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.)

flowers and art, art and flowers

I'm especially happy that the
blue delphinium I planted
last year came back,
 and such unusual
(marbled!) petals

Very excited that my flowers are starting to bloom :) ! Check out this lovely bouquet from my yard (I really like this arrangement.)                      

 I also check out the flowers in the conservation area, and the one I used for the block last week (far right) are now everywhere.

.

I continued working on the 12 x 30" rose bough wood block - and, fortunately, one of my favorite little flowers served as good models.

I made some progress, but still a ways to go...  

*While it may seem like I've forgotten about the unicorn pseudo-tapestry, I haven't :). This block is going to combine with the turret to make up the top and upper sides - imagine it like a life-scale version of a 15th century manuscript that combines a French-style architectural border with German-style plant border (Pictures!!)

The turrets will go on the sides...

...and the rose bough will go between them at an angle.

Horas de Nossa S[e]nora segundo costume Roma[n]o, co[n] as horas do Spirito Sa[n]cto. Paris [Wolfgang Hopyl for] Narcisse Bruno, 13 Feb. 1500.(Rosenwald 451) digitized by the Library of Congress

Peregrinatio in Terram
Sanctam. Mainz. Erhard Reuwich for
Breydenbach.1490
(Rosenwald 148)
digitized by the
Library of Congress

 Venturing outside the studio to see art, I went to a very festive opening at Jack Shainman Gallery's The School in Kinderhook, featuring these fantasy coffins by artist Paa Joe.

Back in Hudson, I also saw a show which included Kahn and Selesnick's Tarot Deck at Carrie Haddad Gallery - I'd been watching these develop online so it was really fun to see the original paintings and the debut of the full deck in person (spoiler alert - it includes a pangolin!)   

Back home in time to see this scene - I think I'll call it: "Sunset over Dumpsters."

at the Albany Institute

Kind friends, Tom and Taylor McGill came with me -
 Tom took this picture of me being my awkward,
 but art-happy self. 

It was a very exciting week!  I traveled to the Albany Institute of History & Art to attend the opening of the 2017 exhibition of Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region. 

I was very excited to meet juror Jack Shear, museum staff, and fellow artists, and see the exhibition. The work was awesome - I especially enjoyed the mural by Richard Barlow, multi-print polyptych by Tatana Kellner and forest scenes in charcoal on mylar  by George Dirolf.

Three of my collages were included in the show (remember when I was packing them a few weeks ago? ) It's very rewarding to see them up on the wall and nicely lit, away from the studio (fly from the nest my little art-fledglings :) ).

Tom and Taylor checking out the collages

I also have exciting news - Raptor and Automata was selected by the Albany Institute for purchase!(!!) This makes me very (very) happy, knowing it's found a wonderful art-home ( - it's one of my favorites - the gold in the raptor's eyes is especially nice, and it's one of my favorite set of blocks (a digital version of that particular raptor hangs over my mantel)).

I also was surprised and honored to be the recipient of the Stuyvesant Plaza, Inc. Award :D - this was very fortuitous timing, as I am running out of ink, paper, and (soft) blocks (haha). I also foresee a drying rack in my future (steeples fingers).

As (incredibly!) exciting as the exhibition opening was, work continues - I marbled paper and printed the medium rocks and new flowers.

Trying out the new flowers here over the old ones - hmmmmmmm

I also used some of the photos I took last week at the Cloisters to make a template for a new block.  

This is a good example of the digital work that goes into making a template before I start carving. I started with a photo I took of part of the border of this early 16th century tapestry.  I then worked with it (and worked with it) to get it into a simplified black and white image in the scale and proportions I want.  I printed it (with a computer) onto transfer paper, then print it (manually) onto a toned block (MDF in this case). Then I add and subtract and refine with pen and/or marker directly on the block.  Then I start carving - trying to combine the design elements in the template with the feeling/ memory of the thing (in this case a branch of a rose bush). In this one, I'm moving from the bottom to the top, working from large tools to small. I run progressively darker markers over sections in progress to try to get a sense for what marks are showing up.  For me, this is a sort of a chance to swing the other way after doing the turret (which contains lots of tiny straight marks).  I used a medieval tapestry border as the source because the block is intended to make up part of the border of the pseudo-tapestry.  

I had excellent feline assistance on this one...

...and three days later...

In puppy news - Honey has discovered my (and, critically, the kitties) bed.  She used to be afraid of the stairs and so, until now, never went into my bedroom, a scenario the felines were quite content with, but she seems to have conquered her fear and overleapt piles of laundry, and snuggled right in to the pillows. My Princess' face said "fix this, human, fix this now," while Honey looks like she's hoping if she stays still, I won't see her (luckily, when I put her leash on and said "walk?!" - she trotted to the door - good Pup!)

In non-art news, I've been defining my garden beds with blocks
and brick and put in cedar around the borders - thumbs up.