OXS Gallery exhibit in Nevada Magazine

Nice surprise!

While doing some post-family gathering cleaning, I came upon the latest issue of the Nevada Magazine January/February 2015 (pp 54). And there it was! An OXS Nevada Arts Council Exhibit blurb with some of my artwork.

My work is the traditional woodcut with the dancers, a piece called Baile del Sol inspired by one of the many flamenco tunes I play while I work in the studio. Ole! Also showing are other figurative works on paper with the carved woodblocks side by side. Exhibit is up in Carson City Nevada (Nevada Arts Council headquarters) until the end of January.

Printmaking adventure extraordinaire!

Puzzle print adventures

I was summoned to nearby St George Utah by Kris Adler (brave art instructor) to help in printing a puzzle print. Obviously I could not resist being involved in a puzzle print! So I saddled up the faithful steed and crossed desert and mountains through some of the most beautiful country in the American West.

After an incredible day of solitude in Zion National Park and a visit with my niece and family and my oh-so-tiny new family member (Dash Awesome Boren), I headed to Pineview High School for a chat with students and a session of ink and fun.

And fun we had! I explained a little about previous puzzle prints and even brought the first puzzle print and  City of the World blocks for all to see:

Then we just got down and dirty and proceeded to print the collaboration print from the printmaking class of Fall 2014. I can't believe I actually just handed my $1000 camera to a couple of budding video-photographers but all's well that ends well and I was very impressed with the photos and videos.

Chronicles

Videos and photos of the resulting print chaos can be seen in various places, mostly in my YouTube Channel and Facebook Page and some pics in my FB Profile. What can I say, I was tired and couldn't make up my mind where to upload it all. Have fun hunting it all down.

1000woodcuts YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/1000woodcuts/videos

1000woodcuts Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/1000woodcuts

Maria's Facebook Profile
https://www.facebook.com/maria.arango.diener

Whew! I hope I'm done for this year because there's family coming for a holiday bash and I have to switch to domestic mode. Have a great one everyone!

Loose ends

Last but not least!

This time of the year, I usually tie up loose ends. After the dust settles from various projects and before my mind races on to the next creative mayhem, I tend to figure out what I need to finish. Shamefully, this year's Chinese Lunar New Year print was still patiently waiting to be carved after being drawn on the block in January.

Printmakers, being a generous and somewhat odd bunch, tend to exchange prints for no good reason at all. We do it often just for the pleasure of owning other artist's work. In fact, I will just boldly state that bartering art with other artists is much more satisfying than exchanging art for money. In any case, one of the yearly traditions for the group of happy printmakers in http://barenforum.org is to exchange tiny prints with the Chinese Lunar New Year theme. Every year!

Chinese Lunar New Year

Now for the creative mayhem thing...I rarely ever actually send the critter that the calendar prescribes. My interpretation of the Year of the rooster was a road runner or Desert Rooster; for the Year of the Rabbit I chose to deconstruct my rabbit (poor thing) and the Year of the Snake turned into an old Hopi Snake Dance:

Desert Rooster

Discombobulated Rabbit

Rattlers

Year of the Horse

Last year I took my Mami on a glorious trip to one of my favorite cities, San Francisco California. On the glorious voyage (sorry for the repetition, the Pacific Coast Highway requires the adjective glorious) we stopped at the Monterey Aquarium. One of the highlights for me were the deliberate and gracious sea horses, dancing their sweet dances with each other; gently and unashamedly wrapping themselves in each other, fluid love...just beautiful.

I know that living in the American West I probably should have made some galloping wild mustangs, but that would have been bordering on the normal. My year of the horse print HAD to be about the sea horses, so here it is Fluid Love, a tribute to these amazing creatures.

They were fruitful and multiplied! A day's work

Fluid Love, wood engraving 6 x 4 inches,
for the Year of the Horse print exchange

It's the moooost wonderful time!

...Of the Year!

I confess I love Christmas season. Mostly it gives me a reason to engage in one of my vices, pathological generosity. Any other time of the year people kind of look at me weird but during Christmas season, well, I can GIVE stuff to anyone and they just chalk it off to the spirit of the season.

More importantly, I like to give art away which means I get to make art. The past couple of years have been strange and I haven't been myself so I decided to renew a holiday tradition and print some original artworks to give away to a short list of friends and family. This year, though, I'm starting something new on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1000woodcuts and reaching out to strangers. Keep an eye on that page, a few days and the experiment will commence!

All is Calm, All is Bright

Two of my favorite giveaway prints, unfortunately I'm out of stock! Printing begins with the background, silver, white and pearl dust! The paper is Rives de Lin, an absolutely luxurious white paper with a soft finish and fluffy texture. The background block is carved and scratched with rough sandpaper so that it adds to the shimmery feeling of the prints. Here we go!

All is Bright (left), All is Calm (right)

Background block

Printed proof

Shimmer pearl, white and silver ink

A day's work!