A Nice Finish

A very nice day for printing yielded the final colors on this commission edition.  Added some more foliage on the tree and the wrought iron railings to bring this piece to a nice finish.

Beginning to Leaf

What a miserable day to print!  Rainy, foggy, damp and cold.  I cranked up the woodstove and drove the moisture out of the studio with some good old fashioned heat.
Cut the stencil for all the leaves and printed it in white.
Then, leaving the stencil in registration (alignment) I washed out the white ink and reprinted the same stencil with yellow. (The white served as an undercoating.)
Then I blocked out a portion of the yellow and printed the rest green.  Tomorrow I'll print yellow ochre and orange leaves as well as a darker green.  The color balance is coming together and the composition is singing.
After I've printed all the leaves, I'll cut the delicate railing stencil and print that in black to finish the piece.
Stay tuned.

Weekend "Print-a-thon" A Success

Working up to my elbows in ink all weekend has yielded a terrific image with exceptional registration.  There are several unique features to this print that make it unusual.
First, there are two totally separate black stencils.  The one shown here is the base stencil over which I'll print the tree and fall foliage which will bring fantastic color to this piece.
The second black stencil is the railings and fencing that was too delicate to cut around and will be my final stencil.
Secondly, I'm going to undercoat all the multicolored leaves with white ink.  I rarely print white, but this will give the leaves a three dimensional look that I think will give real depth to the composition. I have two more big days of printing to finish this image, so stay tuned.

A New Print Underway

I've already printed nine stencils on my newest original serigraph.  It took three days, but tomorrow, Saturday,
I'm locking myself in the studio to have a "Print-a-thon".

This is a special commission with a deadline, so stay tuned to see the magic happen before your eyes.
I'm approaching this print a little different than I normally print.  I'll be printing some of the dark colors before light ones; which I rarely do, but there is method to my madness and I'll explain as the image takes shape.  The largest and most intricate stencil is the grey, which I am planning on cutting and printing tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

New Mural Installed in Fairfax Circle, Virginia

     Here's an exciting project that I have been working on for several months this past fall.
It began when I was approached by Peterson Company of Fairfax, Virginia to create murals for one of the properties they manage in the Fairfax Circle retail center.
     The three murals on "Monument Wall Way",
(appropriately named, I thought), illustrate a cyclist, lacrosse players and a young woman in
an equestrian jumping competition.
     I used real models, did extensive photography, and manipulated the final images in Photoshop.  My final artwork was printed on high tech panels that replicate ceramic tile without the high cost of a ceramic tile installation.  A lot of this process was experimental, (at least for me), and I credit Peterson Company for their support and patience. The final project took longer from start to finish than planned; with some trial and error involved, but the final product speaks for itself.

"Flower Buckets", a nice finish

It was cold and rainy this morning. I cranked up the old wood burning stove in the studio and printed the blue and black in perfect registration.  I am so delighted with the way "Flower Buckets" has been completed.  This edition of only 50 prints will be available for $200 each.  I'll sign and inspect the edition tomorrow and get several framed for the Open Studio this weekend, Saturday & Sunday, December 1 & 2.
Hope you'll come by either day, 2-6 PM and have a glass of fresh cider with me.  Park right in my driveway.
For some reason nobody ever does; but now you know.

Working on a new commission of a vintage Georgetown rowhouse.  I'm waiting on approval of my photos so I can create my rough sketch and then I'll post as I begin printing, hopefully next week.

Whoops!!!

I got so excited about my progress on this print that I forgot to post, so please forgive me.  We now have an image lacking only two colors, (both critical to the final piece).  I cut the deep blue stencil tonight and will cut and print the black after printing the blue. 
I love working in this size format.  The sheet is very easy to handle and registration is a piece of cake, even in an edition with so much color.  Since I'm printing a half sheet there's also the economic issue; I'm using half as much paper and ink.
The wear and tear on me is also less.  In a short period of time I can accomplish a lot of printing.  I'll be sure and post tomorrow when the whole edition is completed and I've figured out a title .  Stay tuned.