the original plan

I'm finding with this daily writing, I'm posting now without pictures, something I figured would never happen , as i figured, I would never be able to find the words, or a sentence to write.
Surprisingly, my brain is enjoying this exercise in building grey matter, not sure if it's the endorphin buzz, or just I'm thinking more in words than in visuals. And I like a visual aid as much as as the next person.

I take a lot of photographs, a lot! So many that I have constipated, my Photoshop Elements, to almost imminent standstill. "no, i can't have almost filled it , I still do not know how to use it completely."
I have of late considered myself more visual oriented then literal, with the age of Digital cameras, I realize I have an eye for composition, which I understand better , what I'm taking a picture of.I'm able to really achieve this better with a digital camera.I can go back and reshoot, to get what I want.

Do i wish i had the patience for film, yes.
am I glad there are people that do have that patience. Yes!

Will i eventually go back to the original plan, pictures, and text, you betcha, but for right now I'll just continue the write, daily that is, it's national blog posting month after all.

procrastination

Hi, my name is Tracy, and I'm a procrastinator.
I would imagine that a 12 step program for procrastinators, would never get anywhere, or get started, because people would be meaning to go , and they just wouldn't get around to it.

My husband, is a Craiglist success story, he's found boats, and me a flat file, and our recent purchase of a Bowflex Extreme, now i can never say it was too cold to walk. So we have the humongous machine, and we have a room to put it in, but actually we've been putting alot of everything else in this room too.

It's our guest/dumping ground, and now Mr. Bowflex, needs some room ,and frankly we have to clean, and go through all the things we never had a place for.So we did it , I live to tell we vacuumed, and got rid of things we didn't need to save, we organized, yes that's right the O word, we did, and we didn't leave too much of a mess.

Are we finished, not really we still have stuff to go through, we didn't just procrastinate in one room, we did it all over the house.Hhere's to turning over more of those new leaves, tomorrow.

tired, but satisfied.

Open studio weekend was a success!
I sold some prints, a lot more cards,I traded some art for for some art.
I bought myself, a cool little key chain.

a good weekend was had by all.
I'm not sure if we all sold work on this weekend, but I hope so.

It's very easy to get caught up, in wanting to charge higher prices, but I try to think less about that, and realize what I'm trying to do. I want people, to like my art, realize art like that isn't out of their reach, plus I am self taught, and have another job, that pays this bills, so what ever, I get from this, is just frosting on an already great cake.

I also think and I know people are looking, to get a great deal, for less.
Definitely, under $100, and if it's under $60 dollars even better.
So for that reason, I sold a lot of cards, I also have a lot left, but i made a large number.

It's interesting, to be an observer, to couple's opinions.
One young woman, really liked this small print, I did of three multicolored hearts.
When she called her girl friend over, and asked her if she liked it, her partner, didn't say no, she just kind of rubbed her chin, and said nothing, it was her tell, she didn't like my print. Maybe she thought it had to do with valentines, or gushy love,or it was too main stream. Instead of getting it was a rip on that, it's called 3 chambers.Which is also a rip on your real heart that has four.
So back to the couple, the partner, is rubbing her chin, telling me and all who can see, that she doesn't like the print, that her girlfriend really likes, but also that they must be a new couple, for still haven't worked out the whole compromise thing,and that the woman couldn't read her own girlfriend's body language,and know the answer was "no", wasn't secure enough to say, "hey, I like this, and I'm buying it for me."

ah well, there's always next year.

open studio weekend

this picture says it all, it was all about people, little, big, small, there was a lot of smiling today.
and schmoozing, and explaining printmaking techniques.
I sold many cards, and 2 prints, it was nice, the best thing was it was a relaxed day, and I had a sunny window.So I could stay warm.

As the landlord, likes to let the heat run only in afternoon, when the sun is shining it's fullest,against the building. then he drops the thermostat, so when it's actually getting cold, there is no heat.(grumble- grumble)

Today, a nice woman, handed her very active, but grabby baby to Joyce, who calmly held him, he smiled, they came over and he showed me his cool socks, that were made by the sock lady of vermont.
which i coincidentally, I read about days before in mrs. g's blog.
this baby was charming, and a totally happy,he didn't fuss for one minute, and joyce and i were perfect strangers.Sometimes i think that is the best thing about open studio, not the actual selling, but the people watching.

mind frame veg

The studio is set up, for the open house over the next 2 days, there will be lots of people walking through, wondering, how you achieved the print , that you did. Hopefully making a purchase or two.
I find it helps to have a wood block, or a copper etching out, so they can see what the transfer device is, mainly how you transferred the ink to the paper.

I'm trying something different this year, less clutter at my table, I used to spread my prints out, for people to see, , as much as you tried to keep it orderly, there was too much, they were over saturated, and really couldn't see it all.This year I'm feeding them smaller bites, hopefully they be able to savor them, instead of eating and running.

Another fairly annual thing, is the decompression, before open studio, chilling out, doing a pleasant but mindless activity, drinking plenty of water, and getting lots of sleep, so i can be charming, and able to say complete sentences.

I bought plenty of munchies, cheese, fruit, cherry, tomatoes, cookies that I like, hopefully everyone else will. Eating a regular lunch at open studio, is a like an exercise in futility, your better, to grab a handful, and run back to your table, there is always someone, wanting to buy something, as soon as you try to eat something, so it's better , if you can swallow it fast.

Well wish me luck, I have water to drink, and mindless TV to watch, before sleeping 8 hours.
good night.

editioning

Recently, I read an article, I believe it was Art In America, and it was about how the importance of editioning a print, had fallen to the wayside. It didn't add any value to the print.

I've always looked at an edition as a goal to head for, there something exciting about knowing that 33/50, means it's the 33rd print out of 50. That you created a block, or an etching that you were able to print, 50 times, and all of the them theoretically the same. As a printmaker, I tend to be more successful with that with Relief prints, it's hard, once you know how, to f*ck up a relief print once you get going.

I keep a small notebook for the prints I've made, what year i made them, how big is the edition, is there a special little quirk to the plate, that i need to remember to keep the quality the same.
With my relief prints, there are often hatch marks, to keep track of the edition, a lot of my smaller blocks I make blank greeting cards out of, i don't print 100 cards in one shot, but i figure I will over the years, so i keep track.

Years ago when I first started open studios, I made lots of blank greeting cards, that would sell pretty well.
Inevitably I would have a happy Patron,come to me the next year, and tell me how they loved the card they bought from me, but they didn't use it as a card, they framed it, and it hangs in their house. At first, frankly I was pissed, I felt a little cheated, out of money due to me, if they had bought a print, it would have cost more then a mere 4x6 greeting card.
So one year I didn't make cards, did I sell more prints that year...No.
Did I get a little disappointed...Yes.

So after that I thought about it long and hard, and I let go of all that stupid disappointment, and I began to see what I did, in the printmaking world as a gift, to myself and others. If that meant someone could only afford one of my prints in card form then so be it. In other words I got over my big bad self.

So this year if you see me on Open studios, and all you can afford is a card. I'm happy to have helped you, buy yourself a really unique card, and I thank you.

pulling the print

Today was my last day of printing, before Holiday Open Studios begins. I finished up some etchings, I had the last day two days to print, and I finished 4 on my short day, and 6 on my second day, which is usually 9 to ten hours long. Now dear reader , you maybe be thinking, that's not really that many, but these are multiple plate prints, each print has 3 plates, providing 3 different colors, that add tone and dimension to each print, so three multiplied by 10 is 30,

I have the bicep, to prove for all my wiping, and printing,and turning the wheel on the press. thinking of it as a creative way to work your arm out, unfortunately it's only one arm. So with one arm, I'm like this buff 40 something year old woman, but the left arm I'm a flabby armed 40 something year old.

There was something to that theory, of having a better side. Isn't that what Barbara Streisand does, she presents her better side to the camera. She will be photographed from only one side, I wonder if I am that self aware?

So back to my stiffening up right bicep,I haven't printed like that in a while, my tricep will be paining me, just as much as my little rotator cuff will, groan a little, it protest in what i did.
It's called pulling the print , for a reason. Often printmakers are just as attracted, by all the physical steps one has to do, to put the print on paper. We like the feel of palm wiping, we like tearing paper, soaking it.
It thrills us to our knees, to crank a tight press, to pull every inked line out of that plate of copper.
We like mixing inks, the consistency of how it feels, and it's smell, it's all a good thing, it definitely is. How we apply the inks , is a whole 'nother process, that includes, carding ink, or rolling it out, over and over repeatedly.

Printing definitely is a marriage of physical activity, and creative ability.
A perfect match if you ask me.

the Flat file project

At the studio, Liz has starting the flat file project, very similar to the Boston drawing project, started by Bernard Toale and James Hull in 1999 with the intention of “bringing together a group of artists, collectors and curators…to stimulate critical discussion in Boston’s cultural
community.”

So Liz is trying to do something similar with the members of the studio, it'll allow our work to be presented and purchased in a non-conventional setting. Hopefully it will open a dialogue about newer, safer printmaking techniques and the benefits of non-toxic art-making methods.

As a member, I was invited to submit works toward this, we could have 20 pieces in, and the committee, would choose up to ten. I submitted 18, and had ten chosen, which is so cool, and makes me feel accomplished, it's been five years of learning so far, and I'm a quick learner, and I'm self taught, and I've gone through some years of self doubt, but those have been few and far between. Though it's only five years, I feel comfortable in my artist skin, and feel open to whatever advice, or teaching I get.I have concentrated on on etching , and relief prints. I was lucky very early in beginning, to have two strong teacher's that had a knowledge, and the ability to teach it, and teach me the beginnings of printmaking.I consider these the foundation, on anything I have ever done since.

So where ever you are Tom Lewis,who taught me non toxic etching, and Antonio Fonseca,who taught me relief printing, I thank you both with all my heart, you sparked my interest, and shaped much of what i am doing now. I think you would both be proud of me.

blog, blog ,blog

So dear reader though, I posted last night's post a mere 5 minutes after midnight on Sunday, I am posting another Monday entry well to account for today,Monday. I'm on vacation this week from the job at the hospital. Every Veteran's Day weekend is the Holiday Open Studio for the whole building not just our studio, if it gets slow, I am sometimes lucky enough to see other artist's studio and see what goes on behind those closed doors.

Now you are probably wondering why I would need to take time off. It's mostly for all the prep work, well there's sorting out my prints, what's really good quality, and what will go in the seconds pile, usually these are prints, where i can see the registration is off, etc. i need to bag the prints, in these lovely Polypropylene sleeves, that not only protect but are archival too.Makes me have little fantasies about being found in some one's house of course posthumously, and becoming a famous printmaker.I need to figure out a price list, finish my job that volunteered to do for the studio, I make the name placards for each artist table.

Now that was the good part of my day, this was the bad part.I had my teeth cleaned today. A new hygienist, I understand her need to do a good job, but I swear she scaled me some new teeth.She was also one of those back handed compliment people. First she asked me if I flossed, I said " I do regularly, I use those little Glide flossers" where she proceeded to tell me that "using those are better, than using nothing" I guess she's an old skool kind of flosser, not one of those new fangled flosser users. And I got to hear once again, about my filling overhang, that will slowly cause my jaw to crumble to dust, if I'm not careful. I guess I'm not careful, because if I was I'd use the old fashioned floss and actually do a good job.Instead of being a plaque maven. ah well we can't all be perfect toothed, or maybe it's perfect gummed.

friendship

It's nice sometimes to just take a day off , and connect with a friend.Then forget to write her blog entry minutes after midnight, oh well so i post twice on Monday.
Since becoming a print maker, and joining the studio, I've had the privilege, of getting to know my friend Liz.She runs the studio, and has become a mentor firstly, and over the years ,a very good friend.

On Sunday we got together and saw the Chrysanthemum show at Smith College, had a great lunch, and then viewed prints, by William Kentridge, a South African Printmaker, at the Smith College Museum of Art.Over 120 prints,all varying techniques of printmaking, it was exhilarating to view , those velvety dry point lines, his painterly sugar lifts, his soft tonal aquatints. It was equally wonderful, and to share it with someone who knows those techniques, just like I do, who could ooh and aah over the the etched line, and know the paper that the artist used, because we've both used the same.

It makes me thankful, to have such a lovely friend.

I am a soap whore.

I think as I get older, I want(and need) to treat my skin with the respect it deserves, so it can continue to protect me, and not age too much....haaa!
Anti- aging, how to prevent those little lines, you know the crow feet, the laugh lines, the unmentionable age spots. Who knew aging could be such a dermatological drag.
I continue to feed my small addiction to skin care. In my 40's. I prefer natural ingredients, and chemical free if possible, life is short so why the hell not.


It began with Neutrogena soap when I was a teen, I faithfully washed my face with it, I loved the clear amber bar,that told me it was pure and only full of "good for you" things for your skin.
The clear amber bar, how it could melt away, if you didn't use the special little soap dish that came with it. well it's not really a dish, it's like a soap stand, that lifts the bar out of the water that collects in all soap dishes, so it can dry, remain intact, for your use another day.Eventually I stopped using Neutrogena,but that wasn't until my late 20's, when I moved in with my husband,who was my then boyfriend, and we lived together. We still use the little soap stand , but it's to keep our present brand, high and dry.


From the clear amber bar, I tried other bars, the honey wheat and lavender bar, the lemon and olive oil bar, by Jason's, they make a good soap, or was it made by Kiss my Face, another skin friendly brand, that uses natural ingredients in the most wonderful combinations, and makes my skin very happy.
From there I briefly visited the world, on those lovely slickery facial washes,one in particular made by Desert tree, the tea tree oil people, they put it into everything, and they make this facial wash, that does a great job, but only when the 30-something zits flare up,and you needed to banish them fast- I mean Fast! Otherwise a little too drying for daily use.

Now I have a separate soap dish attached to the shower wall, that keeps my special soap high and dry, presently I have a lovely Dutch soap , I bought at Hortis Botanicus, it smells of lavender, which FYI is very good for the glitches that sometimes appear on you skin, those area that need to be quieted and soothed, lavender rules that. This special soap has this honey under note to it, that makes my skin feel soft and moisturized, this soap also has the power to bring me back to Amsterdam, sniffing said soap, reminds me of where I purchased it, and that makes me smile, did I mention how good it is for maintaining a smile.

Today my purchase arrived from DHC, they are a San Francisco based company, that imports Japanese made skin products, when you receive a catalog from them, they include samples of there popular products, I used their Pure Soap samples for years,before succumbing to want to buy and own a whole bar for myself. It's a completely clear, see through bar, that cleanses, soothes, and ever so lightly moisturizes, which I find very important to me, now in my 44's. Not only was the delivery speedy, they also let you choose up to 4 samples, of their other products. Four! that's right four, not one but four free samples, and the list to choose from, is 25-plus items long! Frankly my head was in a spin of outright lust.Here is a company, that really wants me to buy their products.I mean really, how can you not be attracted to an over achiever, one who only want to do good things to your skin.

For my samples I choose some sunscreen,a mineral mask,and two different shower gels, the forth quickest way to my heart, if you can't bring me fresh figs,or chocolate, or have no sense of humor, you could woo me with shower gels.
Of course I've already used one of them, called Imperial Green Tea , it wasn't green, it was crystal clear and had rich heady scent of mint,it was invigorating.
My heart melted at the the packaging ,with it's simple instructions; wet skin with water, apply gel with hand, wash cloth, sponge or body brush, lather and rinse.And most importantly please discontinue it's use, if unsuitable with your skin. How's that for caring?

Will my quiet little addiction, keep me from looking older, who knows? But the joy I receive from merely using these products has to do something good for me, and my skin, and for mankind.

okay so I went a little over board, but I'm a soap whore, so get used to it!

it's all about color

In my printmaking I tend to use a lot of color, though I like black and white,I just like colors more. I use oil based relief inks, which clean up, quite easily with plain old vegetable oil and Simple Green.
There are other inks by Akua Kolor, wonderful water based inks, but they take longer to dry, so they can smudge, if say you are printing blank greeting cards, which is what I have been doing over the last 2 weeks at the studio, in preparation for the upcoming Holiday open studios.
One of the many things I love about oil based inks , is there open time, the length of time they can be out of the can, and still workable,you can set out oil based inks, for hours, possibly days, though I've never had a marathon printing session, that had I needed to have my inks out for that long, but I have printed on one day, and come back the next day to print all over again, I will cover my blob of ink over with foil, or plastic wrap to keep, the lint off of it mostly,
when I print consecutive days in a row, it keeps it from forming a skin, which oils will do
after being exposed to the air for an extended period of time.
Which brings up how to get ink properly out of the can, you could gouge it out, but there leaves an open area in the ink that will harden, and cause a skin to form, and since you can only remove that skin before, you use it next, it's better if you control, how the skin forms, an easily removed even thin layer, or a big irregular booger shaped skin, that causes you to dig out of the can forming a deeper hole,and the creation of more ink snot, yes ink snot,I'm pretty sure it's a term I've coined, but anyone I've said it too, nods knowingly, and gets what I mean.If you remove the ink, with ink knife, that pretty much looks like a spackling blade, in a circular fashion,so the ink that is left in an even flat layer, and you use a skin paper on the exposed ink in the can before you put on the lid, you may have little or no ink skin to remove the next time you need to use it.
I so love the colors, how vibrant they are, and frankly I like the smell of them too, does that make me some printmaking freak, probably but I'll wear that badge proudly. damn it.
I really love how they dry to this lovely sheen, something that i think adds to the print.
Would I switch someday to strictly Aqua Kolors, someday maybe but I'd have to have my need to procrastinate under control, and print well in advance, so there will be plenty of time for the ink to dry,and that another story, on another day.

and so it begins....

drum roll, please.
NaBloPoMo officially begins, start your engines, ladies and gentlemen.
Now what to write about, how many days I'm into NaBloPoMo? Just kidding it won't be like that, only as a last resort...ha!
Today we'll start with my" other job", not a job you hate or dislike, but a fun one, and well they don't pay me, unless i sell something at open studios.
I have been a part time printmaker, for 5 years. I began with a class at my local art museum, on non toxic printmaking,I took more classes, bought inks, and paper, and eventually moved from a 3 hour class once a week, for 10 weeks to a studio, where artist went to make art. I definitely felt like a novice, and it took me a while, to get over my big bad self, to feel comfortable enough to call myself an artist. i didn't go to school for printmaking, that was the one semester, we didn't get as Nursing students.In real life I work as a Nurse, have been one for 23 years, so this printmaking I'm still very a novice at.
What I love about it,the steps you go through to pull a print, I'm just as attracted to those as I am making the print. I concentrate on etching, on copper, and relief prints, on wood or linoleum.
I'm big into color, though black definitely has a place in my printmaking I would say, color is a big driving force , also.
I use oil based relief and etching ink, with relief prints there is something about the sheen, of the ink after it dries, in etching the strength of the color, along with the lushness of the paper, Yes, that's right, you heard it, I am a paper whore, from those deceivingly translucent, but strong as steel Japanese papers, to the lush velvety papers made by the Italians, and the Germans, they are all equally wonderful, and luxurious to use.
Figuring out how to use these papers, are as much of the print as the actually plate, or block it's printed from, your paper should be used well enough so you have healthy,meaning big enough, clean borders, and square edges. One mistake printmakers, can make is by using a too small sheet of paper, your edges are too small and it minimizes any detail in the print.Though you maybe be printing from a small plate, you don't really notice that, because the paper is too damn small.
I seem to have gotten away from why I love printmaking, but I have a whole month to write about it, and I will.
So now, it's off to the studio for me, to pull some prints.I'll continue this subject tomorrow.

1 day until NaBloPoMo begins

Is one the loneliest number? I think we are sometimes conditioned to think it is. After all our bodies mock us with their two-ness, we have two eyes, a pair of hands, a couple of feet,two breasts, two ovaries, two testicles, two ears, you get the idea.
So to say One is the loneliest number, well frankly, I don't buy it.I think it's a misunderstood number, like it's great to be number one, but it's not great to be the only one?
There are a quite a few things you can only do as one, watch that guilty pleasure movie, that you fully enjoy, with out having to feel bad at all that the other person isn't as in to "the Parent Trap" as you are, and I'm talking the version with Haley Mills, not the remake, with Lindsay Lohan, which was okay, but pales in comparison to Mills version .Yeah, I'm that old.
Eating that left over Chinese food for lunch,or sometimes breakfast, depending if I've worked the night before,and eat it cold!That's definitely an only me activity.
Sleeping blissfully in the middle of the bed, with your favorite reads, strewn about you like some protective wall, can only be done as one, unless your partner is really, Really, REALLY skinny, and likes to sleep on the very edge of the bed, so you can be the ultimate ruler of slumberland.
Blogging is a solitary activity,though you may have readers, it still you in your oneness,
writing it, proofing it and hoping the spell check will recognize the word you were trying to type.
It's you that will succeed, or crash and burn at trying to get your thoughts across.It's also you that makes the final decision on whether to post it or not.
So become one,with your one- ness, and get writing!

the great pumpkin....4 days until NaBloPoMo starts.

So Halloween is around the corner, A favorite holiday, all that cool candy, and dressing up in costume, what couldn't be better.
I think carving is another great thing about it, though I enjoy the pumpkins that are complex carvings, that show shadow and light, I am just as enamored with the jack-o-lanterns that are simple faces.
There is something creative, and energizing about carving, and creating a cool scary face, plus it's such a simple way to decorate, before I had an house, I lived in an apartment, i still carved a pumpkin, but i had no where to really put it, for people to see, which is part of the reason you carve,or maybe I should clarify it by saying it's why I carve.
Sometimes I make roasted pumpkin seeds, I used to have this great recipe from Martha Stewart, but I have since lost it.Regardless of what you think of her, she roasts a tasty pumpkin seed.
So here's to easy carving, and a dry Halloween, so all those kiddies can trick-or-treat safely, and dryly.
If you are a flickr-er (could there be such a word?) and you carve a mean pumpkin, or you take pictures of them, feel free to post your creation to the jack-o-lantern group there.

5 days until....NaBloPoMo begins

I think I'm getting a little NaBloPoMo anxiety, wondering if i can do it, hoping I don't fail, and I haven't even started.I think i have the dogged determination to do it, but I also think I will be wanting to write something clever every day, and end up writing my grocery list some days, so at least I can say i wrote.
I was a member of 365 days at flickr, it was a challenge, a self portrait everyday, for 365 days, that taught me a thing or two about myself, that i can commit to something and do it.
Though that was taking photos, and this will be writing, I take a deep breath an aim toward success.
Hopefully.

Snow White upon realizing, she's not over that whole apple thing.

So we all know the story of Snow White, she had a contract taken out on her by her jealous stepmother , who had youth issues evidently. She moves in with a group of dwarves, becomes their girl friday,then finally she's was poisoned by her wicked stepmother, a woman who can't take no for an answer.Then she marries the first guy that saves her from death.
After all the dust settles from that, and they've been married for a many years, does she look back on her life and wonder, "what the hell was i thinking?"
Does she entertain thoughts of eating another apple to see who'll save her this time.
Does she suffer from PTSD, unable to be near apples,very leery of their innocent packaging , but the not so innocent results.
Does this mean fall is her least favorite month, no apple dumpling with ice cream, no slice of apple pie at Thanksgiving?
Or did she get the hell over all that, and run her own successful catering company, after all she was used to cooking for eight people at any one time. So she uses those skills, to make a name for her self in the catering world, with the ever popular catch phrase "Snow White's Catering, our apple pie is so good, it'll kill you."
Who really knows, but I'd like to think she became a success, and even when she comes upon an apple, and it gives her moment to pause, remember, then move on.

NaBloPoMo|9 days until

this picture doesn't really have much to do with that. I have been keeping my eye on the arrival of November, after all it's the month that NaBloPoMo starts, or if you didn't know that means National Blog Posting Month, which is the first cousin to NaNoWriMo, where your writing daily pages to a novel, that's way beyond, what I can give for time, and this I might possibly succeed at, I hope.

lust

lust, originally uploaded by ms.Tea.

if this isn't the color of lust, i don't know what is.

grow baby grow

, originally uploaded by ms.Tea.