Woodblock State III

November 29, 2005 Cherry Woodblock and Marker 3.5"x6"

I have decided to document this blockprint throughout the process. When finished I will try a little experiment and create a quick time movie of the print from start to finish. If I like the result I will document another project more thoroughly.

Woodblock State II

November 28, 2005 Cherry Woodblock 3.5"x6"

I wish I had scanned a few more versions of this block as I carved it to show more of my process.

The earlier version had no carving and the drawing has been streamlined as I figured out exactly how I want to carve each element of the drawing.

Ray Plastic Factory

November 23, 2005
Pencil on Paper
3.75"x5"










The tired old sun
Sets behind a quiet factory.
Dark clouds in the distance
Cast a cool reflection
On the soon to be frozen river.
My mind is at peace.

This is the better of the two drawings I did while on vacation over the holiday. It is of the old Ray Plastic factory in Whinchenden Springs, MA. I like this drawing but the chimney should be a bit thinner and the view needs to be much darker, with blues, reds, and purples for color choices. When I transfer this to a monotype I should give the trees on the right a little more space in between the chimney.

Evening Landscape

November 23, 2005

Pencil on Paper

4.5"x6.5"

As the evening sun fades. A small marshy river bears witness, to the deepening shadows on rocks and trees. Time stands still for our pleasure.

The composition for this drawing is a little boring and I think I like the text more than the picture.

Eight Blue Phils

November 16, 2005

Nine Copper Etchings on Paper

9"x6.5"

This little experiment could not have been more fun to print and although it is not perfect, it is a great start. I made a template and printed each image in rapid succession.

The mistake I made was waiting to long to re-soak the paper and the seventh blue print came out light for some reason. In two weeks I will be back on the big press and try again, soaking the paper after three inkings of the plate. The red is also not strong enough, I may try adding a little blue, black or brown to the red and hope it strengthens the color a bit.

Besides that I am really pleased with how well the nine printings of the plate lined up on a single sheet of paper.

Self Portrait, Final State

November 16, 2005

Etching on Copper

3"x2"

Earlier posts of this image have some text on the bottom that I did not like. So I purchased a draw-tool from the Graphic Chemical Company and removed the bottom. The tool worked great and did not destroy the plate edge like a hacksaw.

Rocks and Snow

November 16, 2005 Monotype on Aluminum 5"x7"

This represents my first portrait of winter in Vermont. The season is young and the snow is falling outside as I post this image. There will be many more to come and adventures in the snow to talk about.

Church by the River

November 16, 2005 Monotype on Aluminum 5"x7"

This little print is taken from a drawing of Machias Maine. These monotypes are really starting to be fun. The clouds and water work really well together and almost seem to embrace the land and buildings.

Self Portrait

November 16, 2005 Monotype on Aluminum 7"x5"

I always hate my self-portraits as they seem so crude and simple. But after I come back to them there always seems to be something to think about. This one has a certain determined look that reflected my mood during the print session as I was gearing up to print a complicated etching.

I'd like to add that I used a Q-tip to remove and move the ink around the aluminum plate.

Woodblock Sketch

November 16, 2005
Found Woodblock, Permanent Marker
and Blue Highlighter
3.5"x6"

This is an old drawing that I have placed right on the block to be carved. My plan is to make another chiarascuro print with this one and the blue highlighter gives me an idea what the second block for the color will look like. The view is of Woodbury Mountain in central Vermont.

WGDR RADIO ALERT

November 16, 2005
12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

At 12 noon today I will be co-hosting the WGDR Sports Pages with Bob Minsenberger. Tune in to learn about the new name for the Vermont Expos baseball team and other sports news.

Please click on the WGDR link to listen to the live web-stream.

After the Logging

November 13, 2005 Pencil on Paper 5.25"x6.25"

I had not been down to this spot along the river since before the logging took place this spring.

The view has grown and the sky is open again.

Instead of a close dark forest, it is the perfect place to listen the the river and watch the sky, moon and clouds interact with the trees and water.

Warm November Afternoon

November 13, 2005 Pencil on Paper 4"x6"

A dark wall of trees filled this horizontal view. The warm sun hits the yellow marsh grass that cuts the dark river in two.

A con trail cuts the clouds and blue sky apart.

Gray bands of clouds at the top of the picture, moving from left to right.

My son Calvin plays in the rocks by the river as I sketch in the November, Sunday sun.

Moonlight Dream

November 11-12, 2005
Chiaroscuro Print
Found wood and easy-cut plates
5.25"x3.5"

The image for this little print is taken from my memory, imagination, and walks along the old St. Johnsbury Railroad line in East Hardwick, Vermont.

The block of wood was rough and I used the woodgrain for many of the details and the clouds run directly along the woodgrain. This style of print is something I had not really done before and I think this may be the style and technique I have been looking for. One of the final products that I wish to create during my MFAIA studies at Goddard College is a small edition of art books. This technique may be perfect for the images and as a way to print and reproduce short poems to accompany the images.

I printed four proofs before running a solid edition of ten prints. Originally I wanted to use linoleum for the color plate but my local store was out of stock. I was a little upset that I had to settle for a block of Speedball Easy-Cut, but in the end it worked really well. It cut like butter with an x-acto knife and held up much better during the hand-printing process than I had thought.

WGDR Radio Alert!

Time: 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm, EST

Check out the link on this page and listen at noon today to Phil Robertson's Science Fact or Science Fiction. It looks like it is going to be a Hawkwind day and I have some great stuff to read about space and the Legend of Chupacabra!

Dream III

November 7, 2005
Woodblock Print and Watercolor
5.25"x3.5"

I am using a little blue watercolor paint to get a feel for how a chiaroscuro print will look. The use of white will be very limited to the moon and clouds. There will be some fine white lines carved into the tracks and some thin white rays coming away from the moon in a sunburst pattern.

I'll go pick up some unmounted linoleum tomorrow and hopefully pull some more proofs later this week or weekend!

Dream III

November 3, 2005
Woodblock Print on Yellow Rice Paper
5.25"x3.5"

Late last week I pulled seven proofs of the block I finished carving that can be seen below. The prints were pulled by hand and were a great deal of fun to create. Normally I use perfectly square and sanded blocks, so using a rough piece of found wood like this is a bit of a stretch for me.

The effect will be complete when I carve a color block to create a chiaroscuro print using a dark blue color. This will bring out the clouds and reflections from the rising moon on the old railroad tracks.

Dream III

November 3, 2005

Woodblock Print on Yellow Rice Paper

5.25"x3.5"

This is one of the lighter proof prints and really shows off the wood grain. Sometime this week I will work with watercolors into a few of the proofs and plan out the color block for a future edition of this image.

Dream III (x4)

November 3, 2005

Multiple Woodblock Prints

Yellow Rice Paper

10.5"x7.25"

After the first proof run of seven prints I pulled two groups of four. The block was really starting to print nice at this point and I am glad I made the extra effort to pull these prints.

It is interesting to see how the rough edges of the block match up and create a pattern all their own.

Rocks and Snow

October 29, 2005
Permanent Marker and Whiteout
3"x4.25"

On a cold crisp October day,
The bright sun shone on an old apple tree,
In a rocky cow field.

A steep hill of white,
Wraps around the stand of trees.

Puffy white clouds dance,
Swiftly across a deep blue sky.

This is a nice little drawing but I do not like the clouds and I think a blank sky with a downward fade would work well in print form. It will be a challenge to draw the barren trees in a monotype, but I look forward to the challenge.

Woodblock Carving

November 1-3, 2005
Found Woodblock
5.25"x3.5"

A little over a week ago I was leaving work and looked in the back of my friend Dave's truck. I saw a mess of kindling for his winter firewood. Two small blocks caught my eye, especially this one. It had a nice grain pattern and a knot just above the center horizon line. I grabbed the two blocks with Dave's permission and drew this imaginary view of the moon rising over the old St. Johnsbury railroad line near where I live.

After pushing the knot through the block and wire brushing the grain pattern, I spent the last three nights carving and think I will try a chiaroscuro print with this one. So, I will pull some proofs tonight and then make the color block on a piece of linoleum this weekend.

I thought it would be nice to scan the block before I pull any proofs as it will not be this pretty after it is inked and cleaned.

WGDR Radio Alert!

Tomorrow, November 3, 2005, at 12 noon I will be hosting two different radio programs on Goddard College's Community Radio, 91.1 FM, WGDR in Plainfield. From 12 to 12:30 I will be hosting The Sports Pages with Bob Minsenberger. We will do a round-up of the week in sports and also chat about whatever else is on our minds. From 12:30 to 1 pm I will shift gears and be producing Phil Robertson's Science Fact or Science Fiction. Reading recent news about space and the unexplained with a blistering mix of psychedelic rock to smooth the hard edge of these uncertain times.

Next week my show will move to every Wednesday from 12 to 12:30 pm. On November 9, 2005 I will start with Science Fact or Science Fiction and then alternate every week with the WGDR Sports Pages.

So tune in every week and check out WGDR on the web by clicking the link to the radio station and listen live to the best radio station on the planet!