August is the cruellest month
Everyone who knows me knows that October is my favorite month.
My least favorite month is August, coming up soon. August is always Too Damn Hot (northern hemisphere, of course), no exceptions, it’s nearly always sunny (too freakin’ bright), and there are no holidays. August just plain rots.
I took a week’s vacation over my birthday, and I wish I could say I produced some fabulous works of art, but it was just Too Damn Hot. However, I could not resist trying out my new etching press.
Here’s what I learned about printmaking:
It requires a lot of time, and a lot of space, a lot of prep, and a lot of cleanup. You need room for the press, a pan to soak paper in, blotting paper and a space to blot the printmaking paper, space for your palette (it has to be large enough to roll out the ink with a brayer), and a space to work. Oh yeah, also someplace to dry the prints flat between sheets of newsprint for several days.
I pulled three prints; one 3.5″x2.5″ of daisies which needs some re-working (adding detail), a really good 4″x6″ of balloon flowers which I’m going to give to my coworker who watered my plants while I was on vacation, and a 5″x7″ chine collé (printed on collaged papers) abstract which I LOVE. Pictures to follow, when it’s not Too Damn Hot to take pictures.
Don’t get me wrong, I really love making prints, but it’s a project I will have to really clear my calendar for. So, for the time being, I put the press away and will be focusing on collage for awhile. I’m also focusing on learning how to create abstracts. I really want to understand the process. I can’t recommend highly enough this book on color and composition. It’s aimed specifically at quilters, but the concepts work for any medium. It’s colorful, informative, and contains useful exercises to improve your designs. I absolutely love it.
