1000 Woodcuts

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Update on the Kindness Puzzle

30 in 70 to go

Tiny blocks are arriving all the time now and the excitement grows in my studio, as if I needed any help! I faithfully record them as they come in and log them into my spreadsheet. Participant information entries are quietly building a book to be sent to everyone as soon as the print is done.

For those of us who don't know what I'm talking about, a puzzle print is in the works called 100 Acts of Kindness. Basically I take five huge blocks, design something, cut them up and send each participating artist a tiny block. Artists carve their block, send it back, I build the puzzle and eventually print the whole thing. Everyone gets prints back with tiny contributions from all over the world. Fun, hard work, entertaining and a great way to spend 2020!

You can follow the play by play on the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/puzzlewoodcutprints/

Here are the latest contributions:

And more

Stay in touch!

1000woodcuts Website: https://1000woodcuts.com
1000woodcuts Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/1000woodcuts
Maria's Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/maria.arango.diener
Maria's Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/1000woodcuts
1000woodcuts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1000woodcuts/videos

Friday, July 31, 2020

Lead Me Out and Lemonade

Conversation With a Canyon II: Lead Me Out

"So how do you like it?

Good, all good, it is very peaceful in here

Are you staying? Few wander in, you know

A little while, I brought lunch

I have water, here and there, clean and cold...

...........

What if I spend the night on that cool bed of sand

I will keep you safe, I will let in the moonlight and the moss scented winds

(to be continued)

Lead Me Out, already transferred to the color block and ready to be printed

Lemonade

When life gives you lemons...

Takes a bunch of daily exposure to keep up the online sales and I still miss the festival life and the face to face contact with customers. These days, it would be mask to mask I suppose but some of us in the "high risk" category are advised to stay away from crowds altogether so even if there WERE any festivals to go to, I would have to abstain. I tweet and post on Facebook and Instagram often, many artists do that now and it is good to see more art on those platforms. 2020 be over!!!!!!

SO! Online shops are the only thing. With the help of my friends at Google (!) I am working on improving my main website and actually I am pleased with the results both on visits and sales. One thing that I enjoy is the messaging system, I have Facebook Messenger linked to my site so many times visitors strike up a conversation and it has the "feel" of a visit to my booth.

EBay has some features that I enjoy such as the bargaining that goes along with the Best Offer feature and the back and forth of offers and counter-offers. Almost like being in the booth on a Sunday afternoon, almost!

I have had more time to finish some editions of little prints that never got done. And I am enjoying using up all the handmade paper in my flat files. My happy studio is a great place, I really like working daily on different things and there is always plenty to do. Working, for me, is bliss and I will leave you with that thought.

Stay in touch!

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Conversation With a Canyon I is done!

The Inky Stuff

Finished print I on the two-part series of canyons. Now that I'm "in" the canyon, I have to carve my way out. Here are all the printing photos of Lure Me In

Decided on the color scheme
now the real stuff, all Daniel Smith (RIP)
oil based inks

First proofs
the stripes are done a la poupee
another way of saying applied free-hand
with a tiny roller

The block inked and assembled,
ready to print

There we go, about 55 or so
paper is Rives BFK tan

Key block with all
the definition

Overprinted the key block
in umber-purple-red-more-umber

Final prints, "Lure Me In"

Stay in touch!

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Conversation With a Canyon, Lure Me In

Oh those canyons

They let you in
One of my first homage to canyons
this one in the Valley of Fire

Hiking alone sometimes results in some strange and wonderful events; as the feet trudge through rocky washes and rugged trails, the mind goes off on a fantastic journey of its own. Around these parts, there are a myriad of slot canyons, many well off the beaten path. I like to find them and then...

What are you looking at?

I'm trying to see how deep you go

Oh, I'm deep alright, why not come in and find out

(silence)

It's really cool in here and the breeze is fresh and smells like wet sandstone

Are you trying to lure me in?

Why not, what are you afraid of?

Not much out here...your eyes are staring at me, is there a way out?

The water carved me and my eyes, the wind rounded me smooth, both of them found a way in and they found a way out

just follow the water

follow the wind

then follow the light

Lure Me In

The first in the series (of two, not so ambitious!) is now carved and ready to print. Following the "color field" challenge, I decided to carve a key block first, then divide my color block into the fields of color. Not a new method with me and it was much fun to revisit my old puzzle color woodcuts.

The key block gets transferred to a single color block and that poor thing gets chopped into as many colors as I want to have in my canyon. Scroll saw in hand and a few hours and presto! I mixed inks yesterday according to my sketches more or less. Ready to print.