Cross Roads Blues part 12

 Felt like a good day to get up to the Studio.  Besides, had some information I needed.  My mother told me this morning that she had seen an ad in the paper for a new show up at the JSAC.  I knew of it already from a mass email, but I had only a general idea when the show was.  It wouldn't make a difference to me, except that my work is currently hanging in the same space, and I need to know when to take it down.  

But I skipped the office on the way in, and went straight to work.  Today's task was to pull a proof of my new Robert Johnson print, since that one seemed more likely done.  I had brought my rock/pop disc collection for no particular reason except it has more than twice as many discs in it than the blues/jazz set, so twice as many possibilities, though this means it weighs twice as much.  So be it.  At least it wasn't raining today, just a cold breeze and a sunny day.  What I ended up listening to was my Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings disc, details can be found on this blog back in June, 2019.

I had made a few minor changes to the block a few days ago, but there was one more thing I needed to do, to fix some of the mistakes from the first proofing, ink the block picked up by accident- not intended relief. I had brought the good tools with me today, and it did not take long to clear these stray marks under scraps of blue tape I used last time I printed.  And I cleared a few more bits from around the numbers on the label.  Then it was ready.  I inked it, printed it, and what I got can be seen below:

As of now, this is done, at least the image part of it- I've never proofed the lyric part, and don't expect to any time soon.  I don't think I will be doing any more to this block, as I don't see any other issues with it right now.  I left everything in my drying rack, and will find something else to do next time I am in.

As for my question, I stopped at the office on the way out, and was told that the opening for the next show would be maybe the 22nd or the 26th, but either way, we would eventually get an email telling us the specifics  Until then, it is hoped I will continue to leave my work up, as the boss likes it.  

Cross Roads Blues part 11/ Blood Draw part 19

 The unusual title today comes from having worked on two different blocks today, and doesn't include thinking about a third, but I'll save talk of that until I start that block.  No printing today, just cutting, but that's a big part of what I do.

Since my last visit to the Studio, I've had a bit of time to look at the resulting images of my two most recent blocks- a proof taken of the Cross Roads block, and a photo of the cutting on my Blood Draw block.  I came to the conclusion that there was more cutting I wanted to do on both before I try the next proof of each, so no printing yet.  Today was a good day to get up to the Studio and get some work done.  Once again I brought the pop/rock book of discs with me, and from that I selected a home burned compilation of songs from Shonen Knife, good high energy rock and roll to cut wood to.  I wrote about this disc back on July of 2019 if you want to know more about it.

First was the Johnson block.  Not many changes to be made here, but I did want to fix a few things, and everything can be seen on the photo below.  Most obvious is changes made to the bottle label- I redid some of the lettering, and cut out within a banner across the top of the label, and the seal design on the bottom left of the label.  Also made some minor cuts to the bottle itself, the arm holding the bottle, a button on the rolled up sleeve, and a few minor accidental marks that turned up in the proof.  There are more marks under that blue tape, but I think I took care of the things I wanted to.

Then I moved on to the larger block, my Blood Draw piece.  Some things I knew I wanted to do were put some kind of separation between the mask and a dark patch on the shoulder of the head to the far left, and I wanted to make lighter still the background of the whole piece.  While I had it there on the table with cutting tools out, I also made some slight changes to the other figure- hair, skin. and some on the other figure's hands.  Results can be seen in the photo below:

What I did today falls under the category of drawing with the tools.  I used various gouges to make more light lines in the inked (but dry) blocks, with the result that I could easily see the changes in the image by the newly exposed light color of the wood on the otherwise black inked block.  Unfortunately, this only goes one way, meaning I can only take away black, but I can't put it back.  On the other hand, it's a very quick and effective way of adjusting the balance of black, white, and gray in the image without needing to ink and print. 

I don't know if I am now done with either print, or if more cutting is necessary.  The only way to decide to keep looking at what I have and decide if I see more I want to remove.  I have some time, with no immediate or concrete deadlines for either piece, other than maybe wanting a proof to show to some visitors I expect to have in about a month.  Or to have for an open studio scheduled for about two months from now.  I have a lot of time between now and then.  

Blood Draw part 18

 I was up at the Studio today before 11, finding the parking lot relatively empty.  Of course, that makes no difference to me.  I carried my stuff to my space in the basement.  I decided that the most recent block was still too wet to mess with, though I did decide that the proof was dry enough to take home and later would do so.  No, today I was there to work on my Blood Draw project.  Last time I worked on the block was more than a month ago, and that was just fixing a few minor things.   I have had the proof of the whole print hanging on my Studio wall since I printed it, and had figured out at least some more of what I wanted to do with it.  Towards that end, I had brought all the cutting tools with me today, along with my rock/pop book of discs.  

For music I selected my Elastica disc, which has the debut album, and most of the EP that preceded it by many months.  (you can read more about this on this blog back in October of 2022 if you are interested)  It was good loud guitar music that suited my needs today.  I cleared a space on my table and got to work.

I knew I needed to make the background lighter- what was there was just too heavy for the composition.  I did have some fine vertical lines cut in all the areas that weren't heads, which is my usual way of turning black into grays, but this was not enough, and as a result, the composition wasn't working to my satisfaction.  I used a wider gouge to remove a lot of inked wood from the area near the upper left of the block, put similar lines throughout some of the middle, and some fine lines on the far right, to the right of the nurse's head, an area that had been solid black before. The above photo shows how it looked on my table, and below a better view of how the block looks now.

I don't know if I am done with this one yet, but I do know I like it a lot better now.  I will look at my photo and the actual block some more and decide it any more needs to be cut.  I would think that at this point it will be more minor changes, if any, but I'll decide that as I go.  Although I didn't do much to the two main figures, somehow it all seems clearer, and for sure the composition is more balanced.

On my way out I ran into Jeanne up on the 1st floor and she asked my about the print I was holding.  I told her it was my most recent piece, a work I consider in progress, but I was bringing it home to look at.  Also, it was part of the series of the works I had on the wall there.  She liked the print until I mentioned that Johnson's death certificate mentioned syphilis, then she got very scared.  That diagnosis may have been just a guess, since no autopsy was performed, and the disease was endemic in his population.  Besides, he died too young for it to have been a problem yet.  He had enough other problems to deal with.  

Cross Roads Blues part 10

 Having decided that there was not much to do on the latest block until  I took a proof and saw what I had, today was the day to pull that proof.  I had my new roll of masking tape, plus the ink and paper I had acquired recently.  No snow, no federal holiday.  The paper was already in the Studio, the ink in my go-bag, and the tape at home.  I made a couple of stops, then got up to the Studio a little past 11:00.

For music I had brought my book of Jazz/Blues discs, and from that I had selected Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which is sort of a greatest hits collection from his first two albums.  Previously written about on this blog back on September of 2021.  My reason was simple- earlier in the day when my mother had morning talk shows on, a guest also had the name Scott, and it reminded me of the one I had.  Also had some office business, but I decided to do that on the way out.

First step was to prepare some paper, which I wanted to do while my hands were still nice and clean.  Then I used my new tape, covering over the margins on the block before I started inking it.  Used some of my recently purchased ink for the inking.  Despite the very cold weather today, the ink rolled out quickly, and the block inked as expected.  I removed the large pieces of tape I used to cover my margins, and had to put more tape to cover things that took ink and weren't supposed to, such as the arm, and some incidental stuff on the bottle label.  Took one of my pieces of clean paper and started the process of hand printing.  

I must have inked it well the first time, as I need to only do a second roll on a few spots.  Results of that first proof can be seen below:

I don't know how I feel about this one yet.  I'm not sure if there is much else I can cut with this one, but I'll think about it over the next several days.  I left the block there, and decided to leave the proof as well, since it was still wet.  I took a photo to bring home to look at, and maybe I'll bring home the proof in a few days.  

The first disc ended, but I still had to clean up my ink and tools, so I put on a short one from the ones I left in the Studio in case Molly wanted to hear them.   What I listened to today was something I hadn't heard in a long time, an untitled disc from Tim Aanensen, given out at a display and open house he held at his parents house a few blocks away in Ocean Grove.  He searched high and low for suitable Scandinavian treats to serve at the event.  I knew Tim from our old critique group, where he was one of the original members.  We once collaborated on piece, which was exhibited.  Another thing he offered that day were discs he had burned on his computer of his own music, accompanying himself of acoustic guitar, sometimes the vocals double tracked.  No title, just his name and a little bird drawing (a common element in his artworks). Because he said the disc was for me and Molly, I left it at the Studio when I took most of my music collection home.  As far as this 20 minute disc goes, my favorite song, both then and now, is one called "Suchness", which has the most interesting lyrics and music of the set.  Take me at my word.  A bird is not just a bird.  A lot to unpack there.

Ash Wednesday

 A lot of people considered today to be Valentine's Day, and this being February 14th, I guess it is.  Of course, that's because it is St. Valentine's Day, or his feast day if you want to be more specific.  What that means is the day he is believed to have died, which means the day he would arrive in Heaven.  I have made art about saints in the past, maybe some 70 or 80 over the years, but I never did St Valentine because so many people already have heard of him and have ideas about what he is.  From what I remember, all the customs that go along with this day came after he died, and have little to do with him.  

Today is also Ash Wednesday, which can vary in date, but is always 40 days before Easter, marking the beginning of Lent, which traditionally is a season of sacrifice.  Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday) is the end of the celebration of feasting that some do before Lent.  I have done a print about Ash Wednesday, back in 1994, part of my Fourth of July series.  I have created a blog that shows and tells the story about each day and print in that year long series, but you can see the image below:

I do have other stories about this Lenten season and what I gave up for the occasion, but it's too much to write here.

Studio Business

 The rain and snow from yesterday has ended, and the sun came out, but with it some bitter cold winds.  Not a day for taking long walks outside.  Luckily, I didn't have to do that today.  However, I did have things to do.

Overnight I had a strange dream that I was asked to take down the work I have on display in my building and replace it with newer work, if I had any.  My response was that I had one new block ready to print, but whether or not I would show it right now depended on what I thought of the result.  Maybe I'd have it ready to frame by the end of the week, and maybe not.  When I woke up I realized it was just a dream, and that I would not be asked to change my art on display, especially with another show coming in next month.  However, I decided that it would be a good idea to get it done (the Robert Johnson print) and so I could frame it eventually for the future.  And since I don't want to print it until I have more blue tape to mask out what I want, my first step might be to get some more tape.  The logical place to look was a hardware store I knew of in Belmar, which is on my way up to the Studio.

So that's what I did.  Stop and get a couple of rolls of tape- a roll of blue tape (which is essentially masking tape) for printing, and a roll of clear sealing tape, for a package I want to send soon.  Then on to the Studio.

Not much going on there.  I didn't want to print today, but I did want to make a few changes to my drying rack.  I had acquired a couple of paper holding racks from the store closing sale when the local Rag Shop went out of business, one for me and one for Molly.  Molly just uses hers to lean screens against, but I use mine as a drying rack for prints, and to hold drying blocks.  Unfortunately, it's full, as is the shelf where I store other recent blocks (thicker birch, what I use now), so it was time to clear it out and make some room for the next batch of prints.  I moved some old Fourth of July blocks to the shelves where I have boxes of them, making room for recent birch blocks, and a few more spaces that are currently unused. I found a few things in the drying rack that I didn't know were there, information that was good to have.  

That was enough for today, so I locked up, took a quick walk to my car in the cold wind, and drove home. 

Mardi Gras 2024

 My second favorite holiday has arrived, Mardi Gras.  Or maybe it's my first favorite, as I celebrate it for a few days.  (a batch of my jambalaya is good for three meals)  I celebrate it because I like cajun food in general, and at a studio called arrabbiata, we have to enjoy spicy food when we can.  I'm not as big on the drinking alcohol part of the holiday (though a beer to wash it down is always good), but I do lke the music, so it all works out.  

One thing I learned about jambalaya (in my quest to learn how to make it) is that it is a very traditional dish, with as many variations as there are cooks, so that means there is no one recipe.  Anyone can make it any way they want.  I tend to make one similar to one that was at a little cajun restaurant we had here in town once, now closed.  As you can see from the photo, there is chicken, andouille sausage (pork is in the name, so I consider it necessary), shrimp (since they don't carry crawfish at the local supermarket), rice, a variety of vegetables and spices (got to keep a few secrets here), and I find it tasty.  Plus, I can easily get all the ingredients.  Prep takes longer than the actual cooking.

So today I'll have a big bowl of the stuff, a cold beer, listen to some rockin' zydeco, all of which leads to a good time.  Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Cross Roads Blues part 9

 Today was the free day, so up to Studio I went.  Weather may be bad tomorrow.  I brought with me one home burned disc, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and figured I'd find something up there if I needed another one.  You can read about this disc in this blog back in August of 2019.  I also brought my good tools, hoping that would be enough for what I planned today.

Got up there and got right to work.  The last remaining major thing to finish was the text at the bottom- the lyric that I adapted.  Got the first few words done last time, but this time I was determined to finish the whole thing before I left.  Carving letters takes time, but is not particularly difficult.  What I always tell people who marvel at my ability to carve words is that I can block print backwards as fast as I can do it forwards (true) and that it takes the same amount of time to cut a letter facing forward or backward, plus I have gotten plenty of practice doing it over the past few decades.  About halfway through the process my disc ran out, so I selected another from the small pile I keep there- The Righteous Ones by Toshi Reagon, which I wrote about back in August of 2021.  The other thing I did today was cut a little more bed, made it just a touch wider.  Results of today's cutting can be seen below:

I think that's all I need to do on this one.  Next step is to pull a proof of this block and see where I'm at on it.  If I like what I see, I can pull a better proof and send it along as I ask for an update.  If not, make whatever changes seem necessary.  Before I do that, perhaps I'll pick up a new roll of painter's tape.  I'm just about out of it.

Cross Roads Blues part 8

 

Another nice day, even warmer than it has been.  Still winter, but very nice out.  Got myself up to the Studio by about quarter after 11.  For music I put on a disc I keep in the Studio, a live album from Bob Marley called Babylon By Bus.  I have written about this one back in October of 2021 if you want to know more.  I probably was in the mood for it because a new Bob Marley bio-pic is coming out soon and the television commercial plays often.  No need for the office today, so I got right to work.  

I was continuing on the latest Robert Johnson block, and started today with the figure in the background.  For this one I borrowed one from myself going back over a dozen years, but one that fit the space well.   I think of her as the Chinese woman, not because of the race of the model (caucasian if I remember correctly), but because one of the other artists at the session remarked that the resulting sketch resembled Chinese writing.  The artist had a point, but in this case I was just thinking of a figure that was in roughly an "L" shape, which is what I was looking for, and I remembered seeing this when looking for another figure piece a few months ago.  I ended up redrawing the figure to change its size and location a bit, but it's more or less what I had planned,  plus I simplified it a little in the final version.  I also decided to make it more silhouette-like, reducing the number of lines and breaking it down to just black and gray.  The idea is that it will sit back and be less of a presence than the arm and bottle in the foreground, while still being recognizable as a woman.

Because the disc was still going, I decided to start on the text at the bottom.  I cut out the first few words from the top line, beginning on the right (or what will be the left in the printed version).  Results can be seen below:

When the disc ended (that album plus a live version of "I Shot the Sheriff" from a different album I had, to fill the blank disc and not on the first album), I decided to pack up, clean up, document it, and head home.  

Cross Roads Blues part 7

 Today seemed almost a spring day- sunny, not too cold.  It's been a few days since I was in the Studio working, so I was anxious to get there.  I had brought a loose cd with me, an all Texas thing, with an album each from the Hickoids and Jon Wayne, both gotten from a Texan in Carbondale, SIU grad Dave Kirkland.  You can read about this disc on this blog back in December of 2019.  The parking lot was relatively empty for a Tuesday, but there were enough cars to show that some people were there.  Gate was open and a few tags hanging.  

I had brought both sets of tools with me, but ended up only using my good tools today.  I continued work on the most recent Johnson block, my latest piece.  I finished the bottle, cut the bed and pillow (making the bed a little wider than it was), and did some stuff to the wall in the background.  I don't know if that's done yet, and won't until I cut the rest and see the value balance.  I'll leave the figure and the text for future days.  Results of today's work can be seen below:

I also spent time looking at both the block and proof for my Blood Draw piece, gathering more ideas for future cutting.  Think I came up with a few more possibilities.  It's not a bad print, but it needs work to get it to what I consider a satisfactory state.  But that's something for another day.  On my way out of the building I noticed that a few things had been taken down from the first floor walls.  I don't know if this has anything to do with the finally announced plans for the future, in emails we got over the weekend, mentioning the next show (photography) and our next official open studio event.