It’s been ages since I’ve posted to this site… and even longer since I have made anything. SO much is going on… the studio is undergoing a transformation and I am deciding what kind of art sabbatical I will journey on this year. Colorado, Italy or Santa Fe NM. Looking forward to a lot of movement this year. In the meantime, I did a beautiful monoprint a few weeks ago. And my first Vandyke process. This was so much fun… the color overlay is the monoprint. Next Solar Plates!!! I love this stuff. PS. We will not be teaching classes this year. At least not soon! Stay tuned!
The “My Best Friend Show” at the Encinitas Library Community Art Space, Encinitas CA is a wonderful collection of personal art pieces ranging from painting to mosaics to printmaking and collage. This Collagraph was chosen to be part of the collection.
The attached card reads:
Owen & Mervin Vie for the Bone | Oil Based Collagraph | Nancy Walter 2011
“Owen, my miracle dog, is seen here communing with Mervin, the spirit bird. When I met Owen at the Sweetwater Animal Shelter, it was not obvious he was a Schnauzer. Matted and wreaking of oil, he had already stolen my heart by the time I learned that he had distemper. With a custom diet, veterinary magic, love, luck, and prayer, Owen has survived and thrived. In this painting, Owen is engaging Mervin. This crow is a constant presence around our home; he evokes the spirit of my late father, the first Mervin, who had a special fondness for these bright and mysterious black birds.”
Collagraph is a print which is printed on a dimensional plate (or 2 in this case), at a maximum thickness of an American nickle. What makes working with this technique so exciting is that you can add texture and shapes to the plate and then magic happens when you apply the ink either using brushes or rollers. This is so much fun, I am thinking of giving up my day job.
If you want to sign up for a class, I recommend finding one in your area, or signing up at the Art Academy in North Park. I am presently taking a 7 week class with Loretta Kramer. She teaches all the printmaking class there and is quite knowledgeable… and really talented! Fun!
More Printmaking Fun!
Working with templates. This one was cut out on my wonderful die cutting machine… my Pazzle! I love the melding of art and technology!
My new love. Printmaking. Specifically Monoprints, Monotypes and Collagraphs. Here are 3 versions of first starts. The first on cloth and other 2 on paper. All monoprints, because each contains a repeatable item. I am having the best time. Can you tell?
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of hearing Jeffrey Bale speak about “Pleasure Gardens” and show an amazing slide show of some of his favorite gardens all over the world. The guy has it nailed. He works 8 months a year and travels for 4… yikes! I want his job! Have a look at his site… it’s AMAZING! Jeffery could make any garden look fantastic. Using high quality stone work, and pebble mosaics he transforms spaces into intricate gardens. After seeing some of his work, I was inspired to pull out my old “raku” tiles. I am going to finally find a use for them in the garden… stay tuned!
It’s always a find, when you come across weathered boxes! I recently purchased these vintage boxes (middle photo) in Brooklyn.Perfect for the home or office. I’m slowly gathering weathered wood so I can have a box making party! Wanna come!
I love anything with and Indian design. So when I spotted these hand carved wood blocks, I had to buy them. I have quite a collection. They are created for making batiks, but I love to use them in my artwork. Especially great for clay and either making tiles or textures in the clay. And they wash up beautifully too. They are hand carved with Indian inspired motifs and geometric shapes, they are amazing. Next I am going to try them for printmaking. How can you pass up beautiful woodcuts!
While I was in Brooklyn I picked up this old 1950′s Cub Printer. Every facet of this printer is awesome, from the small rubber letters, to the simple type work on the box and manual. I can’t wait to actually test this little machine and make something retro. Stay tuned for the results!
This last weekend I took some time off and attended a 3-day Monotype class. The class was taught by Amber George at the Atheneum in La Jolla. I literally was in heaven all weekend, the class was such an experimental treat. The whole technique of monotype is very hands on. It’s the perfect melding of painting, printmaking and illustration. Not only did I bring ideas to the class, but I was also inspired by Amber and all the participants. I left with a whole array of art pieces, collage materials and experimental prints. If you ever want to get your hands dirty, check out the Atheneum art classes. What a great weekend! I am pooped!!!
