New print and a block in progress

Here's an etching I just printed today and below is the block I am carving for the Space Block Party on September 11th. We at Pickwick Independent Press will relief print gigantic blocks (4'x4' and 4' x 8') in a grand public performance using a steamroller. People who help support the project financially will get either a limited edition poster for the event, or for a $300 donation will receive one of the large prints, a downright steal if you ask me, considering the quality of blocks I've seen so far. You can donate to the cause at our Kickstarter page.

Sketch of a sculpture

I wanted to just sit down and draw an object from life today, something I rarely do. For a model, I decided to use a tiny unfinished wax piece I made that will eventually be cast in metal.

I was intrigued by the idea of taking a sculpture based on my drawings, then depicting it again as a drawing, completing a cycle.

I'd like to build models just for drawing reference, then destroy them. That way I'd preserve a version of an object that once existed and never will again.

Last week at Susan Maasch Fine Art

If you're in Portland please stop by Susan Maasch Fine Art at 567 Congress Street to see 3 of my white pencil drawings and 4 etchings. There are unframed pieces in the back room that you can also see, if you ask!

Also, I just finished this drawing:

Branching Blob

Continuing with my viscous branching experiments, this one is acrylic paint on glass.

Branching Monoprints on Mirrors: Part 2

Here of some images of what these branch prints actually look like. It was difficult taking a picture of a thing on a mirror. I think when I do this for real I'm going do it on white glass or clear glass and then paint it white.

I'm not sure if these are actually monoprints. They are the plates and aren't ever printed onto anything else. I guess they are dried up potential monoprints.

These patterns are the result of simultaneous self-organization determined by the physical properties of the inks, plates and the force used to pull them apart. It's difficult to comprehend, especially since I'm used to intentional manipulation of my materials component by component, accumulating into something growing from a single point. These patterns happen everywhere all at once, as though each part knows exactly what every other part is doing and plans its position accordingly. But there is no planning, no deciding. Stuff just just does this, and it shows up everywhere in biology.

Branching Monoprints on Mirrors

I almost crapped myself when I figured out how to do this today. The right viscosity of ink pressed between two smooth surfaces that are then pulled apart sometimes creates perfect allover branches. I'm so excited to have the new super power of creating natural-looking branch patterns at will. If I can control this technique it sure will come in handy. These are done on mirrors, scanned in and unedited. My scanner makes mirrors look this dark automatically and I think it looks rad.

Drawing for the Window

Susan Maasch asked if I could come up with something for the window display during my little exhibit in August. This is the largest drawing I've ever done, based on my small print Conjunction. It is 58" wide by 48" tall, india ink painted on with a brush on paper.

As a reminder, the opening is 5-8 during the First Friday Art Walk at 567 Congress St. It will be an exciting art walk; I also recommend seeing Anna Hepler at the Portland Museum of Art and also Ethan Hayes-Chute and Yeshe parks at Whitney Art Works