Woodcut Progress

A print after the blue layer, which is green due to the yellow layer underneath. A little white shows on the boat cabin, from cuts prior to printing the yellow layer.

The block after an initial print of the blue layer, with additional cutting (the light areas).

Today was day 3 of working on my woodcut project with Don Gorvett. On the first day, I transferred my drawing to the board. On day two, I made just a few cuts that would show the white of the paper, and printed the yellow layer. I'm not showing a photo of that, it's really pretty hard to see anything but yellow! Today I did a lot of cutting, to expose everything that would be left yellow. The top photo shows one of today's prints. The blue came out pretty green, due to the yellow layer showing through. I was able to vary that from print to print, some are more blue. The bottom photo is the block after an initial print, just to get an idea, and then some additional cutting. The print above was done with the block in this condition. One more day and it will be done, a reduction woodcut series of eight prints.

Reduction Woodcut Printing with Don Gorvett - Day 1

Drawing with three values

Wood block, with channel and registration pins on the left

I'm fortunate this week to be studying print making with Don Gorvett. What Don does is called reduction woodcut printing, because the image is cut into a wood block, and more of the wood is cut away as each layer of ink is applied to the prints. The result is as dramatic as it is beautiful.

The top image is a drawing in three values that I made before heading to Don's studio this afternoon. I painted this scene earlier this year, and still love it. It seemed like it would make a good woodcut print. Don showed me how to transfer the drawing to the block he prepared for me, and how to put in the registration pins (sticking through the gray tabs at the left end). Tomorrow we are going to print the first color, I'm still thinking about whether there will be 3 plus white or just three colors. It's really fun!

Holiday Sale!

Looking for something for the art lover on your Christmas list? Or do you need a nice little painting for the guest room or that empty space in the hall? Maybe I can help, I'm having a Holiday Sale! 

Check it out for some really nice paintings at great prices.  Shipping is free within the US.
 

The Holiday Sale can be found on my blog as a new tab, called Holiday Sale, to the right of the Home tab. Or use the link above.

The Holiday Sale runs through December.

Current Shows

I hope you've all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We certainly did at our house. Just a quick post here to let you know about my holiday shows this season.

The River Arts "Celebrating Color" Exhibit runs through Dec. 12 in Damariscotta, ME. I've got these two framed paintings in the show:

Peppers

6"x8"

$250

Two Tomatoes

6"x6"

$200

Dec. 4 through 20, the Concord Art Association has its "Small Originals" show, with an opening Dec. 8,  from 2 - 4 PM, in Concord, MA. These are my framed paintings in this show:

Distant Pink

6"x6"

$200

Diligence

6"x6"

$200

December 3 through the end of February is the Yarmouth Frame and Gallery "Small Works Holiday Show", with an opening on Dec. 7, 4 - 7 PM, in Yarmouth, ME. I'll be there, and would love to see you. I've got some of my recent plein air sunset paintings in this show, all beautifully framed.

From Mt. Agamenticus

5"x7"

$200

November Sunset

5"x7"

$200

Wells Marsh Sunset

5"x7"

$200

"Sunset Stripes"

 "Sunset Stripes"

5"x7" oil on linen panel

a little movie of the scene after the painting was done

Yesterday I was back in Harvard, MA, at my favorite sunset painting spot. It's just so nice to be painting outside this time of year, and not freezing. I've been painting out for the last 4 days, and only Tuesday was really cold, in the marsh in the Rachel Carson preserve in southern Maine. I hope to get in a few more days before it's really cold.

"Sky Magic"

"Sky Magic"

5"x7" oil on Centurion linen panel

I was back in Harvard, MA this afternoon, painting into the sunset. Here's the first of the two paintings I managed before it got too dark to see. Next time I'll bring my two headed book light! A video of the scene is below. For those reading this in email, click here to go to my blog in a browser where you'll be able to see the video.

Sketching the orange lobster boat

Oil sketches of the orange lobster boat on 7"x12" Canson canva-paper

Lots of fun this afternoon with the Plein Air Painters of Maine in the Puddledock section of Portsmouth; bright sunshine, relative warmth, and a gorgeous orange lobster boat off Round Island. I did a couple of oil sketches of the boat as it swung back and forth on its mooring, on a piece of Canson Canva-paper, which I like a lot. What do you think?

PAPME Show at the BRAF Gallery

"Time to Bale"

8"x10" oil on Raymar panel

$325 framed

"From Mt. Agamenticus"

5"x7" oil on Centurion oil primed linen panel

$200 framed

I'm pleased to have two paintings in the annual Plein Air Painters of Maine show at the BRAF Gallery in Boothbay Harbor. The show runs through November 25th and all paintings in the show were painted en plein air. My "Time to Bale" was painted between Freeport and Brunswick on a beautiful Sunday morning in September. "From Mt. Agamenticus" was painted on a sunny warm afternoon in October with the Plein Air Painters of Maine (PAPME) southern group in York. It's great fun to paint with PAPME, which has four sub groups, divided by region: southern, Boothbay, northern, and western. An email is sent out once a week with the locations for each group for that week. Take a look at the PAPME blog if you'd like to join us.

"November Sunset"

"November Sunset"

5"x7" oil on linen panel

$100

Here's the second painting I did yesterday, sunset in the balmy temperatures of early November in Massachusetts. That's Mt. Wachusett in the distance. I made a short video at the end of the previous painting, which you can see below in this post, or view here from the email. It's such fun painting into the sunset.

"Wachusett Late Afternoon"

 

 "Wachusett Late Afternoon"

5"x7" oil on Centurion linen panel

SOLD

This afternoon it was 60 degrees! I couldn't resist the warmth and sunny sky, and was off to capture the 4:35PM sunset in Harvard, MA, looking towards Mount Wachusett. I started with the above late afternoon version to warm up. I'll post a later video tomorrow and the second painting, of the sunset.