Burnishings

Intro to Block Printing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:13:00 +0000

24 - 28 June 2013 - Intro to Block Printing - workshop at Gibsons School of the Arts, Gibsons BC with Amie Roman, AFCA

Printmaker's Art Featured in Pacific Rim Whale Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:39:00 +0000

Allison Tremain and her Spyhopping reduction cut linocut were selected as the featured art & artist for the 2012 Pacific Rim Whale Festival, March 17-25, 2012. Her work is featured at Uclulet's Mark Penney Gallery. Gotta get me one of those posters!

Leftovers III Exchange @WingtipPress

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Time for this year's edition of Leftovers at Wingtip Press in Boise, ID.

LEFTOVERS III

Prints: 14 (you'll get 12 in return, we keep one for exhibitions and one to raise funds for those who need our leftovers)
Size: Up to 5" x 7" - can be smaller, but NO larger please!
Cost: $12.00
Due Date: March 15, 2012
Ship to: Wingtip Press 6940 Butte Court Boise, ID 83704 USA

Contact Wingtip Press if you want to participate.

Little Print Book Project Flies Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:13:00 +0000

Last year, my printmaker buddy Sherrie York sent to me a little book in the mail: Jill Bergman's Little Print Book Project. Well, I was right in the throes of new mommy-hood, and was completely hopeless with pretty much anything at that point. I eventually managed to coordinate with other printmakers around here (Cowichan Valley, Victoria, and Richmond, BC, and Bellevue, WA) to contribute, then finally I managed to send the book off to AnniePod in Philadelphia, PA, who also sent it to Tuckamore Design in Buffalo, NY. You can see the final book at Jill's blog Art on the Page.

Thanks to everyone who contributed; it was a treat to see all your pieces, and what a fun way to connect with other printmakers. Thanks, Sherrie for thinking to include me, and thanks Jill for getting the ball rolling in the first place! I hope your other books come back full of lovely prints and more contacts.
.
PS - Jill is still looking for contributors - if you're interested, visit her blog for contact info.

Kitchen Lithography - Viral Printmaking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:35:00 +0000

I've seen this now through Printsy, Facebook, Twitter, Printeresting, and a few other sources, so I just had to share.

Lithographie maison — Kitchen Lithographie — Lithography

Uploaded by emilivideo on 8 September 2011

How exciting! Now, I just have to be able to find time & energy to get back into the studio!

OK, so that leads to Mommy Update: we're all doing well, thank you. Kate is now 15 months (yikes!) and not quite walking everywhere but just about, with lots of proto-words and a lot of smiles & giggles.

International Print Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Press by Team Nerd, on Flickr

Get out your squeegees and spitstickers, resin boxes and liquid tusche, presses and barens, ladies and gentlemen it's International Print Day!! Whatever your printmaking passion, press on, boys and girls, and get some ink on paper today! Share what you've done - make a comment (although be patient; I've had to moderate comments because of all the spam) and send a link to your work from today. Share it with MPC Fine Art Club's printmakers on the Print Day in May blog (they're the group who got the brayer rolling back in 2007), and mark the first Saturday in May in your calendars for next year so that we can be a little more coordinated about it!

Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:39:00 +0000

Fairest Of Them All

acrylic on canvas

I've put the above piece in this year's CVAC Fine Arts Show.

All are invited to Cowichan Valley Arts Council's 41st annual arts show. It is the largest non-juried art show in the Cowichan Valley, featuring recent artworks by artists living and working in the Cowichan Valley.

Gala Opening! Wednesday, April 6 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Everyone welcome. Meet the artists and share in the fun.

Thursday, April 7 Open 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, April 8 Open 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 9 Open 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 10 Open 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Quw'utsun' Conference & Cultural Centre, 200 Cowichan Way in Duncan.

Admission is $5 for adults and free admission for children.

Your support of the arts and artists is greatly appreciated.

Each day different CVAC members, artists and representatives of arts groups will host the show, giving demonstrations and talking about the art work.

Daily Program
Thursday, April 7, 10 am – 12 noon : Handbuilding in clay, Jane Wolters
1 - 4 pm : Rug hooking, Colleen Wike

Friday, April 8, 1- 4pm : Artists Trading Cards with Beverlee McLeod

Saturday, April 9, 1 – 4 pm : Silk painting, Clare Carver
10 - 12 and 1 - 3 pm : Face Painting

Sunday, April 10, 1 – 4 pm - Weaving of all sorts by Alison Irwin
11 - 3pm : Face Painting

Printmaking Treasuries

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:41:00 +0000

Here are a few more:

Enjoy!

Digital Work - Bullrider

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:46:00 +0000

While I've not been in the printmaking studio (other than to plant up our seedlings for the summer...), I've done a little bit more preparation for some printmaking in the future.

We used to attend the Williams Lake Stampede, but haven't been for a few years. I took lots of photos at the last two with the intention of turning them into something artistic at some point. I had done a few mixed media images from some of the photos: semi-blind contour sketches followed by watercolour monotype and coloured pencil crayons (if I manage to dig up one of those pieces, I'll take a photo and post at some point), but nothing much since. I hadn't decided how else to use the images, then the other day I thought maybe I'd try playing around with GIMP and my Wacom graphics tablet like I did with Murri, and see what came out of it.

So I started with a photo that I'd scanned a while ago, and cropped a little:

I tweaked the image so that it was then just greyscale:

Using a new layer and the Ink tool in GIMP, this is the first sketch:

While I was pretty happy with it, Dave & my cousin, Len, commented that they couldn't figure out where the bull ended and the rider started. I've highlighted the problem area here:

It seemed to them that the chaps of the rider were actually the back of the bull, and thus the leg disappeared and didn't "read" properly: it seemed like the rider was positioned side-saddle. We chatted about what I could do to improve the image, and we decided that as long as there was some kind of distinction between the back of the bull and the chaps of the rider, that it should probably work. Here is the second attempt:

While the leg still disappears to a certain extent, I'm thinking this will probably be it. I do like the composition better, and with a black & white simplification, you definitely can lose detail, but that's something that appeals to me, personally. Any comments or suggestions?

There will likely be more of these as I can take the time to do them; there's already another under way.

Mad Scientists of Etsy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:18:00 +0000

I recently joined the Mad Scientists of Etsy team; a group of Etsy sellers who are both crafty and geeky/nerdy, just my kind of crowd! Check out their blog, Facebook page, and Etsy Team page. I just cobbled together a treasury featuring some of their members' work:

They are a wide and varied bunch, from jewelery to cosmetics, toys to accessories, paper to fabric, so much to see!

"2011: The Pre-Occupied Horsemen"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 02:10:00 +0000

This graffiti mural is by Chris de Souza Jensen, one of my patrons, who lives in Malta:

Hello, my name is Amie R...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:58:00 +0000

... and I'm addicted to Etsy Treasuries and Tumblr. Oh dear.

Check out my Treasuries on Etsy, and my new Tumblr blog, where I post mostly interesting finds from Etsy (not surprisingly, many printmakers and specifically Printsy members).

Here's my most recent Treasury:

Sigh. Like I don't have better things to do with my time. Like sleep (read: I have a 7 1/2 month old daughter that has decided she doesn't like to stay asleep when we finally get her there... so why am I wasting time on the internet when she is asleep? Dunno. Must be insane).

101 Prints - Malaspina Printmakers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:37:00 +0000

I have donated one of the "Exposed" edition to Malaspina Printmakers' 101 Prints fundraiser:

Get your tickets now! $300 guarantees you a fabulous print worth at least $300, and all proceeds go towards Malaspina Printmakers. Find out more information on Malaspina's site.

Leftovers Print Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:59:00 +0000

Do you have lots of bits and pieces of paper kicking around from various editions? How about old blocks or plates that would combine in an interesting new way? Or do you have leftover prints lying around that you could funk up a bit? Well, then, step right up for the second annual Leftovers Print Exchange! Delivery deadline is March 15, 2011. Join the over 124 (!) participants from around the world and get your special printers' dozen in the mail.

Details
Prints: 14 (twelve for the exchange, one for the exhibition, one for donation to raise funds for a local charity)
Process: That's up to you! (No inkjet though, please)
Size: Up to 5" x 7" - can be smaller, but NO larger please!
Cost: $12.00
Due Date: March 15, 2011

Please advise by return email [amyen at mac dot com] if you wish to participate.

And please invite other printmakers to join us!

Printmaking around the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 05:02:00 +0000

Thought I'd share some neat printmaking stuff that I've run across recently on the internet:

One of my all-time favourite internet printmaking buddies, Sherrie York, has a wonderful little film about her work:

PPLD Off the Wall: February 2011 from PPLD TV on Vimeo.

Congrats, Sherrie, it's a great film, you do a wonderful job of explaining your work, and I love the pieces chosen.

Another favourite printmaker that I've met online is Annie Bissett, and she's just announced that one of her pieces has been accepted into the 1st International Moku Hanga Conference in Japan in June. Congrats, Annie! Your work is brilliant, and deserves the international attention that it gets.

Finally, a funky little print project from a couple of years ago titled "Just in Time" by Xavier Antin. My husband found this on his blog reading, and I thought I'd share with my printmaking buddies. Enjoy!

That's it from me; still not been in the studio, still hoping to get there sometime soon... eventually!

The Artist's Way - a hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 05:12:00 +0000

Well, it was a good idea, but bad timing. Yes, I'm sure that those of you who've been through this workshop would argue that any timing is potentially bad, and that I should stick with it. I just don't have the psychological strength or physical fortitude left after looking after our little girl. I'm pretty sure that I'll have more time and energy eventually (hopefully soon) to pick this up again. I made it through weeks three and four (four was interesting: no reading! I managed to not read almost, and I tried to avoid TV and computer as well, mostly), but then burnt out. I did discover on the couple of days I was able to manage the morning pages first thing in the morning that it really does make a difference what time of day they get written; it was much more productive first thing in the morning.

Anyway, I'm hoping to get some more art done sometime soonish. I did a quick sketch outdoors the other day with Kate strapped to my front; if I get to the scanner any time soon, I shall include it in the blog. For now, though, I think that any spare time and energy is going to be devoted to sleep, and just coping with being mom :)

Hope everyone is having a creative and fulfilling new year thus far! I sure miss being a part of the online printmaking community right now, I look forward to catching up with you all again sometime soon.

The Artist's Way - Week Two - Recovering a Sense of Identity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:03:00 +0000

This week was a bit of a write off for this project (but not entirely). We travelled over to the Mainland, and while looking after Kate is a full time job at the best of times, it just about triples when we have to travel. I was able to make time for the morning pages at some point during the day (sometimes not until just before bed late at night), but missed a couple of days altogether. I don't know how the pages are "working", but it is good for me to follow a routine, although I'm not sure it'll be a routine I'll want to continue. But we'll see after twelve weeks of doing them! Another artist acquaintance admitted that she also had a bit of difficulty working the three written pages, so she turned her morning pages into three drawing pages, which I thought was a great idea. But I do understand the value of spewing out your thoughts in longhand. Maybe a combination ... we'll see.

I found that the first week I had ideas pouring out of me, but this week not so much. I am surprised to find that I'm not really writing anything about historical influences (positive and negative) in the morning pages yet, but I suppose that might change, although I have been examining that with some of the exercises. I thought I'd be venting a lot more, but I don't find that I need to most days. That doesn't mean that I don't vent at all though!

I had picked a couple of things from a list of twenty that I enjoy doing, and I didn't really get around to doing either during the official week. Was this self-sabotage to pick two things that wouldn't travel well? Possibly. I did get to one of them (crocheting) finally when we got home yesterday, and I'd like to try the second (playing the mandolin) today, although I'm not sure if my injured thumb will put up with it for long, but I'll certainly try.

I managed to make it to my artist's date this week! I actually made two for myself: I got a manicure and I took time to go yarn shopping so that I could make a blanket for Kate's bed when it gets transformed into a double (she's got plenty of crib-sized quilts and blankies from friends and family).

So I'd mentioned last week about skepticism towards recognizing opportunities appearing just because you're opening yourself up to them. Well, let me tell you my story of opportunity and I'll let you decide for yourself. As I'd mentioned, Luanne Rice, an author in New York, contacted me about using one of my images to illustrate a blog post of hers. We began quite the email dialogue, and then exchanged examples of each others' work - she sent me two books, and I sent her two prints. She was thrilled with my prints and took them to a framer in Chelsea, who commented positively about my work. She also discussed my work with a friend of hers who had designed her snowy owl logo. As a result, he contacted me and purchased a couple of prints. Then last week, Luanne contacted me again and purchased three of my prints (one of which was framed)!

Thank you to those who've participated with me in this process. It's wonderful to be able to share my efforts with you, and to have your feedback and support.

The Artist's Way - Week One - Recovering a Sense of Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:49:00 +0000

I've just started working through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, and thought I'd use my blog to post about my weekly check in. For those of you not familiar, it's basically a twelve-week workshop to nurture your inner artist-child, and to enable your creative energies. I've been whining about not being creative, being disappointed in my work, feeling far to literal in my art, blah blah blah, so my mum pulled out her copy of the book and suggested that I might like to try the workshop.

I have managed to do the morning pages and affirmations every day of the first week, although they've not happened at the time of day recommended; when I first wake up, it's because Kate wants her food, so I've got a lot to do before I can get to the exercises, and I am not waking up before I absolutely have to. Forget it; sleep is a highly precious and rare commodity in this household, I'm not going to sacrifice it for anything other than Kate right now.

I have found working through the exercises challenging. They are meant to dredge up stuff, and they certainly do. While I resent spending the time doing these exercises, I recognize that when I'm doing them, I'm doing something, rather than doing nothing, towards supporting my artistic creativity.

This week was about visiting and exploring historic influences which thwarted or encouraged our inner creative child. I found the exercise where I wrote out the creative affirmations really tough at the beginning; my inner critic was just screaming at me the whole time. As the week progressed, these became a lot easier, and my critic less noisy. As I examined each critical reply, I recognized that they're generalized, unspecific and not actually at all accurate, yet it's amazing what a strong impact they have on stopping me from creating.

From this week, I have recognized that I am allowed to have fun, and that all my efforts at creativity are valuable and to be rewarded with a positive attitude. Even if I only spend five minutes on something creative, it's a very valuable five minutes. And just because I'm not in the studio carving or printing, doesn't mean that I'm not being creative. I'm a very creative person on many levels. For example, I'm working on a computer project that I'm very excited about. While it's not printmaking directly, it's very creative and I'm loving every minute. I really enjoy learning, and it's great working through a program to figure things out.

The second week's chapter (which I've already started) examines skepticism. As in "yeah, sure, there's some 'magical' thing out there that will make stuff happen if I believe in all this clap-trap". Well, guess what? It works! More next week...

Homage to a New Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:19:00 +0000

Luanne Rice, an author based in New York, discovered my work the other day while searching the internet for an image to illustrate her post which she wished to title "Bare Branches". Rather serendipitously, she discovered my block print "Bare Branches" and asked to use it in her blog. Please check out today's post on Ms Rice's page. Thanks, Luanne! Glad to share my work with an appreciative audience.

Maternity Leave

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:50:00 +0000

Yes, I have been silent a long time. Two days after my last post, I gave birth to a beautiful little baby girl. So Dave's father's day was merely a couple of days delayed!

So I spent the better part of nine months not printing because the ink smell just turned me right off, and now I've been off any art whatsoever because I've been looking after our new edition (get it? yeah, lame!).

To keep you at least slightly entertained, please enjoy this "How Ink Is Made", produced by a Canadian company which creates ink for commercial printing applications. It's a wonderful presentation.

Keep well, all, and I'll get back to it as soon as I can!! I have so many ideas that I'd like to work on, I just need some time and energy... might be a while :)

Happy Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:26:00 +0000

Well, we're still waiting for Dave's father's day to be official, but pretty soon it'll be applicable... In the meantime, I did up this silly little digital illustration based on a conversation Dave & I had about carpet pythons - Dave naturally came up with a great play on words (he's very good at that), and this is the result.

As you can see from the long delay in posting, I've not been very creative artistically lately, and that hiatus shall continue for a considerable amount of time, I'm afraid, as I get thrown into the deep end of being a mom. However, I am super keen to get started on the print mosaic project when I'm able to sit and carve again (both physically feel like it and have the time and energy... that will definitely not be any time soon, though!). Hopefully, I'll feel like doing some more sketches in the interim, because I do still have lots of ideas. Anyway, we'll take it as it comes; my creativity will be directed at something a little different for a while, instead :)

And again... Top 50 Bloglist

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:59:00 +0000

OK, I don't know what the heck is going on here, but burnishings is on another "top 50" blog list: "50 Incredibly Inspiring Printmaking Blogs". And this list is more a collection of printmakers and printmaking resources rather than print design-related sites. Along with burnishings are a number of other great blogs that I follow:

Debra James Percival's A Printmakers Blog About Art & Printmaking
Marissa Lee Swinghammer's M Lee Fine Art
Ellen Shipley's pressing-issues
Maria Arango's 1000 Woodcuts
Michelle Turbide's Vermont Printmaker
Diane Cutter's The Itinerant Artist
Annie Bissett's Woodblock Dreams
Viza Arlington's VIZArt
Belinda del Pesco's Fine Art Blog
Justin Miller's Bound Staff Press

and, wonderfully, Printsy's Blog, too!

Burnishings Featured on a "Top 50" Bloglist

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:16:00 +0000

Wow! I was just advised that Burnishings has been featured on guidetoartschools.com in their Tips & Tools section of their website under their "50 Must-See Print Design Blogs". My goodness, I'm blushing.

Thanks for the nod!

Printmaking How To - Monotype

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:29:00 +0000

This month, Horsley Printmakers' Carol Nunan of Carol's Original Prints has requested that printmakers post a "how to" on their blog about monotypes in May. So I thought I'd take her up on her suggestion (a little early, whatever!). If you're a printmaker and want to do the same, make sure to link back to Carol's blog and send her a comment on her post so that she knows to add your link to her list.

Here's a clip from my website talking about monotypes:

These terms [monotype and monoprint] are often used interchangably; however, I like to think of them as completely different techniques. Both printmaking techniques result in a "one-off" image; you can never repeat that image. Some people have difficulty understanding how this can be a print if only one is produced, but it is the method of production that makes it a print. Probably the best description of the differentiation between these two techniques can be found in Monotype - Mediums and Methods for Painterly Printmaking by Julia Ayres:

"...the term monotype is used for work developed on top of an unaltered plate, utilizing its flat surface, while monoprint refers to monotype work that also includes elements of another printmaking process such as etching, woodcut, lithography, silk screen, and so on."
(Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991, page 8)

I use either watercolour or acrylic paints to produce monotypes. I paint onto frosted Mylar, and while the paint is still wet, I make the transfer by laying a registered sheet of paper over the Mylar and pressing gently by hand on the back of that paper. I repeat the process until I've completed the image. There is another method whereby you prepare the surface of the plate so that you can paint the image in its entirety, leave the paint to dry, then use a moistened sheet of paper to lift the image. I find this method more restrictive, but many artists prefer it because there is an added level of control to how the printed image will turn out.

Embrace, acrylic monotype

OK, so that's a basic outline of how I do it. The above print Embrace was created by painting acrylic onto frosted Mylar and transferring to the registered paper while the acrylic was still wet (i.e. really fast!).

I have my original sketch taped down to a surface, then I tape the Mylar (frosted-side up to paint on) on top of the sketch. I hinge the paper I'd like to print on usually along the longest side. This print was printed on a really heavy hot-pressed watercolour paper (I think Fabriano), and I quite like that surface & weight for doing the acrylic monotypes. I started with the lightest colours first (e.g. light yellow, light green), and work quickly, painting the acrylic on the Mylar then transfer the paint to the paper by flipping the hinged paper down on top of the Mylar and burnishing the back of the paper with my hand. I keep doing that repeatedly until I've got the final image I'd like. This sometimes requires that I let some layers dry a little first, but with acrylics, that doesn't take long at all.

Here are some other images that I've done that way:

Promise of Spring, acrylic monotype

Coming Storm, acrylic monotype

Bamfield Dory, acrylic monotype

As you can see, the results of monotypes can be extremely painterly. I remember my mother, upon being introduced to monotypes, thinking to herself "If I'm going to paint it, why on earth would I go to the trouble of the double work of painting then printing?!?" Then she tried it and discovered the textures that you can achieve only through the transference of paint from the plate to the paper support. You can't get those textures any other way: the surface tension breaking between the plate & paper makes for some wonderful textures that wouldn't occur right off your paint brush.

I do the same process with watercolours; however, I find the acrylics are easier to build bolder, brighter colours with. Here's a monoprint that started with a watercolour monotype to get the colours, then a block print on top for the black part:

Fraser Foreshore Morning, monoprint

This "working wet" technique, of course, is not the only way to make monotypes; it's just the way that I have discovered that I prefer. Here are a (very!) few other printmakers who use monotypes to create their work:

Bruce Waldman
Lori Dean-Dyment
Heather Aston

Thanks Carol, what a great idea. I look forward to seeing what other printmakers send you!

Print Mosaic Project - Work in Progress #6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:39:00 +0000

I've been out of town over the weekend; while I've not been idle sketch-wise, I've not had time to post up to the blog. So here are some further additions for the print mosaic project.

One more for the Algae collection:

Algae pattern #4

and some variations on the Tubeworms (although these look a lot more like shells):

Tubeworms pattern #2

Tubeworms pattern #3

Tubeworms pattern #5

This one being especially in the spirit of the Zentangle process:

Tubeworms pattern #4