Puzzle Progress: The Nature of Humans

The Nature of Humans

Links

SIGN UP: 

https://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/p/humannature-sign-up.html

SECURE WEB LINKS FOR PARTICIPATION COSTS 

(or wait after signup for invoice/link):

https://1000woodcuts.com/collections/human-nature-woodcut-puzzle-print?sort_by=created-ascending

INFO:

https://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/p/humannature.html

and

https://www.facebook.com/groups/puzzlewoodcutprints

As sketching progresses I am mindful of all the "requirements" for the background image in one of these puzzle projects. 

1. The background image is merely a matrix for holding the images/ideas/concepts/interpretations of each individual participants and must remain just that: a humble and semi-transparent yet unifying background.

2. Size-wise, it will be rather large and sized according to paper (panel) size.

3. Although hinting at the theme, it must not superimpose itself to the detailed "puzzle pieces" but point to them; lure the viewer to the details as well as "hold up" on its own from a distance.

4. Large forms must be divisible into logical (or somewhat) puzzle pieces to accommodate individual contributions.

So far here is the image. I toyed with adding elements of nature like branches and leaves perhaps but thought that, in my interpretation, the design should be empty so that the artist contributors will define human nature in 60 different ways.

I left the background as bare earth in topographic rendering, bare human figures empty of everything and awaiting YOUR input.

Once transferred to big pieces of wood and carved, the design, like human nature, will change again. The individual contributions bring it to life!

Human.Nature. latest background image
Size approximately 40" x 52" (102 x 132 cm)
Small divisions within the figures represent roughly
the size, location and relationship of participant puzzle pieces

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Going to a new home!

Thank you collectors

I have been lucky through the years that my artwork seems to find its way to new homes, sometimes slowly, sometimes in droves. These two just sold to someone who appreciates 25% off and apparently my figurative works! Very happy, thank you.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/1000woodcuts

Stay in touch!

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

Time flies! New print

Exchange time!

Another print made for an exchange among printmakers. To the uninitiated this may seem like a silly exercise, artists make prints and send them to each other. But looking closely, exchanges allow printmakers (many without websites) to send their art to 30 fellow artists and receive a neat portfolio of prints from all over the world. I personally have built an astounding collection of 2500 prints and counting and in exchange, my prints are in possession of a thousand printmakers worldwide. Wow.

Some details and info here:

https://1000woodcuts.com/collections/unique-figures/products/original-woodcut-print-liquid-glow-figure-lake-sunrise-handmade-paper

Below is my contribution to Barenforum.org Exchange #84 with some progress pictures.

And here a YouTube Video of the print making!

Print Title: Liquid Glow

Paper Dimension: 10x15 inches

Image Dimension: 8x12 inches

Block: Cherry plywood x2

Pigment or Ink: Daniel Smith oil based, Gamblin transparent base

Paper: Lotka Rust with leaf inclusions, handmade in Nepal

Edition: 100

warming light

liquid glow

a new dawn

For some reason this size paper inspires figures immersed in nature (often represented by a lone woman, go figure). Nature is my safe place, my healing light, inspiration, stress relief, pure bliss, even if only in imaginary fantasies.

 I combined a puzzle cutout print, the sky, and two rainbow rolls. This combination of techniques allows me to print, with only two blocks, 5 colors and the intermediate colors of gradations, plus the paper color which I used as a midtone.

All the details: https://1000woodcuts.com/collections/unique-figures/products/original-woodcut-print-liquid-glow-figure-lake-sunrise-handmade-paper

Stay in touch!

1000woodcuts Website: https://1000woodcuts.com 
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Maria's Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/1000woodcuts 
1000woodcuts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1000woodcuts/videos

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

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!

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

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.

Key block all carved up

Color map top left, and some notes on newsprint
bottom right

Inks mixed, tested on the tan paper
and into the color coded tubes

That's part of my brain spilled all over
that piece of paper, makes sense
to me!

Tentatively, first pieces get cut

Three hours and six scroll saw blades later...

The scroll blade kerf is so thin
you can't hardly see the divisions.
Once inked, the lines between color
fields disappear under the key block

Stay in touch!

1000woodcuts Website: https://1000woodcuts.com 
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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

Collections

Working in a series

Most of my woodcuts aren't born alone. Usually when my brain is storming with ideas I think of waaaay too many to actually create, I need another Maria to keep up with myself.

Many artists work in a series, it's a way to explore an idea or concept fully, to get all the angles, create all the derivatives until the creative bug is exhausted.

I tend to begin with what I call "sketches" although I don't sketch on paper, I go right to the blocks! When developing ideas, I grab smaller blocks and begin with a pencil, usually working from memory but relying on model books (for figures) and maybe photos (for landscapes). Once the pencil roughs things out, I commit and use a permanent marker to settle the drawing. From there, it's just another little woodcut.

Here's a studio tip: I often print them together and then trim the paper after the ink dries. Saves time and makes the series of prints more cohesive to have them on the same type of paper and ink.

Figures and landscapes

Here are two such series from my website

Stay in touch!

Website: https://1000woodcuts.com

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In the waterfall

There she is!

Before it all begins, block, wood stains, 
oil paints for tinting, fine brushes
and a lot of courage

The easy part, a bit of walnut stain
on the pine tree and nearly 
transparent satin finish with a tint
of ebony on the rocks

Same light tint of the rocks
add some green oil tint

Same light gray tint with 
blue for the water

All the gory details

Finito! Added some shadows
and some pearl in the waterfall

Showing off texture
and my "chop"

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Just working! Oh and online news

New works in progress

Just about done with a new version of an older work. I changed the name because I can so what used to be "Pine creek" is now "In the waterfall" There isn't a new print, just a deep relief single hand carved basswood block. Staining/painting in progress. Pics of the old print and new version:

In the waterfall getting carved up

Block finished and old(er) print from 
previous block

New in progress

I still participate in exchanges and there is a deadline coming in about 6 weeks. The theme is "colorfield" and so I'm planning a couple of canyon landscapes. The key block will be subdued and the color block will be cut, inked separately and assembled at press. Here are the sketches for the key blocks. I love hiking the narrow slot canyons of the Southwest, they lure you in and they guide you out.

They lure you in
They guide you out

And finally...

Lacking art festivals until at the very least the fall and maybe beyond, I have been busy upgrading online management of my storefronts. First, I acquired a new listing tool that allows me to manage inventory on several fronts; handy little gadget although the learning curve is giving me headaches. I chose SellBrite although there are many others out there. Just seems to fit.

Second, I'm baaaaack on Ebay!!! Oh how I have missed the bargaining, wheeling and dealing, auctioning...just seems a lot more "live" and interactive than a plain ol' online store. Almost like being there with my collectors in person (almost). 

Here is the link: https://www.ebay.com/str/1000woodcuts

Aside from that, I also have a presence in Amazon Handmade and my main store in Etsy. Links please!

https://www.amazon.com/handmade/1000woodcuts

and 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/1000woodcuts

Next is a Shopify store which gives me more flexibility than any online marketplace since it is in essence my website. Working hard on that! 

Seems like a lot of shops but "they say" in this case more is better. So far I sure have seen an increase in sales in all fronts. Just sold this one over the weekend on "the bay" Awesome!

Angry Skies original block
going to a new home!

100 Acts of Kindness starts to build

Big Blocks carved, mounted

I named the big blocks: Fly Now Live Be Free 

I had to name them something for organization's sake and 1-5 or A-E just not creative enough for this wild mind. So now we have a poem, each word in itself congruent with the theme, as well as the whole phrase.

Here some pics of the fixing up and mounting

All the blocks carved with one puzzle piece in place
Marlene Vidibor

After carving, the blocks are matched up
side to side and I make corrections to
the design

After the correction, perfect match!

More puzzle pieces arrive

It will be some time before the "whole" takes shape but some blocks are arriving and I dutifully place them in place. Now that I have backing boards glued to the big blocks, I can permanently level them and glue them in place.

Backing glued

I mark the back of the backing
(will be the bottom) with the shapes of
the empty pieces, this way if a particular
piece gives me printing troubles I can adjust
with easy location

Daryl DePry

August Mezzetta

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