Eighteen Colors and Counting...

Printed six colors today on a day that started out cold and clammy.

After my first two colors, decided to print a reduction stencil.

This is the stencil in the lower right side of the image.

The first printing is white ink.  I then "reduce" the stencil by 

brushing on lacquer based blockout to fill the area of the stencil

I would like to remain white.  Then, without changing register

(alignment), I reprint the same stencil using pink ink.  Now I 

have the pink printed in perfect alignment over the white and

I've only cut one stencil.  A little later I'll print another reduction

stencil and print 4 colors (quite a feat) and everything should

align perfectly.  Got so psyched with how nice this came out that

I cut two fairly complex stencils (purple and dark green) and

printed both of them too!  Course, I'm posting this at almost 10 PM,

so it was a very full day of work.  

I won't print tomorrow ( my skills as a babysitter are in high demand),

but I'll try to print a couple colors on Sunday.   Stay tuned.

By Monday or Tuesday this is really going to get exciting.
Wait until I start printing the rest of the flowers.

Four More Colors

Another beautiful day for printing.  Two greens, brown and dark blue down today.  I'll be cutting stencil again tonight so I can print tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Four Colors Printed

Lavender, grey, brown and green today.  An absolutely perfect day for printing plus I cut a really large green stencil that I'll print tomorrow.  This garden is full of colorful blooms that I'm going to print in white ink and then overprint in color.  The white stencil will be an all day affair that I'm really looking forward to cutting.
Stay tuned.

A New Beginning

This past Fall I had the opportunity to photograph the gardens of Maymont Mansion in Richmond, Virginia.
The difficulty for me was in selecting one image to portray from many stunning views of the house and gardens.  I decided to use the Italian Garden as my subject even though the piece will be extremely challenging and very colorful.  Cut the first five stencils yesterday and printed them today.  I plan to print this a little differently than I normally do;  eschewing my usual " light to dark" approach for something a little more experimental.  As I print,
I'll explain what I'm trying to accomplish so be sure and visit often to check on my progress.

Because my photo was taken in the very early morning there's going to be a lot of contrast and a lot of dark shadows and stunning light.  I'm getting excited just thinking about it.  I'd better go cut some more stencils.
Stay tuned.

Finished

When I finished the black stencil this morning I was delighted to find my paper was very crisp.  A rag sheet absorbs moisture from the air, so on a very humid day you may find yourself printing on lasagna noodles (so to speak).  This can cause havoc because a wet sheet, (limp),  is incrementally larger than a dry sheet .  At any rate, the printing went off without a hitch and the finished print is an unqualified winner. (My humble opinion)  I'll let the edition dry overnight and sign and number the 50 copies tomorrow.

Like a Speeding Motorcycle

Lots of printing accomplished with perfect temperatures and few distractions in the studio.

I'm very pleased with the way this print is coming together.
My gray stencil was pretty involved;
containing not just the gray areas but the undercoating for the black, dark blue, dark gray and dark brown.

I have only a partial workday in the studio tomorrow, but I plan on getting a lot accomplished and with a little luck, I'll finish this edition on Friday.

Stay tuned.

Whoops!!!

Got so excited about this new design that I started printing and forgot to post my progress (six colors).  Please forgive me, I'll be more diligent.   I promise.

As you'll soon see, this is a 1953 Harley Davidson former police motorcycle.
I met the owner in Burtonsville, Maryland at the Sunday morning car show which takes place every Sunday when the weather is nice.  This bike has really gotten the once over and is a beautiful piece of iconic American sculpture.  Stay tuned to see what it becomes.

A Special Visit to the White House

"A Special Visit to the White House", 16 X 21, original serigraph

After I printed the black I decided to add a slightly darker colored highlight screen to the green foliage on the right.  It added a little more depth to the entire composition and I'm very pleased with the way it came out.

I have several projects on the drawing board and I'll make a decision soon on which to print.
Stay tuned.

The Perfect Day For Printing

     Had a feeling that this was going to be a great day for printing.  Got up early and went out to get the newspaper.  The sun was coming up bright and the air was crisp so I made a small fire in my wood stove in the studio.  Within a few minutes, the warmth from the stove had chased out all the dampness in the studio and I started printing my first stencil of the day.  The first small stencil set the pace for the rest of the day as I ended up printing six stencils.  The ink flowed smoothly, the stencils all printed perfectly and dried quickly.  I even got three more stencils cut for tomorrow.
     Days like today make me love what I do.
It's 7:30, I'm going to head downstairs and make dinner and relax while I watch the womens' ACC
Basketball tourney.  Tonight it's U of Maryland and Virginia in the semi-finals.  Should be a great game.
     If you were wondering, this scene is from 1965.
The locale is Washington, DC and I'll tell you more later.   Stay tuned.