In Love with Screenprinting

The problem with trying new things is that they can quickly become addictive and I am certain this will be the case with screenprinting on fabric.

Last weekend I attended a workshop given by Boston Handmade member and fiber artist Linda Branch Dunn at her studio at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA. The class was titled "Improv Screenprinting" and we learned how to make screens using a thermofax machine, and various ways on printing on fabric. I brought the fabric that I had previously dyed using gelatin printmaking methods, and layered over it with a screen of one of the tree photos I took at Brooksby Farm. And Linda let use some of her screens as well.

The result? I am in love with screenprinting and surface design in general. So much so that I have registered for classes with fiber artist Wen Redmond in New Hampshire. Her work is stunning (as is Linda's) and I can't wait to absorb some of her expertise.

A March through the Marshes

Joe had an art class assignment this weekend that involved taking panoramic photos which he will eventually reference for a watercolor painting. We went to a few places in Salem that he wasn't happy with. I wasn't happy that it was so cold, I was hungry, we had marched all over the place, and as always, it was a last minute thing. That's high school I guess!

Anyway, out of nowhere he said, "the marshes! the marshes behind the school!" behind his high school in Danvers, MA. So we went, and while Joe took his panoramic photos, I took photos of Joe.

Apple Orchard Mixed Media

I had some leftover canvases so I thought I'd try to do something with some of the photos I took of Brooksby Farm. I made a black and white line print of one of the shots of brances and printed it on rice paper, then adhered it to the canvas. From there it took on a life of its own with many, many layers of acrylics, pearlescent pigments, and fiber. The result is definitely inspired by the orchard in summer. One can just wait for the warmer weather.

The piece is listed on etsy http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22506235.

Goodbye Back Issues, I'll Miss You

I remember the first time I saw "Somerset Studios" magazine and still remember how the art and craft inside immediately struck me. I was hooked! Since 2002 I have been collecting these magazines (not ALL of them) but dozens and dozens fill my studio. Not just "Somerset Studio" magazine, but also "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" and "Quilting Arts" and many others.

My tastes have changed. Now I'm reading "Surface Design" and "Art New England" and some others. And since I can't seem to stop buying magazines, I need to make room in my studio. So I am listing dozens and dozens and dozens of back issues on EBAY.

As of this moment there are about a dozen, and I will be adding more over the next few days.

Goodbye old friends, I hope you find good homes and continue to inspire.

Notes for Spring

Well, there wasn't much to do today other than wish the snow away. So here are some new digi-collages that I'll convert to gelatin fresco prints. The birds and trees are all from photos I've taken this winter from my deck, and from Brooksby Farm in Peabody.