Printmaking

Hey all here is another update. I've gotten caught up from the two separate weekends in Mendocino. Although they were weeks apart I finally put all the stuff back where it goes. At least in the correct room.

I am new to printmaking with only the last year under my belt in any sort of work. However on my last trip to Mendocino I took a workshop at the Mendocino Art Center (MAC) on photopolymer etching. I love this stuff. You have a steel plate covered in photopolymer coating and expose it to ultra violet light. We used a box at the workshop with tanning bed lights I think; however at home I used the SUN. Absolutely the Coolest!

For the process you create a transfer much like a negative; however what is black is black and what is white is white. Opposite of what a negative is in reality. I created mine on an overhead transparency. The ones they still use in some classrooms that are not completely digital.

At the workshop I came un-prepared (that is another story) and I created a very simple ink wash to learn the process. I copied the drawing onto the overheard transparency on the copy machine in the office.

Here is a picture of the drawing as well as the transparency, the plate, and the print.




By using the ink drawing I was experimenting with keeping the middle values in the drawing and it worked very well. I also did a print from a photograph of a shed door. You get a great deal of detail with this process. Here is a picture of the shed print.
Over the weekend I etched a plate unsing the sun in my back yard. I will take pictures and post soon. If you are thinking about taking a workshop in photopolymer etching I highly reccomend it.

Second Sunday

Today is Sunday and a week into the month of August. My goal is to post once a month. I exceeded that last month so we will see for this month.

August started out with a bang. My daughter Bethany came to visit for a week. I haven’t seen her in a year and half but we talk on the phone several times a week. It has been three years since my two daughters have been together and I must say it was an excellent week. No arguments and we spent many great hours the three of us together.

Bethany flew in on Friday the 31^st and I picked her up at the airport and we left for the North Bay. I dropped her off at her aunts in Sea Ranch and I went up to Mendocino for a workshop in photo polymer etching. It was a great weekend and I spent some time with my ex-sister in law on the way back down to Sacramento.

My younger daughter Lacey took four days off and the two girls hung out together. I t was an excellent week for all. But most importantly I have two beautiful daughters that I love a great deal and spent the last week with them. Life does not get any better.

Next post will be about the workshop. I loved it and plan to do more print making using this technique.