Mammoth progress steps!

Progress Update on the Peace Puzzle

Let's check the check-list published a few posts ago and see how we are doing, shall we?

-Finish printing (roughly 3 days) - DONE!

-Finish image composite in high resolution and send to printshop to make posters (by weekend) - DONE!

-Finish colophon/book and send to Create Space (Amazon) to proof and print (another week or soish) - DONE! 

-Stamp all prints with our official Peace Puzzle 2015 stamp (half day) - working...

-Collate 160 sets (the other half) working...

Yet to do:

-Wait wait wait for book and posters to arrive back to me (...) ETA for posters October 28, ETA for books November 4

-Mail out 160 neat packages plus the backers (non-artists) packages (roughly 4 days)

-Go hiking in the Sierras like John Muir and come back six months later enlightened, skinny and with a long beard (six months) (looking forward to this one, especially the beard part, I've never grown a beard before)

Peace in Print: 160 Artists Make Peace

Honestly I didn't think I would finish the book by now but there it is, up and running, waiting for CreateSpace to send me my 190 books, some for participants and backers and some for extras. And the posters for book inserts have already been shipped! Still waiting on the large size posters for other backers of the project.

Soon available worldwide through Amazon online, print and e-book, and on Kindle:

ISBN-13: 978-1518740633 

ISBN-10: 1518740634 

Peace in Print book cover soon available in Amazon

Next?

While I wait I can collate the prints and stamp the backs, should be done in a day. Then I may begin taping the tubes and boxes and inserting the prints but I don't want them rolled up in there longer than they need to be. I can also prepare the spreadsheet for importing into my mailing widget so I can quickly crank out the mailing labels when the books get here.

Estimated mailing dates for artists and backers are November 8-10

I have an urge to clean up the garden and trim some branches and breathe some fresh air too! After a whole week of 14 hour days at the computer, I need some serious exercise in the open air, sun and sky.

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Wee bit of construction and the book Peace in Print

Construction in the studio

There is only one solution when trying to fit 8 stacks of 160 prints each into my humble studio, go high! So this Sunday I built an "apartment building" to aid in collating the prints. Rough construction but I had some scrap wood and it will do very nicely when the time comes for collating the sets of prints. Incidentally for the first few years of my young adult life I stacked my few books and some plants on furniture made with cinder blocks and particle board shelves. Easy construction, easier take down, worked great, cheap as dirt...ah the days!

Anyhow, here are some pics of the Peace Shelves

Major stack of 1380 prints on a convenient hydraulic lift table

2x6 risers, 1x2 cross members, 3-ply corrugated cardboard shelves

First four

Instruments of mass construction

Ready to roll, captain, my captain!

...and the Peace in Print book

Constructing the information book isn't nearly as fun as playing with wood and screws but I really really want to be mailing before the Christmas rush hits the postal services. So I'm progressing nicely, below a pic of my "office" with my BFF Bamboo graphics tablet and Photoshop on the screen. Window keeps me sane. 

Each artist gets a page and that is what I'm working on at the moment, 160 images to be extracted from the Peace prints, one image for the location icon (top right), one image for the block (smaller) and one image for the resulting print with the background faded for effect (larger image). And of course the artist's name and location and whatever they wrote about their image. Coming along nicely!

Where it all gets put together

Thank goodness for the window and the coffee

Sample page for each artist

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Sneak a peek!

Update

I am now merely 80 prints from finishing, sore and tired but extremely delighted to be nearly done. As the printing continues, I have now a good print and a good photo of all the panels and so you may, yes you may, sneak a peek at our Peace Puzzle. I am uploading a large image in 72dpi so make sure you click on the image and view at your heart's content (about 2000 pixels wide). Say it very quietly "yaaahoooooo" shhhhhh...

Peace Puzzle 2015 - 160 international artists

Remaining Tasks

As I finish printing I am also putting together the book, going faster now but there are only 24 good hours in any given day or I would be going faster yet. Oh, and I sleep too! Seriously, very close now to being completely finished. Here are the tasks remaining, each of them taking a wee bit longer to complete than to list:

-Finish printing (roughly 3 days)

-Finish image composite in high resolution and send to printshop to make posters (by weekend)

-Finish colophon/book and send to Create Space (Amazon) to proof and print (another week or soish)

-Stamp all prints with our official Peace Puzzle 2015 stamp (half day)

-Collate 160 sets (the other half)

-Wait wait wait for book and posters to arrive back to me (...)

-Mail out 160 neat packages plus the backers (non-artists) packages (roughly 4 days)

-Go hiking in the Sierras like John Muir and come back six months later enlightened, skinny and with a long beard (six months)

Stay in touch!

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

Quick update and an upcoming gig

Workshop

I have been up at Ft Worden in Port Townsend, Washington for the annual meeting of the Nature Printing Society http://natureprintingsociety.org/ 

Wonderful time! I both taught and learned, hiked and saw sunrises and sunsets. More on a later blog post with pictures.

Update on the Peace Puzzle

I left about 25 prints to be printed on the Flow block and have only two more to go. That means roughly 300 prints and I will be counting down in the days to come. Printing resumes promptly tomorrow and will continue at full throttle until finished. 

I still have to finish building the book-colophon to send to all participants, photograph, collate the prints and mail the whole shebang. Give or take three weeks worth of intensive work but I can now see the distant finish line through the haze.

Gig alert!

Only one gig left this year, in nearby Scottsdale Arizona, really Phoenix area. All the details upcoming here and on my Facebook page so stay tuned. I should have my location very soon and I may give away some tiny prints and other fun things. I love this setting and the whole downtown Scottsdale area, very cultural, very nice to walk around. Here are the details:

Scottsdale ArtFest 2015
Nov 21-22
Downtown Scottsdale Arizona
http://888artfest.com

Stay in touch!

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

A Peaceful Mystery and More Progress

Progress Report!

Three blocks are now printed with the Water block having been completed, ooooh, about 30 minutes ago. I worked my helper Suzanne Salsbury until she cried...well, no, maybe that was ME that was crying! But we managed to print 75 prints today to finish off the block. We now have 156+136+135 prints done or 427 done and about 850 to go.

The LOVE BOAAAAT, I mean the Love Block is next, all prepped and ready for ink. Why do I keep singing the Love Boat song? Well when I first came to 'Merrica, I was assigned a good dose of daily television by my English as a Second Language teacher. So I learned all about the Brady Bunch, Opie's show, the Love Boat, Bewitched, and others like that. My cousins helped a lot, mostly screaming at Donny and Marie Osmond (mostly at Donny) and, oh yes, the Jackson Five with little Michael. I learned English fast :-)

Anyhow, back at the studio...

The Peaceful Mystery

So now to my mystery. If you recall I had some drop outs and had to cut some substitute blocks. I had just cut a block to fill in the Sun block. That's my block "You've got a friend" with the one dude helping the other dude get up the mountain. That's also my block above it with the happy Maria enjoying the vastness and beauty of nature. So when I received the block that belongs where the Friends go, I was happy to get something made by a participant other than Maria. Then I nearly freaked out...

The block I received was from an art festival friend and excellent artist and she designed the word "Peace" in Hebrew. Beautiful lettering and nothing strange about that...

...except that the block that is right next to it has the word "Peace" in Arabic. These participant artists do not know each other, neither knew the location of their block, and I randomly assign blocks to artists after they are packed so I don't know where they go or who will carve them. Make of that what you will! I love a good destiny mystery.

I will have to flip the letters in order for them to read correctly but all I could say is WOW! Then I looked up very carefully...

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Progress report and more pieces in place

Progress report

About 115 prints are hanging high drying in my studio. My friend and fellow artist Mary Hill is now helping me and things go much faster with two. Tomorrow we hope to finish the first block...and then there are seven more to go! Oh how we love big projects--well, maybe just me, I love big projects. I do.

Sadly there are still 8 blocks outstanding someeeewheeeeeeere out theeeeeere over the rainbow or who knows where. I have received no response from 3 participants so today I cut some substitutes and I will carve something peaceful on them the next few nights. 3 or 4 drops out of 160 artists is really not bad at all, I am very happy with the participation. Onward!

Five more

Æleen Frisch Wallingford, CT USA

Peace, if it comes, will emerge as a surprise from a cocoon of uncertainly and dread.

Mary Weimer Green Avon Lake, Ohio http://emkaygee.wix.com/maryweimergreen

Peace is such a simple concept, but so difficult to achieve. My block suggests the hope of peace, even against bitter reality. 

Julianne Kershaw
Queensland AUSTRALIA

Bobbie Ann Howell
Las Vegas Nevada USA

Dimitris Grammatikopoulos
Terneuzen NETHERLANDS

Stay in touch!

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Babies! water, daisies, flowers and a piggie

Debbie Kiest Pacifica CA

Peace is such a complex concept, but like love, it starts from within. A baby asleep brings me such calm and joy, especially when I remember how hard I often had to work for those moments when my son was young! But his happy and boisterous moments brought me great peace as well. In these days of violence and inequity it is important to seek sources of peace for ourselves such as art and friends to keep us strong so that we can speak for peace in the greater world. Peace to you!

Murilo Antonio Pereira
Florianopolis
BRAZIL

Mellissa Read-Devine North West Sydney, Australia www.readdevine@aol.com

My image is of a daisy chain. Apart from the obvious peace connotations of hippy like teens in caftans handing around gerberas; I was more inspired by quiet blissful memories sitting in the grass of endless sunshine, the lazy hum of low flying insects in the air, picking daisies and making wonderful adornments that wilted sadly by the time I took them home.

Kris Alder
Utah USA

Dorothy Schultz Calgary, Alberta

Flowers are the ultimate survivors.  They bring peace and joy with their blooms.

Julia Wakefield Adelaide, South Australia http://www.juliawakefield.com.au/

"This is the second time I've participated in one of Maria's puzzle projects. Her energy and enthusiasm are awe-inspiring. In December 2013 I exhibited the City of the World puzzle print at the Hahndorf Academy, a historic building in the Adelaide Hills. People were knocked out by it - they'd never seen so many images by so many artists from so many different countries, all gathered together into one enormous print. I intend to do the same thing with the Peace puzzle print. Maria gives us all the opportunity to collaborate in a way that is very seldom given to anyone: we can speak not only to each other but to the whole world about our love of printmaking, our individual perspectives on life - and our united passion for peace.
My part of the puzzle - 'Peace Pig' - has no special meaning beyond this: I figure that if pigs can occasionally fly, they would also like to sleep on fluffy white clouds when they've had enough of performing miracles."

Stay in touch!

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Hands, nature and symbols

Barbara Carr Salisbury, NH, USA BarbaraCarrFineArt.com

After struggling through several versions of ideas for this block, I settled on the most simple and direct image for "Peace" that I could think of: two people of different origins shaking hands. Originally it was a way to show that the hands held no weapons, indicating that both parties had come in peace.

Bettina Viereck Bloomfield, Connecticut viereck@hartford.edu

"Name of art work: ""Two crows"".
Peace for me involves caring, sharing, joyfulness and playfulness. Crows, my personal favorite birds, demonstrate these attributes very well. Crows are very social birds who are are curious, playful, mate for life, and share and care sometimes even for crows not related to them. "

Clive Lewis
Ontario CANADA

Maria Moser
Ontario CANADA

Sandra Oliver
Oklahoma City sandy.oliver1@aol.com

Wonderful experience and happy to be a part of something so special

DWe Williams Oklahoma City Oklahoma USA ewdwms@sbcglobal.net

Thank you for a wonderful opportunity!

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Two team and four team send peace, better in teams!

Team Graham/Meg

I had the immense pleasure of working briefly with Graham Wimbrow while he worked for the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association here in Las Vegas. I did an artist's residency under his gentle guidance and him and his sweetie attended my workshop. We made a puzzle print, of course!

Here are their contributions for this Peace Puzzle.

Graham Wimbrow
Baltimore, Maryland

Meg Viar
Baltimore Maryland

Team Michaud from Maine, the best organized team wrote everyone's name and block number on the package! Thank you for that!

Along with the blocks, I also received a pile of proofing paper used for packing which will come in handy when cleaning my rollers. And and!! rubber bands, huge rubber bands wrapping every block. Normally this would not be a big deal but look at my rubber band ball right next to the blocks...now it's a bit bigger thanks to Team Michaud. 

Tamera Grieshaber Lewiston, Maine

"A crescent moon and starry night.

So quiet. So peaceful.

Peepers singing. Breeze blowing,

I will sleep soundly tonight.

W-12"

Richard Field Auburn Maine USA

I relate peace with dolphins, These creatures are intelligent and uncorrupted by any political and social beliefs embraced by humans.

Mike Sheehy Lewiston, Maine

"The central motif is reminiscent of a peace symbol in the form of a tree within a circle. It symbolizes the natural and peaceful progression of life from birth, growth, death, and rebirth in a natural, vegetative process absent violence. The flanking peace lilies are meant to re-emphasize the concept as they represent both peace and sympathy for life that is passed.

piece W-16"

Ray Michaud Lewiston, Maine

"Piece W-18

It always fills me with peace to watch the moon playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. I love to watch the moon every chance I get, especially when I am feeling stressed. I think I must have been Japanese in a past life because the Japanese would often organize moon-gazing parties.

Working on this woodblock was a first-time experience for me. I am an avid print collector, but have never carved a woodblock before. My admiration for woodblock artists has increased a thousand-fold! I never imagined how difficult it would be to carve those fine lines.I am participating as part of a group with 3 of my friends. While we are all artists, none of us have ever carved a woodblock before and it has been a truly humbling experience."

Stay in touch!

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