Professional Printmaking part 3

 Once again predictions were for a dry day today, the only one of the week.  Also predictions for a very hot day, the hottest of the week, but I couldn't let that keep me away from working.  Got up to the Studio around quarter to 10.  I saw Joe in room 5, which he had said would be the place his figure group would be moved to.  I stopped in long enough to say hello and let him know I'd be missing it again, but with reason- I had some paying work to do at that time.  On to the basement, where I cleared the table in my space, and put the prints we made last week out where she could see them, creating space in my drying rack for today's work.  I saw Mary outside through my window and opened the basement door for her.  She opted to tie up her scooter to a post outside next to the building, rather than try to bring it down and up the ramp to the basement.  No problem if that is what she wanted to do.

Mary brought a roll of glassine with her today, so she set about cutting some pieces to put between her now dry proofs from last week.  Meanwhile I started inking the next block. What we had there in the Studio was the portrait piece we had tried the week before, but the press was having issues and it was too heavy a paper for hand printing.  I had kept the leftover paper from last week's hand printing and that would do fine.  After inking, I put down plenty of blue painter's tape to cover the unwanted ink.  Mary had brought her favorite plastic baren with her, to use on the part of the print she'd be printing.  However, she found that the baren was not really helping her much (lack of strength she said) and went back to using a spare wooden spoon I had.  Today's print was smaller than the one we did last week, so it went faster in all phases.  As a result, we had pulled 3 good proofs (and one early one that slipped) and were done by noon. Cut a scrap of all the leftover mat board I had from the last framing and used some of the ink on my table to dab a few spots here and there of the proofs.  Below is the third proof, once again her favorite of the day:

That's two done and one to go for her upcoming show.  She tells me that she has picked up the third block from storage and now has it at home, so she can bring it with her next week.  She paid me the rest of what she owed me and we made arrangements for one last printing meeting next week, which will be enough time to pull the prints and frame things before her upcoming show.  I used a little of her money to pick up a mailing tube on my way home, which I will use for the prints I am sending to Virginia soon.