St Dwynwen part 11

All my school deadlines have been met.  My piece for the next show has been completed, framed, and delivered.  So next up is the next show I will be a part of, East Meets West.

This morning I searched for and found a recent set of notes from our many meetings on this topic, so I could verify rules, dates, etc.  Then I sent Mary an e-mail, requesting clarification on a few points, and updating her on information I had found out over the past month or so.

In the afternoon I took a ride up to the Studio.  The most recent deadline I could find for when the prints are due at Mary's was crossed out and changed to January 15th, just a few days away.  I got to get busy on this thing.  The block has long been done, I have experimented with and picked a color scheme, but I will need a new proof, and oil based ink takes at least a few days to dry, so no time to waste.  A blast of arctic air just arrived, plus plenty of wind, so the perceived temperature today was in single digits, and part of me would have rather waited until next week when it is expected to be more normal temperatures, but I didn't think I had any time to waste.  Grabbed some extra paper, while everything else was either in my car or in the Studio.

My first proof and test piece was on okawara, a tissue thin mulberry paper.  It's a nice paper, and I have used it for many things, but it can be tough to color, as watercolors sometime soak right through  and spread.  Still, I figured I'd print one on that, and a few on various Rives papers, western papers made from cotton.  Hand print well, and take watercolor well, though the lighter one will need to be stretched (paper tape) first to keep it from buckling too much.

Before doing anything else, I took a few minutes to clean up the block- cutting away a few bits that took ink last time and had just been covered with tape.  Tore the paper to large pieces, as I would need extra to account for the parts that would be taped.

Got to the Studio, and found that the piece of okawara I had in my rack was too small (pieces for the show must be 14" x 11"), so it would just be the western papers today.  My first attempt with the Rives Lightweight didn't work out; it shifted somehow and I got a double exposed image.  But my second attempt on another piece worked fine, as did a proof on Rives Heavyweight, both of which can be seen above.  Both proofs are better than the one I had on the okawara. And my first double printed attempt will serve a another practice piece for the colors, which will look a little different on a western paper anyway.  Left everything in the rack, cleaned up, and got home before dark.

In the evening I found I had heard back from Mary.  Thanks to a change in other events, I can have a few more weeks to finish everything, so tomorrow I will send out pitches to other printmakers, and see if anyone else wants to be part of this show.