Welcome to my Brain

Ice - A Passage Through Time by Hal Gage

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:22:00 +0000

I'm not the only one to love ice....

Chapbooks

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

I have been print-making all day.

I'm making some chapbooks to sell and raise some money for The Library of Lost Books.

They are made from pages taken from a book called I Codici e le Arti a Monte Cassino published in 1870, which makes the paper I'm printing on 142 years old!. It was a Birmingham Library skip find of course, and in pretty bad shape when I got it.

The prints are made by cutting images into erasers.

The book has a working title of A Pagan Chapbook.

Pages drying on the clothes airer. Sophisticated studio practice!

Ice pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:06:00 +0000

Finally, it is cold enough for me to make some more ice pictures. These are going to be made into little books, which I will exhibit in Leeds in March.
This picture shows the original inspiration for the ice pictures - the desire to capture somehow the beautiful frost patterns made on my shed-cum-studio windows

This is an image of the ice crystals taken inside the shed.

A couple of days ago I painted a blue square on the window,

you can see the ice crystals growing over it now.

And this is an ice painting. The crystals of ice make
patterns into the wet ink. Made outside at 6am this morning.

All the paintings made this morning.

work in waiting...

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:12:00 +0000

...waiting for the temperature to drop below 23 F (-5 C) to make ice pictures....

...books waiting to join The Library of Lost Books....

...hand cut stamp blocks waiting to be printed...

Self employed v employee

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:47:00 +0000

I work as a website developer/ content developer/ Photoshop illustrator 4 days a week at the moment. The 5th day and many weekends are spent being an artist. Today was my self-employed day, a good day, a wholesome, happy work-filled day.
Today I photographed 14 books for The Library of Lost Books, designed and cut 4 stamps for an artist's book I am working on, put out some washing, did a bit of shopping, had a great conversation with my daughter about her plans to go traveling in the Yukon, did some work on an Arts Council grant I'm applying for, photographed some beautiful trees against a stormy sky, did some knitting, prepared the fabric for a skirt I am making, cooked soup.

My goal is to shift the balance from employee to self-employed quite significantly this year. A day like today makes me work harder to ensure that goal is realised.

Leeds Artist's Book Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Yep, it's that time of year again - and the making of books and zines for the Leeds International Artist's Book Fair has begun. This year I am concentrating on printmaking and multiples and really letting rip with the Aspie obsessional stuff. Thread, thread, thread and then some more thread! I nearly didn't go this year because of all the work that I am also having to do for The Library of Lost Books. But when it came to the crunch I just couldn't not go. Also it means that I get to spend a couple of days with Catherine and chinwagging about art - which is always good.

The Library of Lost Books is coming along well too. I have a great selection of old books which I am gradually uploading and cataloguing onto Flickr.
So far I have over two dozen artists answering the call. Sarah Bodman at UWE is very kindly putting the call out in the next Artist's Books newsletter and I am also hoping to drum up some interest at Leeds.

I hope 2012 is going to be a wonderfully creative year for us all.

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:16:00 +0000

ice painting

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Digital screen background

This is an image I created at work today. It's going to be used for the background to a storyteller video. I've never done anything like this before but I really enjoyed creating this - although some of the perspective is a bit shoddy! Once again, must try harder!

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:54:00 +0000

Angel from the Opium book - ink and gouache

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:55:00 +0000

ink and gouache drawing for Opium

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:55:00 +0000


Ideas drawing for Bookworm sculpture: 'Nest built by bookworm that has ingested a copy of Gormenghast'

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Random doodle

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium, got to re-work that big toe!

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:11:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:13:00 +0000

ideas for a shed built from pallets and recycled materials

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:15:00 +0000

drawing of a male profile inspired by markings on a wooden fence post glimpsed from a train

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:16:00 +0000

tiny angel wings doodle

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:17:00 +0000

mixed media painting for Zombie book

Daily drawingmixed media painting for Zombie book

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:19:00 +0000

mixed media painting for Zombie book

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:20:00 +0000

mixed media painting for Zombie book

Daily drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Kruse) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Ink and gouache illustration for Opium