from Marilyn Manson to... Iron and Wine?

My musical tastes have certainly toned down and moved to something a little more subtle and my design aesthetic has as well. Take for example this cabinet, which my dad and I made when I was in highschool (before any of those design classes!). While I still just love those X cut-outs and textured acrylic panels inside, that crackle finish was killing me! I had actually never used paint stripper before this project, and boy is it toxic! Anyway, I decided to strip that mess off this cabinet. And duh, change out those overbearing pulls. AND add some casters because I've been thinking this cabinet needed legs for a long time.
(Excuse the top cabinet doors not quite lining up) I love the result! It definitely feels more mellow and understated... And surprise, you actually can appreciate those cool cut-outs now!
After going to design school, now I would never cover my form with something so distracting to it as that crackle finish. I think crackle finish has a place, just maybe not in my house anymore!
I don't know... Maybe this cabinet has become more Wilco?

paint stripping

I've been working on stripping the paint off of the first piece of furniture I ever made (my dad helped). I made it in highschool when my taste was very black with neon and Marilyn Manson, ha. Black and red crackle paint totally doesn't go with my style anymore! (The above photo shows globs of paint stripper on the side of the cabinet.)

I can't believe that this pretty wood has been under all of that paint all of those years! All of the drawers and doors will be natural, and I think I will paint the cabinet body charcoal gray. And I'll be adding casters to the bottom of the cabinet, and of course new pulls.

Sunrise, Sunset

Here is my newest 2-color linocut print. Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, the prints above and below are on different colored paper.
This is a smaller print for me, at about 8" x 10". This size was so manageable compared to some I've done in the past. I'll probably try to make a few more that are this size so that they'll look nice framed together. I'm thinking something with a cat will be next...

2 color print process

So, I thought it would be cool to show how I make a 2 color linoleum print. First off, it is important to note that I consider myself a "semi-folk printmaker", meaning that although I went to art school and learned all kinds of good stuff, I definitely didn't study printmaking. I've never even read a book on printmaking. So I probably do everything in a way that's different than a "real" printmaker. I've taught myself how to do everything.

For my first 2 color (which was a woodcut), I actually took one piece of wood and cut an area out of it with a saw, so that I could ink one area black and the other area blue. I bet nobody else has done that! (well, maybe not).

Anyway, now I am on this kick where I print one image in white then print black on top of it, and this is all done on colored paper. I just love the effect.

Below is part of the process for making one of my 2 color linocut prints:

First I make a sketch.
Then I draw the sketch on my linoleum and carve away what I don't want.
Next I make a print on paper with my carved linoleum piece.
THEN, (here comes one of my possibly weird techniques), I press the paper while the ink is still wet onto a blank, uncarved piece of linoleum. (You can see the reverse of the tree in the image on the right.)
And last, I use my fresh piece of newly inked linoleum to decide where to carve for my 2nd color. Since I can see where objects in my first piece of linoleum are, I can just easily draw and carve what I want to see in the background and know exactly how it all registers. Amazing!

Maybe all of this will make more sense once I actually make a 2-color print with these pieces of linoleum. Coming soon!

Blocks

Here are some very hazy looking photos from a recent joint show that Marci Deschamps and I had at Octopus Ink in Anchorage. These were taken with my iPhone camera, which explains the low quality but not the haze look.
The show was/is called "Blocks". Marci did encaustic paintings, and I showed my woodcut and linocut "block" prints.


"Green Power", my newest linocut print made its "debut" (if a print can have a debut) at the opening on First Friday. This idea of plants growing out of a power outlet has been in my head a good 8 or 9 years so it feels really good to finally have it come to life. It's strange how almost every idea I come up with can somehow be tied to the theme of where things come from. This was my first time using white ink, and I LOVE it. The effect is exactly what I was hoping for.

antlered critters

New(ish) prints that I've never shown here...
Oh Caribou! This one is very new and intended mainly for use on cards (of the greeting variety).
Moose Love. This one is older but I realized I never have shown it here. Good thing there are lots of animals in Alaska to make prints of!

Avec sofa

I'll be the proud new owner of this beauty in a few weeks. I'm so glad CB2 ships to Alaska, unlike some stores... I've never seen it in person, but it has excellent reviews (even by cat owners)!