Now it's February

Snow was a struggle all the month of January and into February. I kept at it. Most are now in a triage box and at some time I'll go back and see what else I can do with them or fix them so they look like snow and not a beach. Or chop them up and send them as postcards. 

I experimented with a few book structures, I worked on some of the Kevin Smith patterns for binding, I organized my class notes and idea notes that were scattered on pieces of paper everywhere and put them in one place and chronologically. 

I made a lino cut of the departed cat Ono, the one before the current Judi. This was fun and I especially was happy with the eyes. I saved the eyes for last but should have done them first maybe because they are the key to the entire image. If I gouged out the eyes wrong then the whole thing would be wonky. I printed onto various papers with the never-dries-for-weeks Akua ink. I had tried a speedball ink from Wet Paint and just today gave it back to them. I didn't even care if I had a refund. I didn't want it in my house. At least with the never-dries-for-weeks Akua ink, I have time to work. Five days out from printing and it's still not set. I have all the prints hanging from my twinkle light strands around the top of the window and it's kind of nice to see Ono all over. 

For some reason, carving the lino block was meditative and I enjoyed the process. To reward myself I bought a nicer set of carving tools than the speedball handle with the different blades you take out and put in. I learned that if you heat up the lino with a hair dryer or iron, it softens and is easier to carve. Wish I knew that when I carved the VOTE block for all those Postcards to Voters postcards. Someone else told me there is an Akua additive that makes the ink dry faster. I can't figure out which additive it is, will have to ask again. 

I took a beginning watercolor class from Paige (who used to work at Wet Paint) at St. Paul Public Schools Community Education (zoom) and on week 2 we painted birch trees. It's been fun to play with vibrant colors and not have to be thinking about representing snow. This one is also in the triage box because maybe it's not finished yet. 

I had a zoom critique of a collection of my work from Monica Fogg -- my watercolor mentor -- this month. She gave me two challenges: 1. Rocks, and 2. Continue with the half and half. Maybe I'll make that a separate blog post with the examples so that I don't forget or more likely lose my written notes. 

I still go to Regula Russelle's monthly Art Circle through MCBA (zoom) because I LOVE the community she has gathered and it makes me do something every month so that I have something to say I've been working on or finished or started. For example, I finally finished an IDEA but not the implementation yet. From Art Camp weekend in October, I had made an accordion book called "Surviving A Covid Winter" and had finished all but one panel (almost at the end of the post). I finally figured out the missing panel -- Zoom!!!! Not sure how to capture that idea but I'll work on it. 

I have another idea for a lino print -- I took my painting of nasturtiums, black and white-d it, then increased the exposure so it was only black lines and will carve that. Then, I'll mix the never-dries Akua inks for some areas, like greens for the leaves and red and yellow for the flower sections. They will be brayered on and not painted. It won't look neat and tidy. That is the idea. 

Current events: Impeachment trial. I have been watching; I can't stop. I was watching the electoral vote vote on Jan 6 in real time as the insurrection started. It's cold outside but sunny.