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!

It's a FESTIVAL! oh boy oh boy! Scottsdale Arts Festival March 13-15

At all costs!

Made reservations for this big bad boy Scottsdale Arts Festival March 13-15 way long ago. Since it is prime season in Arizona, I saved huge by prepaying my hotel. And then the COVID19 and the rain came...

Aaahhhhh well, what's a little flu and a little rain (a lot of rain forecasted actually with thunder-boomies and bolts of lightning). But in the art festival world, we're always thinking that THIS festival will be GREAT anyway. Yep.

Look for me under the rain walls in BOOTH 146 - Civic Center Plaza, downtown Scottsdale, Arizona

Been there, done that!

Loaded and revving

So I spent the last few weeks matting and framing and the last few days finding stuff and loading up. Now I'm all packed and rip-roaring to hit the road in the faithful steed. I packed my rain walls (clear vinyl so I can stay dry and still show off my stuff), I packed extra tarps, ponchos and sturdy non-slip shoes. I confess I just got up and grabbed and extra poncho, just in case. Poor truck.

Ah so beautiful in Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza

Art you will see!

Taking the "big ones" and some blocks since serious collectors walk about this particular festival often. 

Baile del Sol

Fragile

Moonshadow

Uprooted

See you there!!!

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Oh so close! Update #5

Latest news about 100 Acts of Kindness - 4 days left to JOIN US! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1000woodcuts/100-acts-of-human-kindness?ref=7gs7uo

Sketches

First, check out the sketches top of the project main page! Our grand design will be butterflies being released to freedom and flight by a kind hand (or two, yet to decide). Your tiny block may be a butterfly wing, part of the hands, a flower, maybe a swirl in the wind... 3 versions of a possible grand drawing, picture it 6-foot wide by 30 inches tall

I hate marketing...

...but I've been promoting like a mad woman. Direct mail and messaging have been the best producers. So far I've only been kicked out of one Facebook group for excessive posting, LOL! We still have 3 live ads on Facebook and one on Instagram that are getting a ton of clicks into the project and a few are converting. I see a lot of new names and that's a great thing! Lately I have been contacting my best collectors, local galleries and art groups. If just one or two come through, we will be funded very soon!  Still 5 days left and there is usually a spike in procrastinators at the end, so let's keep our fingers crossed at all times. With your other hand, if you have some artist friends on the verge of signing up, give them a gentle reminder to join us quickly. That's it! Hopefully in about a week you will receive a "We're Funded!" email and we will proceed from there. The wood panels are here, by the way! So beautiful, I will begin cutting the panels to size this weekend. Always fearless, Maria

Stay in touch!

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

A tiny festival? New works

Festival in the Pines

August 3-4 at The Retreat
(formerly the "new" lodge"
or The Resort, depending how old you are)
2755 Kyle Canyon Road Mt Charleston NV

Oh it's just a little one for Artisans residing in Mt Charleston Nevada or whereabouts. But I'm getting into matting a little, no framed works except 8x10s and just a few. Easy does it...I will be inside the lobby with my matted displays.

New stuff

Kind of getting into remakes of some older works, especially big ones that are near sold out. The online world is completely different from the "real" festival world,  in terms of visits, sales and resulting income. So we adapt to the little prints and some of my best selling works are getting "revisited" in smaller versions. Still original woodcuts as I am making some modifications and carving a completely new block or three, but smaller. The image is roughly the same.

Fun! Here is a tiny "Oculus" remade into "Fragile"

Print Title: Fragile

Paper Dimension: 10 x 10 inches

Image Dimension: 9 x 9 inches

Block: Cherrywood

Pigment or Ink: Gamblin and Daniel Smith

Paper: Daphne handmade

Edition: 100

Comments: "For all those born beneath an angry star

Lest we forget how fragile we are"

Those lyrics are from a Sting song, later I heard it by Jesse Cook. I am a loner and enjoy solitude but time and again I am reminded how very much I depend on and cherish connections with friends and family, however fragile they may be.

The image is a revisit of an early large print with some modifications...and a new tiny block of course.

Stay in touch!

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Two New Works

Still of the Night

This is a pretty standard "wood" engraving, carved on Resingrave from McClain's Printmaking Supply http://www.imcclains.com/. Wood engravings in black and white are solely dependent on light in order to achieve a successful image. My own approach is to sketch with pencil first, then a thin permanent marker (Sharpie). Once I have all the shapes blocked in black marker, I proceed with the engraving. 

I use standard burins, gravers and such and on occasion take up a rotary tool with a very thin bit in order to achieve some random marks. Nearly all the disciplined line work done with a standard engraving tool, nearly all the squiggly stuff done with rotary tool.

I don't tend to proof when doing woodcuts but do use proofing when engraving. I also "ink" the block as I engrave with a thick marker and a very light touch to get an idea where the light and dark are going. I feel the light is very vibrant and always in motion and I think this engraving reflects that (ironically, despite the name: Still of the Night!).

The engraving depicts Omen, a stray cat who frequented our outside feeders for about 6 months. I learned her name, when, ironically again, Omen was struck down by a vehicle days after I finished the engraving.

Still of the Night
wood engraving, 3 x 6 inches

Old Cabin

About 3 years ago we purchased an old cabin built in 1972 that had been sitting unwanted for over 20 years. More than an old cabin, it has become a refuge, an ongoing project, a learning experience, a getaway, a delightful never ending occupation and ever present peaceful and quiet place. More irony, we said: "let's not get something that's a lot of work!"

The print is leading toward my new body of work as will be seen in a future post. This "guide" print is done with two cherry blocks. The key block carries all the information and the single color block is printed in two "rainbow" rolls, as shown in the ink slab picture. In this manner I can get all the color in one pass, in typical efficient-Maria-fashion.

I used hand-made banana bark paper, which was hand-torn rather than cut and printed damp. This poses a slight potential registration problem, so I run my fingernail along the registration guides to score the paper. The fibers of the paper have "memory" and retain the slight score, even as the paper was redampened for over printing the key block. Here is the process in images:

Print Title: Old Cabin
Paper Dimension: 7.5 x 10 inches
Image Dimension: 7 x 9 inches
Block: Cherrywood
Pigment or Ink: Charbonnel Aqua Wash
Paper: Banana bark handmade
Edition: 60

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A little print for a Barenforum.org exchange

Exchanging Prints

One of the wonderful things about being a printmaker is that there is a long tradition of exchanging prints with other artists. My collection of prints from fellow artists is now in the thousands! For the pleasure of getting someone else's artwork, we send some of our own. Beautiful.

Barenforum.org is a woodblock/woodcut printmaking loosely organized bunch of folk who have exchanged prints over the years. This particular exchange calls for a 10 x 7.5 inch print, no theme, 27 participants. Let's get to work.

Angry Skies

My inspiration this year is in the mundane. I walk nearly every day up, down and around a local park with pup in tow (or viceversa). This winter has been particularly blustery and many days the skies seem to show a lot of pent up energy, waiting to unload. Cold wind buffets my face as I snap a few bad reference pictures. Then on to the studio to capture the feeling.

The picture captions tell the rest of the tale so far.

Reference photo

Carving the main block

Key block (main block) is done!

A proof on working paper

Proof "Angry Skies"

Transfer key block to color blocks with mylar

Color blocks ready to be carved

Vegetation block in rainbow roll (split roll)
mustard yellow to dark reddish

Registration jig so paper always in the same place

Pulling  a print on good paper

The split (rainbow) roll close up

Day's work, 65 prints roughly, tomorrow another color!

Stay in touch!

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The River another small block carved by your fearless instigator and Test Block report

The River

There is something about watching a river roll by that is calming and peace-giving like no other experience, except maybe watching the ocean. I could engage in either for hours. But while the ocean ripples back and forth, the river goes by washing away fear and doubt and everything wrong, and offering new fresh water with every second passed. Much like time, and life. The sound itself is constant, soothing, trickle or roar it fills me with peace leaving no room for anything but a clean and pure tranquility.

And when speaking of rivers, the Colorado is first in my heart. I have been to many places in and around this awesome gift of nature and none too many, I hope to see many more.

"The River" is my third block for the Peace Puzzle.

The River, peace puzzle contribution by Maria Arango Diener

Test Block

A while back I reported I would be carving a block to test the integrity of the MDF/cherry veneer plywood that I purchased for the Peace Puzzle. Well here it is! The carving was of the background image and included some very thin lines, curves and other possible trouble spots. 

I covered the entire thing with polyurethane to give the MDF (medium density fiberboard) a sealant and also "glue" the edges of the carved veneer to the surrounding MDF support. This way the roller, covered with sticky ink, would hopefully not break up the bond between support and veneer and printing would go smoothly.

Test block with polyurethane ready to be printed on my press bed

Close up, yummy finish huh?!

I am pleased with the results although I did lose a tiny piece of line in the initial roll of ink. I still don't have any idea where it came from. Also, I tested some "repairs" done with wood glue and all held up very well. Additionally, the edges of the block seemed to be just fine with having the press roller on and off without crumbling or breaking. 

I will post on Facebook later this weekend and have a giveaway! I want some young budding artists to color some of these so if you are a teacher, get ready to message me. I will give away 5 prints to be colored by 5 different groups of youngsters. No charge, just for fun, no need to return the print. Just take a picture of the result and I will post on my Facebook page.

A day's work, about 15 prints hangin' out

Peace Puzzle test block image
20 x 36 inches paper size
12 x 32 inches image size
Ready for coloring!

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Four more makes twenty-eight pieces of peace

Enjoy the latest!

Birds, bunnies and other critters seem to be a recurring symbol for peace, as are children. Interesting! Maybe we should have our world leaders rescue pets and volunteer in orphanages to make them mellower and more peaceful, what do you think?! Brilliant, I say...

Wendy Morris
Spokane Washington USA

Nancy Nastari
Brasil - Guaruja

The essence of the nature of birds is the freedom to fly, are related to beauty and tranquility of living. No matter how the day dawns, they are always singing, express unity, joy and pleasant moments. His singing conveys peace and your flight is connecting the earth and heavenly plans!

Martha Knox Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA marfknox@gmail.com

"I changed my mind about a dozen times on what to draw on my block. The first things that came to mind were symbols of peace, but that was too obvious. Then I thought about figures from history famous for working toward peace, but that felt too specific for a big, collaborative project. Then I started thinking about images from nature, such as maybe a tortoise, elephant, or owl, that are associated with patience and wisdom. But nothing I came up with really resonated with my personally.
Finally, I realized that I'd completely over-thought the whole thing and felt stuck. So I emptied my head and asked myself when in my own life do I feel most at peace. And the answer was when I'm reading to my girls before bedtime.
Now as I was drawing and carving, I didn't exactly consider how this block will be oriented when it is put back into the larger piece. I simply came up with an image that fit the way it fit. So the girls will be upsidedown in the final piece. But I'm okay with that because the overall design for the puzzle is very fluid and it seems as if things are being gently blown all around the composition. And after all, Marc Chagall never had a problem with people's heads being upsidedown! "

Caroline Maddison
Talybont.  Wales. UK
www.carolinemaddison.co.uk

Wales is steeped in old folklore, legends and some wonderful dramatic landscapes and wildlife.
One such legend that engaged me was of St Melangell, the welsh patron saint of hares. The story of Melangell came about in the 7th century.
 Brochwell, the Prince of Powys was hunting and pursuing a hare, the hare took refuge under Melangell`s cloak. The prince`s hounds stopped in their tracks, turned and fled. The Prince was so moved by her courage that he gave her the valley as a place of sanctuary. Melangell had a church built on that very spot and became Abbess of a small religious community. She was buried there and the church today is a place of pilgrimage.
As this place is not far from where I live, I decided to visit .I am not a particularly religious person but as soon as I arrived, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and spirituality. It was beyond words and is an experience that has stayed with me.
I feel honoured to be part of this world wide collaboration with such a powerful and positive theme. My personal experience of peace at St Melangell`s church and my carving of the hare is my small contribution to this project.

Stay in touch!

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