HELLO AND WELCOME FRIENDS,

Sometimes the simplest things are some of the most difficult. I think this is frequently the case in terms of making a work of art. In this case shallow waves of the sea lapping onto the beach with the late day sun glistening on the surface. Simple. Right?

That is... until you try to do it by carving and printing colors. But this is going to be a brief newsletter and I won't go into too much detail.

I started with a photograph I took years ago that I have been carrying in the back of my mind. Here are the six impressions leading to the final print:

"Incoming Tide" step-by-step

The first impression started with four colors blended on the brayer and applied vertically. Before printing I used a cotton towel to wipe the light just at the sun in the sky and again in the water where the reflection of the sun would be. This is tricky and requires a great deal of time and care to print. In all, that first impression took more than three days. This is a slow process.... It also makes each of the prints just a little bit different from each other because a towel is not a precise instrument to use.

From that first impression I am trying to describe areas (the sand, the still, flat water and the more turbulent wave in the foreground) with patterns of carving. Each area is generally made up of the same types of strokes as I carve but they are varied in size and distribution. These variations give the patterns rhythm within each area. This is challenging in that it is easy to create patterns which are too regular. This can arrest a visual flow and might stop all motion in the composition.

Lastly there is color. This print was done in six impression but there are at least three colors applied with each impression, making this somewhere in the area of a 20-color print. I have no way of mixing colors beforehand and I have to estimate how they will work with all of the other colors on top of and beside them. I made my choices carefully and here is the final print:

"Incoming Tide", linocut print, 12" x 9" (31 x  23.5 cm)

Ah... summer at the beach. But I only went there in my head this year. My travels have all been inland and in the process I have partnered with two new galleries showing my work. The Glass Menagerie is a gallery in Corning, New York. Along with my work they have a very good selection of fine crafts and artworks, including glass, of course. The Watermark Gallery in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts is a new gallery that has been around for years. Laurie Goddard (who is also an artist) has had a small gallery off the main drag for many years. Just recently she moved onto Main Street and really put together an excellent gallery. Well worth a visit, as are all of the galleries that represent my work.

I'm already into making my next print. It is always exciting starting a new one. I am somehow convinced it is going to be the best I've done yet... every time. If you would like to buy this print, you can do so from this website.

Enjoy the rest of the warm weather and get in touch. I enjoy hearing from you.