2019 in Review

I apologize for the delay between posts. Winter, to me, is a “down time” in many ways. After the autumn show season winds down and the dust settles from the holiday festivities, the time for reflection and planning arrives. January has been spent looking back at the past year, at what worked and what did not; what I’ve learned and what needs to be discarded. It’s also a time to look ahead and set things in motion for the coming year.

Below you’ll find a sampling of the art adventures I was on in the past year, and I hope to build on some of these in 2020 and beyond. Enjoy.

The two paintings above found a new home in eastern Tennessee early in 2019.

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Linoluem cutting was prolific this year as I explored new designs and discovered new papers, materials, and processes.

In late spring I started using oil-based Canfield inks. These were a game-changer for me. the color, flow, and coverage of these inks are incredible! Also, in the fall, I hand made a primitive printing press with the help of some videos I found on YouTube. I’m looking forward to using this in the future!

In 2019 I finally overcame the mental obstacles that were keeping me from using oil paints! Above are my first two attempts. With the help of my good friend Kären I plan to make up for lost time with this medium!

Fabric printing was new last year as well, with good reception for tea towels and napkins. Look for more in the coming year!

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With mixed emotions I bade farewell to the Northrup King Building. I met a lot of good people there and learned much.

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A heavy-hearted project that, unfortunately, will never be finished.

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Because of the demise of my cellphone camera, I invested in a real camera and am currently re-learning the photography skills I learned in high school. I’ll be starting a photo blog in 2020, look for it.

 

 

Upcoming Event

20 artists involved in a group show donating 1/3 of their sales towards efforts to stop Human Trafficking. Mostly highlighting the work of the Stories Foundation, https://storiesfoundation.org specifically the work they’re doing with their Freedom Truck, a food truck that donates 100% of their profits towards efforts to stop trafficking https://storiesfoundation.org/freedom-truck/

The event is ONE WEEKEND ONLY: Nov 1, 2, 3 in GALLERY #332 at the Northrup King Building 1500 JACKSON ST NE, MPLS 55413. During “Art Attack” with 350 artists showing their work. Sure to be something for everybody. Join us as we celebrate the transfer of ownership of NKB and the what it means to pass the baton.

Special event: A speaker to share about human trafficking and how it affects our communities. led by Stephanie Page of the Stories Foundation https://storiesfoundation.org

Wednesday Oct 30th, 7pm. Doors open at 6:30 in GALLERY #332 at the Northrup King Building 1500 JACKSON ST NE, MPLS 55413

New Mania!

New adventures in art: book making (no horse track jokes, please!)
Pictured here is a two-fold blank page Dos-à-dos journal. The flyleaf page is done with paper marbled using the suminagashi technique and the pages are blank, sturdy Hosho rice paper. Perfect for writing or sketching in pencil or ink.
This is my first attempt and I plan to experiment further with different stitching and binding techniques.

Art a Whirl Aftermath

Northeast Minneapolis’ annual Art a Whirl is always a bittersweet event. Pre-show promotion, finding parking, waiting for the crowds, and when the crowds do finally arrive, the hoping they will show an interest in your work and maybe even buy a piece. I learned early on that just sitting and waiting for good things to happen is an exercise in frustration, thus I learned to bring as much work with me that I can lug up four flights of stairs (you see, there’s never any guarantee that the elevator in the ancient building I show my work in will be functioning) and get productive. This not only passes the time but it is also a vehicle in which to engage with attendees.

Below are a couple of blocks I finished cutting over the weekend.

The Lake Superior Kraken (the rumors are all true!) was my most popular print of the weekend. All but one were sold out by Saturday night.

A big thank you to everyone who came out to fight the crowds, rain, and cold to be part of this big event.

Aquarium

Moo cut*

2019

Experimenting with some mid 20th century retro designs for textile printing. More to come.

*A Moo cut is a block carved on a product known as Moo Carve. It’s a silicone block made for higher quality block printing. It cuts different than the Speedball products and holds up a little longer, thus yielding more prints. It also comes in 1/2″ to 3/4″ blocks so both sides of the block can be used. I love the stuff!