Develop a Vacation Art Studio

For many years now, I have packed up several art supplies to bring with me on vacation to just pass the time by with no specific purpose of developing any of the ideas into finished works. Over the years that has changed from a few simple drawing materials, or a small woodcut, or a travel easel, to a packed car full of way too many supplies. I have even gone to the extent of taking along a portable or desktop printing press(about 100lbs.) to get my artistic energy working. A lot of artists will take a sketchbook, a camera, or a watercolor box since they know these items are small, and can be packed away easily for any trip. I tend to over pack on vacation as I know I sometimes have no idea what will inspire me or what materials I want to use. This time, I planned on woodcut printmaking only and I managed to pack everything I needed into a small box, and an artists portfolio case, minus the large paper and actual wood woodcut plank.

My most recent vacation entails renting a small studio house half way up the hill, and along the northern Californian coast, overlooking the famous Russian River. This peaceful and relaxing spot has allowed me to focus on one print over the next 6 days. I planned for this at least a week ago, and managed to carve or cut my latest work(see previous blog) prior to setting out on my trip. Therefore, I only needed the printing end of my studio. However, my work was large and I would need a fair amount of space and a great setup spot to finish.

When working on larger pieces, I can not stress the importance of having the right equipment for the job at hand. I can not bring a 600lb. press with me, nor is it practical to bring massive inking rollers. Those are the right tools to produce a woodcut large print, but there is no practical means so I have opted for the full manual process using hand tools only. This will add time, and inconsistency in some of the printing depending on how I manage. I have a 2 plate woodcut print to finish printing in 6 days, and 5 sheets of 25”x39” Japanese mulberry paper.

Day 1: on the first day I get right down to work claiming the sunny corner where the breakfast table is, and quickly arrange all the furniture to suite my purpose. My goal is to print 3 different colored prints of the first plate. There are many quick lessons to learn when working large, and little time to make big adjustments. I am not to specific about the color choices I am printing other than I want one or 2 yellow copies and one or 2 peacock green copies.

Inking a large plate like this will take about 3x to 4x more ink and about 5x more time to lay the ink to the surface(My work is just under 30”x18”.). The important steps here is make sure you are adding enough printing medium: Extender to thin out the ink, and Retarder to allow the ink to dry at a slower than normal rate(use about 1/5th of total ink used).

Once the block has been inked, The paper is gently pressed against the wood and flattened out. Some papers tend to warp or wrinkle, make sure your paper is flat before using any pressure to prevent creases. When I use a hand pressing method, I choose an old stand-by, the back end of a large wooden spoon that has been used for pressing small blocks for many years. The challenge here is making sure you continue with even pressure and the ink does not dry up on you while you are pressing the piece, or stick to the surface and tear the paper. It takes at least 10-15 minutes to fully cover the plate by the hand pressing method, and I’ve had to stop at a few points near finishing it because the muscle in my shoulder was burning. I am reminded of the master woodcut artist John Buck’s quote, “it is not hard work, it just takes time.” How true. These words kept me going and working through “the burn” of aching muscles. Even though my muscles were soar, the task at hand just needed time to develop the final image. Over the next few hours, I repeat these steps 3 more times, and come away with 3 good prints: one in yellow-gold, one in mint green, and one in peacock green. My wife convinced me to print a 4^th copy after seeing the print in peacock green, and she suggested black to add more contrast of the woodcut work. I decided this was a great day because with the few successful prints, I am also walking away with one print in red-black that I never intended on printing,…like an added bonus. I clean up and into the hot tub to soak those soar muscles.

Plate 1 in red black

Day 2: I don’t have a completed plan in my head for the way the second plate will be printed over the top of the first. I know the method, and the practice, but seeing a finished piece in my head is impossible right now. Everything is very immediate, unplanned, and basically a test of both woodcut blocks. The second day work goes very slow as the process for printing each color is very time consuming. I manage to finish about ¾ of one print on the second day.

Day 3: I finish the first print and have inspected the final image and how both plates interact with each other. After surveying the image closely I notice that the first plate does not show itself as the second plate does. Its dominating presence makes the print look very regular to me. While I am happy with the final printed results, I am stuck for the next print on how to make more of a balance of each printing plate. I immediately notice in the first print how the 2 figures and their color dominated the image, and looked overworked, and also destroyed much of the beauty of the first plate. Finding the balance for the second plate will require leaving more of the first block to show itself. I set up the next print with the paper only so I can begin at any moment.

Day 4-5: Over day 4 and 5, I thought about color placement a lot, and how I can use the beauty of each plate to balance each other in a finished work. I started the printing on the peacock green proof, and I have completely reversed my normal method of working from light to dark, to dark to light. I imagined that I would be able to see the print develop better using darker colors first, and it will allow me to choose which elements of the first plate to be left alone and shine through on their own. Since I am printing less of the second plate, the print does move quicker to completion, but I have to stop at several points and second guess what I am doing and if it will work in the end.

When is a work finished? I asked myself this question several times while examining the print and in the action of printing it. Do I need to print more? Do I need to make colors richer, etc..etc. These questions let me walk away from the work and leave it until morning.

Day 6: Very little work was added, just a few small spots to make some of the existing colors a little stronger.

The working process of printing allowed me to see what can be done in the middle of completing a work no matter if it is going bad or good. It also allowed me to mentally develop different carving techniques for future works…..How did that happen? While printing I was able to see what the final print would look like or how the plates may overlap each other in different ways, so now, I can emphasize these ideas, make changes, or fine tune them for the next work.

Always be thinking about the next work…..

How Inspiration Became Experimentation

I was out doing a mundane chore at my local hardware store searching for metal snips that will cut through an average screw. While I was searching the shelves and racks, I noticed several punches and awls next to the snips. I have recently begun collecting awls and punches because I feel drawn to experimenting with non-traditional tools for woodcut printmaking. I did this in the past by using a handheld Dremel. The result of those ambitious woodcut prints are shown here. Judith and Holofernes and Portrait of Rembrandt. I made these impressions by attaching a very small drill bit and drilling out the white space one whole at a time. These prints were very labor intensive and I abandoned the Dremel returning to traditional woodcutting tools.

Once again I am find myself wanting to experiment. I don't really know that there is a method to developing new printmaking techniques, but know my inspiration will lead me. So back to the hardware store. I saw these punches that would not just make a dot mark, but an actual circle punch and in three different sizes, too. As I stare at these tools and I am thinking how they will mark the wood and what sort of printed impression they will make. But, I purchase my snips and leave the circle punches for another time.

That other time came just a week later when I realized I could not do another print without giving these new tools a go. I purchased 2 of the 3 sizes and started working on a small print, 5" x 8", Shorebirds of Alameda. This woodcut is inspired and created entirely from my new tools.
I believe normally most creative inspiration revolves around developing the image through successively working, sometimes over a period of time, until the ideas of what you are trying to create and what your hands can actually do come together in a the final work of art. Subject matter is most often the source for the creativity behind all that long and hard work.

As I began using the new tools, I realized I had a lot of different options for how I was going to work with them. Figuring out my first print was a test, I freed myself from all preconceived notions of the proper method to use these tools and just go at it and make the first print. My initial reaction was mixed. The print itself was not especially fine or beautiful as it was a simple study of birds on the beach. But I also like the tools enough to continue. I found that their power is not in random striking of the punches creating this sort of scribble effect as you see in Alameda Shorebirds. Their power derives from the various patterns that I can concoct by varying the way I use the punches, chisels, and awl.

Tale of Two Self-Portraits

Recently, I took two of Gary's paintings to hang in my office at work. Within the first few days, some co-workers came into my office and noticed the new pieces immediately. Two colleagaues really loved the surrealist paintings and asked if Gary had painted them. We chatted about the subject matter and I told them their titles, "St. Francis" and "Electricity." I hadn't seen these paintings in a couple of years and I was reminded how much I have loved these older works.

I came home and told Gary about how much I enjoyed his surrealist work. We started talking about how his work has transitioned since then. St. Francis, a self-protrait, has always been one of my favorite paintings. Recently, Gary painted another "Big Self-Portrait" which has also become a favorite of mine. And we started talking about how Gary's self-portraits have evolved from St. Francis to Big Self-Portrait, same subject matter but two totally different treatments, both equally interesting.

Gary said he had emerged from a period quietness and stillness when he was painting the lovely and serene San Francisco Bay Area landscapes. During this time he really concentrated on his art of painting, and working the light. The result in Big Self-Portrait is stunning. In St Francis, I love the narrative and the beautiful and fanciful imagery. In Big Self-Portrait the artist's portrait is painted in striking colors and simplified shapes. Each color and shape impart in the artist's face shifting emotion and powerful serenity. For me the external interest and beauty of St Francis is now internalized, richly and expressively in the emotions of the artist's face. Once fanciful and light, is now grounded and evocative.

Another recent work, a large print called "Woman with Calla Lilies," is equally as stunning. The subject of the print is enigmatic. Her gaze is steady, strong, and yet, soft. To me she has the same mysterious expression as the Mona Lisa. Tonight I saw Woman installed at the opening night of the new CSP show at the Adobe Art Gallery in Castro Valley. I thought it breathtaking. There was a good crowd at the show and everyone was commenting on how much they liked the show. As we mingled with other CSP members and other gallery visitors, I overheard many attendees comment on how much they liked Woman. She seems to have the same affect on everyone - from the moment that she comes in your sight, she draws you in closer for a longer and deeper look.

I can't wait to see more...

Kavita