the top left. But the velvety marks left by the original text faded quickly as I continued to run the plate through the press.

Hamilton Cove III

October 8, 2005
Hamilton Cove III
Aluminum Monotype on Paper
5"x7"

This print is from a sketch done this past summer while on vacation in northern Maine.

The rocks, water and sky all work very well but I am unhappy with the placement of the main group of trees. There is not enough variation in this grouping and they seem static to me.

Hamilton Cove III (ghost)

October 8, 2005
Aluminum Monotype on Paper
5"x7"

I worked into the ghost of the last print and reprinted the plate with some success. I am please with the water, but the rocks and sky could be better.

Six Trees on Clay Hill

October 4, 2005
Permanent Marker
4.25"x4.75"

Once again it was an amazingly warm fall day in Plainfield. The sun was hot and the freshly brush-hogged field is beautiful. The trees seem to dance or almost march up and over this hill.

A clear sky with playful pink clouds on a hazy blue sky. The distant hill is dark with a band of yellow-orange trees behind the dark pines. The trees are dark with a halo of bright green around their edges from the noon sun.

The crickets still chirp in this field, will this be the last time I hear their Song?

The High Field

October 3, 2005
Permanent Marker

There is this yellow patch of field on a hill covered with dense trees. The hills are layered values of green behind a stand of dark pines.

Two big piles of logs lay on the edge of green field of grass.

The color of the hills was still very green, with just a hint of yellow. Pale pink clouds stretch across a blue sky.

The pine trees stand as silent sentinals to the distant hills of Plainfield, Vermont.

Uncle's Way

August 31, 2005
Permanent Marker and Whiteout

I found this big beautiful tree in an old cow field that is so proud and strong. How many cows have relaxed under its shade?

There was a clear blue sky that day, like one only fall can provide. Streaking high clouds at the top of the picture plane were moving fast behind the puffy ones.

Just a hint of orange is in the trees, bathing everything in a golden green light. Bits of rust colored growth dot the still green field. Geese honk from a nearby pond. Another loud signal that winter is just around the bend.

Clear Blue Sky

September 28, 2005
Permanent Marker and Whiteout

This sketch was executed on a beautiful fall vermont day out behind a friend's house. There is just a hint of yellow in the green tree and the last color of the Goldenrod blooms in the near grass.

The Distant hills glow with a golden green tone while dark shadows lurk at the base of the tree. The bright blue sky pokes out from behind the main tree.

Crickets chirp all around me. I take notice as their song will soon be silenced by cold wind and snow.