frog, lizard, waterfalls

 A busy week in Artlandia!

First, I cut out and collaged together the rose branch and roses (and felt vindicated - it was worth it to re-print the roses 3 times to get the marbling and ink colors juuuuuust right - thumb up!)

Then, I started sewing together the pieces then sewing them down to the ground of the pseudo-tapestry.

This is a good example of sewing the parts of the plant and any rocks and/or animals touching it together.

Then the whole thing gets glued, ironed, and sewn down to the ground.

 Oh my.  I've finished (*unless I add anything) the first, front-most piece.

I've started gathering and positioning the pieces on the second horizontal band, and, of course, I decided it needed just a little something.

First, I carved this adorable little frog (and then re-printed it on slightly "less cyan-y" paper when the color didn't work out the first go round (doh.))

I did end up using the frog, but it wasn't quite right for the spot I was thinking...

Then, I thought of one of my favorites - Martin Schongauer's The Flight into Egypt, and it's awesome lizards. I suspect Durer liked the lizard too - to me, the lizard in his Knight, the Devil and Death, 1513 looks similar.

Martin Schongauer, The Flight into Egypt, 1470-90
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martin_Schongauer_The_Flight_into_Egypt.jpg

Albrecht Durer, Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight,_Death_and_the_Devil

For comparison, with the Durer flipped 

(since copying from a print onto a plate 

would result in a mirror image)

Schongauer top, Durer below

So I made a tiny lizard in tribute :)

Because so much time this week went to focusing on the miniature (tiny stitching, tiny blocks), Honey and I went on an adventure to see something big - her first trip to High Falls! She really seemed to enjoy it (look at that happy face!)

 

 And in para-art news, I think the garden might be at maximum bloom:






















And! Last, but never least, I had excellent feline assistance (not one, but two kitties on the press bed - Eep!)

branch and flowers

A busy week in Artlandia - I printed the rose branch [thumbs up].  I started to lay it out with the turrets ( my Princess helpfully providing a sense of scale.)






















































I want the roses so be in color, so I marbled some paper and printed them...and then decided the paper isn't the right color. I marbled different paper and then tried again...but then decided the ink wasn't the right color...then marbled more paper and tried again.  I think the third time was the charm.

 I also made a new bug block and started to print the bugs

Jr. also helped 

 

 I started sewing the parts down on the bottom layer of the pseudo-tapestry.

Honey and I went to the park to research the colors of mushrooms. 

and we looked at the flowers
for marbling inspiration too

rose branch block - complete

The rose branch is done (and tied with a bow ;) ) ! Whew - I can't believe it's ready to proof. 

Facebook kindly reminded me that it's been a year this week since I printed my first large MDF block with Big Ink! On the one hand, it's hard to believe it's been a year; on the other hand, I think of all the large MDF blocks I've carved since then (in addition to the Gothic tree, the fox body, the tree trunk, the branches and mushrooms, the phoenix, the unicorn body, the turret, and now - the rose branch.) Along the way there have been lots of small blocks and the large landscape woodblock. On the one hand, I've made lots of parts; on the other hand, I'm still working on how to bring those parts together.  

I also started carving this border as an alternative piece to go between the turrets (inspired by
tile design and a border in the Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux that I photographed last month at the Cloisters Museum.

close up  of The Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux
by Jean Pucelle, 1324-28 at the Cloisters Museum
http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/470309

My faithful feline assistants have been with me the whole time - in pretty much the exact same spots (Sometimes, I think it would be funny to do a time lapse video of the carving process from above, in rapid stop motion so that my hands seem to move super fast, the block develops slowly...and the kitties remain in their same napping spots the whole time, Hahaha). I certainly appreciate their company and patience.

Honey was also a faithful companion this week (naturally! :) ), and I especially like this picture of her looking like she's front and center in a Hudson River School painting :).

In para-art news, the garden has beautiful flower and there have been some extra-pretty sunsets this week.

rose bough, pseudo tapestry, and rainbow

 A very busy week in Artlandia!

Work continues on the rose bough:

At 30" - it's big enough that a
single photo doesn't really do
 it justice.

detail with a marker for scale - thumbs up :)

I also started this 9" block of patterned molding
(that could be used between the turrets or as a border).

Work continues on the pseudo tapestry...but at this point, I'm not sure how visible it is from the photo - I've started sewing the parts together and toning the interior sections, for example in between the stems and leaves of the plants, with acrylic and color pencil and still refining the edges a little. I also took a big step and sewed a seam across the top of the mesh that it's  going to be attached to and inserted a dowel so that it's ready for the parts.  I decide to split it into sections. In part, because it will exceed my wall size when I add the turrets, in part to distribute the weight across several pieces. In part, it also has to do with attention - now I can focus on just finishing this section and don't need to wait to finish the architectural/ rose bough part, since that will be assembled in a separate segment.  Full steam ahead!

my digitally hybridized version 

I also did some digital work - Now, that I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (maybe? I think?) with the unicorn...I made a sketch for a future giant collage of Archangel Michael and the Devil.  In my mind the angel looks a particular way, and I haven't been able to find any examples that are close enough (and I've looked and looked and looked) - so I digitally combined some of my favorite 15th century versions to get as close as I could to an approximation of the way I'm picturing it.  It's just an approximation, but I'm happy with how well I got the versions to blend together - thumbs up.

The main sources are 15th century prints by: Master ES, Schongauer and Monogrammist FVB, respectively, all from the versions in the collection of the British Museum.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_
object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?
assetId=45727001&objectId=1356364&partId=1

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection
_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=544849001&
objectId=1552784&partId=1

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_
object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=59879001&objectId=1403623&partId=1

Both Feline Assistants checking out the new addition
(as soon as they were done playing with the box that is ;) )
Princess: "What is this, Human, that you have added to my domain?"
and Jr: " I better rub my face on it then guard (/nap near) it 
- just in case it moves."

I've also been hard at work cleaning and updating the studio.  This week I assembled my very own drying rack! I'm very excited, and it appears the Feline Assistants approve.

I had to open the door to the room with the pseudo-tapestry
to let the A/C in...the cool air wasn't all that came in
"- So this is what you've been keeping from me."
[plopping down right in the middle of the art - doh.]

...and because I love all my creatures,
Honey the Wonder-pup on a hike.  

...where we got super close to this raptor
and I caught it in flight. ( :) !)

very pretty

Aussenwelt

And because it wouldn't be a complete post without pictures of this week's flowers...

Innenwelt

Last, but not least, a beautiful rainbow
 (it was even triple at one point :o - though I didn't manage to capture that in the pictures,
- still, there's no such thing as an ugly rainbow.)